Chief Justice explains why his father advised against selling their Pune flat until his retirement.

In his farewell speech at an event organized by the Supreme Court Bar Association, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud reflected on a conversation with his father, former Chief Justice YV Chandrachud, about a flat in Pune. 

"He bought this small flat in Pune. I asked him, 'Why are you buying a flat in Pune? When are you going to stay there?' He told me, 'I know I am never going to stay there. I am not sure how long I will be with you. But keep this flat until the last day of your tenure as a judge.' I asked why, and he said, 'If you feel that your moral integrity or your intellectual integrity is compromised, I want you to know that you have a roof over your head. Never allow yourself to be compromised either as a lawyer or as a judge because you have no place of your own,'" the Chief Justice recounted, sharing this father-son conversation. 

He mentioned that his father was very disciplined but did not impose strict discipline on his children. "He thought we should learn the ideals of discipline by observing how he led a disciplined life," he said.

The event was attended by the Chief Justice's family as well. He recalled his mother, saying, "I was a sick child, often falling ill, and my mother must have spent countless nights awake to ensure I got well. I still remember her saying, 'Medicine is like the Ganges, and the doctor is in the position of Narayan (the god).' She told me while I was growing up, 'I have named you Dhananjay, but the 'dhan' is not material wealth; I want you to acquire knowledge.'"

The Chief Justice's mother, Prabha Chandrachud, was a classical musician for All India Radio. "Like most Maharashtrian women, she was very powerful. Our household was dominated by women. My mother was the one who made decisions at home," he remarked. He drew a parallel that garnered loud applause: "I think women from Odisha are similar. My lovely spouse Kalpana calls all the shots at home but never interferes with my judgments."

He also reflected on his childhood discipline, stating, "I was disciplined, but not overly so. I was allowed to enjoy my childhood without pressure to fulfill my parents' dreams. They never tried to live their dreams through me."

The Chief Justice remembered a household help, Bhimabai Bhanu Kamath. "She was completely illiterate and learned how to write her name when she joined our family. I was often sick, and she nurtured me while teaching me valuable life lessons beyond the urban area I was born into. She ensured that, even though my father had become a judge, I associated with young friends from the margins of society. My best friend wore two pairs of shorts not because he had extras, but to hide the holes in his shorts," he shared, adding that he and his sister rarely go a day without remembering Bhimabai.

He recounted his father's intervention when he had to choose a subsidiary subject as a student at Delhi University. "Most of my friends opted for philosophy, a subject you could pass with just one evening of studying. But my father insisted that I take Hindi. I knew only Bambaiya Hindi, but he was adamant that I take the difficult route."

As he learned Hindi, he was introduced to the works of legendary writers such as Mahadevi Verma, Jaishankar Tripathi, Nirala, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, and Munshi Premchand. "Almost 30 years later, when I was to join the Allahabad High Court, I realized the importance of that decision. Often, advocacy in English would end with 'please, your Lordship'. Lawyers accepted me more readily because they recognized my language frailties but felt I had reached out to them in a language close to their hearts. That was one of the lessons I learned – the importance of connecting with people in ways that matter to their lives," he stated.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud retires from the country’s top legal position today, two years after taking office in November 2022. Justice Sanjiv Khanna will be sworn in as the next Chief Justice tomorrow.