In a scintillating Homecoming felicitation function organised for the ageless, legendary jurist, Legal Doyen of our times Sri. K. Parasaran ji, 92 years, after having won the famous Ayodhya case on November 9th, 2019. This long-fought case to establish Ram Lulla’s temple at the demolished site, with his battery of ten lawyers and his tryst to argue barefooted for this case, despite the Chief Justice of India asking him to argue seated, fell on deaf ears. This grand felicitation function was organised by Sastra School of Law, to honour this homecoming of the native and attended by who is who of the Chennai locales.
Alongside Sri. K Parasaran ji, the dais was lit by the presence of,
Justice N. Kumar Ji, Former Judge of Karnataka Court, NHRC Chair on Human Rights
Shri C. S. Vaidyanathan, Senior Advocate, Madras High Court
Shri. A.R.L. Sundaresan, Senior Advocate & President, Madras Bar Association
Shri S. Gurumurthy ji, Editor Thuglak & Distinguished Professor of Legal Anthropology, SASTRA SCHOOL OF LAW.
Shri Vaidya Subramanian, Vice-Chancellor, Sastra University.
The function started with astounding claps for the great lawyer without whose legal acumen the case wouldn’t have had this grand finale and a prayer song sung by Ms.Sivasri Skandaprasad.
The welcome address was rendered by Shri Vaidya Subramanian. In his speech he said, “he is extremely happy to welcome the dignitaries seated on the dais, the august presence of the people who had come on behalf of the Sastra School of Law. This was a very rare occasion for many reasons, one being the Homecoming of the son of the Srirangam soil, a member of the Madras bar, later who travelled to Delhi to achieve the highest legal positions and accolades in his lifetime. His bandwidth of his achievements is beyond bar, bench and scholarly attainments.
In 2016, while releasing Shri K Parasaran ji’s book on Law and Dharma, he also said that they would conduct another felicitation function when he turns 100 years of age. This event turned out to be a surprise. He is known as the Institution of Judiciary, honest, professional excellence, high standard of Individual Discipline, caring attitude towards society and humanity in general. He recollects a past incident when the legal doyen was asked why didn’t he sit when he was offered a chair to be seated while arguing, pat came the reply Tradition should not defy law. His father had advised him that it is the duty of the professional to stand while arguing. Every lawyer should have an emotional, personal connect with any case they take up”.
“Shri K. Parasaran ji’s humility, quest for knowledge, it not only makes him encyclopaedia of knowledge but WIKIPEDIA. He is a staunch believer of our Indian Constitution, his chanting of Ramayana every day since 1959, as a daily routine, gave him the extra power to interpret Ramayana and Constitution of India. He always led the legal profession based on Sathya and Dharma. The four pillars are said to be, Dwaja, Saraswathi, Vishwamitra and Vidhura”.
The next event was followed by a Lyrical felicitation-rendition by Shri K Parasaran’s daughter Smt. Rangam Balaji, who read about her father poetically.
The Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt presented and honoured Shri K. Parasaran ji with a gold medal, a shawl, by the representative Shrikaryam.
The next speaker was Justice N. Kumar, in his speech said, “He has never heard of such felicitations being conducted and was very grateful to attend this function, especially when it involves Shri K. Parasaran ji. While in practice, as a sitting judge he has had occasions to hear the doyen argue, always been in awe of his involvement in the legal profession. He has devoted his life single minded to upkeep the standard and ethics of legal profession and constitutional development of our times. He jocularly said that Shri K Parasaran ji believed in bigamy, with his legal profession being the jealous mistress and had the audience in splits”.
“His ideology of law and dharma makes his stand out from the rest. His beliefs, constitutional vision, dharma, to combine ethos, culture, legal, unflinching at that. We need constitution to preserve society and country, as it is our fundamental duty to preserve and value our rich culture. In his parting words, he reconfirmed that Shri K. Parasaran ji, Ramayana was studied and chanted which had become his life itself, has shown by practice the way of his living standards in accordance with dharma, artha, kama, has taken and stood in the path of dharma, becoming the victor of truth, making him the MARYAADHA PURUSHOTHAMA, as Lord Ram was to Ramayana”.
