We, The People by Nani A. Phalkivala

First Published: 1984

Fortieth Reprint Edition: 2020

Written by one of India's foremost lawyers and a former Ambassador of India to the United States, Nani A. Phalkivala's We, The People is a collection of opinions, talks, speeches and commentaries made on a wide range of subjects, from International relations to Indian constitutionalism from his days as a barrister till the time of being an Ambassador......

The book itself is divided into four major parts with subparts, each containing opinions he either said on a platform or wrote in a newspaper. Widely renowned to be a multi-faceted personality, it would be hard to believe for a reader (including me) that a lawyer-specialized in law-has been able to provide an opinion on Taxation and Socialism with the same expertise as a genuine expert in the subject. He swings from professional to personal and back in most of the writeups and all writings in this book (both he wrote or spoke) are written in formal English, which is expected of a lawyer, who has appeared in important cases of the Supreme Court like the Minerva Mills case.

This brings us to the merits of the book. Each article is an individual piece, not connected to the others in any way. Therefore, even if a reader doesn't read any two articles one after the other, he or she won't miss anything ( Maybe its biggest flaw as well). Being a lawyer, his commentaries on constitutionalism, democracy, education etc are a must-read for all. There are quotes made by people from around the world. He provides a detailed analysis of the Union Budgets and also provides an account of how the Union Budget would be if he were the Finance Minister at the time.

A demerit of the book is that it may not be easily understandable for all, as it is the collection of opinions of a lawyer, who deals with various technicalities a reader may not be necessarily be aware of. This is most likely to be witnessed when the reader reads the sections on Taxation and Constitutionalism, with references to various economic terms and court cases respectively, many of which readers may not be aware of.

Keeping the flaws aside, the book is a read for anyone interested in the evolution of education, taxation, budgets, and most importantly constitutionalism in India.

+/-: Articles unconnected to each other

+:   Expert analysis on a wide range of subjects

-:    Technical language used

Verdict: 9.0/10

Comment: Can also be called "Phalkivala's Take On......." (No offence intended)