The next speaker was Shri. C.S. Vaidyanathan, who in his soft demeanour, said, “he chose to be one among the audience always rather than to be a speaker. He recollected the respect that he has had, have and will have for his senior Shri. K Parasaran ji, will be undiminishing for ever. Known each other as a family, his first visit to the Ayodhya temple years back, seeing the apathy and state of the Ram statue kept in a small tent brought tears to all who had seen. The magnanimity of the ageless legal supremo in developing an army of juniors, lawyers in his life time is worth mentioning. Conflict of opinions what was thought to be right then turned out to be wrong as told by Shri. K Parasaran ji, a prophecy come true”.
“He complimented Shri K Parasaran ji being full of wisdom and how his views shall prevail. He has always been educative, instructive, full of integrity, quoting from Veda and Ramayana. He was always in awe of his phenomenal memory and reminisced the team who stood in support for this noble legal cause case”.
The next speaker to adorn the stage was, Shri. A.R.L. Sundaresan, “taking the trip down the memory lane, he recollected when he met Shri Parasaran in 1991 regarding a property matter for one and other barring of export of granite, channelization of TAMIN. His mother and Mrs. Parasaran ji were good friends and he drove his mother often to their place when they chanced to meet up. He also reiterated the fact that Shri Parasaran jis father, Shri Keshava Iyengar never wore foot wear to court and he also believed if a day comes that he has to sit and argue that day he will quit the profession. Shri Keshava Iyengar happened to be his father’s lawyer too those days. It was his dream to get an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Shri K. Parasaran and become one like him. With the three wickets-speakers done, he said the fourth batsman would be S. Gurumurthy”.
Shri S. Gurumurthy, said, “He doesn’t know how he was chosen to speak as he doesn’t belong to the fraternity of lawyers seated on the dais and that he knows most of the lawyers and not the law. He with fondness said about the trials and tribulations that Shri K Parasaran ji had when he had to represent the Government regarding the demolition of the Indian Express Building those days. He just withdrew himself from the case saying that he won’t represent the Government. He has known the legendary legal doyen for the past 29 odd years and he is astounded by his outstanding humility”.
“With the paradigm shift in the legal courses, NA BHOOTHO, NA BHAVISHYATHI, Where the past or the future is of no consequence, maintaining the tradition and custom he has definitely entered the hearts and homes of people of India with this verdict. He recollects the Polish people how they demolished the churches built by Russians, which was seen as a political intention. The same was related to Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi as told by Arnold J. Toynbee, in the year 1963 at Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan. Regarding Ayodhya, Rajeev Gandhi’s Government was in a fix to go either Mandal way or the Mandhir way. An ordinance passed at midnight had to be cancelled at the wee hours of morning all because of foreseen unrest in the country. This verdict has to be seen as a Politico-legal judgement, over 40 days, with all the judges agreeing 5:0, which was the most impersonal and unprecedented ever”.
Last speaker for the day, none other than the legal supremo Shri K. Parasaran, “He insisted on the Right to worship, Article 142, to enforce the decrees and orders of the supreme court, the way it was sought out which is scheduled limitation act. He believed in Lord Rama not sending anyone empty handed. The fairness of the hearing of the Nirmohi Akara and the Muslim representatives. He has also sought to an Injunction order not to cause obstruction and construction of the temple. His predecessor Shri Mohan Kumara Mangalam’s plaint also helped him”.
“He has always believed in, ethical values, has not seen caste or creed ever in his life, he also never believed that Ayodhya is never a MONOPOLY. While explaining Ramayana, Rama + ayana that is the path which Lord Rama stood on “DHARMA”. He connected the pancha and ashta akshara to be one. Hanuman always believed in the chastity of Seetha, saw her personification of chastity. Like Lord Rama was born to Dasaratha, he too had a battalion of ten lawyers to support him, from the archaeological side and from all legal aspects of the case. He has always believed that no humans are faultless, otherwise they become GOD”.
With another round of standing ovations, the function came to an end with the singing of national anthem.
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