<p>Justice Shivaraj V Patil will release his autobiography ‘Time Spent Distance Travelled’ on January 21. The 400-pager will also be available in Kannada, titled ‘Kaleda Kala Nadedha Doora’.</p>.<p>It will provide insight into Patil’s journey from an underprivileged village boy of Mandakal (now Maladakal) to a Supreme Court judge in New Delhi. He was appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court of India in 2000. Since his retirement in 2005, he has served as the acting chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of India, and as Lokayukta of the Karnataka government.</p>.<p><strong>‘Down memory lane’</strong></p>.<p>Although five biographies have been published about Patil — three in Kannada and two in English — he started work on his autobiography on the request of his family and peers. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>.<p>It took him approximately a year and a half to collate all the data and an equal amount of time to finish the book. “I had never maintained a diary to record my daily life. So collating all the data was a real trip down memory lane,” the 84-year-old tells Metrolife.</p>.<p>The book covers various phases of Patil’s life, with chapters titled ‘Embarking on life’s journey’, ‘Legal career’, ‘Productive retirement’, ‘Blessed family’, and ‘Plaudits and publications’.</p>.<p>“I come from a humble background... from one of the most backward villages in the erstwhile region of Hyderabad-Karnataka. I grew up poor. I did not have any educational support. I was the first graduate in my village. Despite these adversities, (in the book) you see me slowly make my way up, from being a student, then a teacher, a principal and a lawyer, and finally a judge,” he says, adding that these varied roles taught him important life lessons.</p>.<p>Patil hopes the autobiography serves as a guide to aspiring advocates, and encourages people — especially the youth — to not give up in the face of adversity. “I have always had faith in three things — hard work, honesty, and humility. (People with) these three traits will always be blessed by divinity. This has always been my belief. If I could achieve my goals despite the curveballs life threw at me, it should be a reminder to people that they can also achieve anything they set their mind to,” he adds</p>.<p>M N Venkatachaliah, former chief justice of India, has written the foreword of the book, published by Sparsh Foundation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Both the English and Kannada versions will be launched on January 21, 10.30 am, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval. The book is priced at Rs 800</p>
<p>Justice Shivaraj V Patil will release his autobiography ‘Time Spent Distance Travelled’ on January 21. The 400-pager will also be available in Kannada, titled ‘Kaleda Kala Nadedha Doora’.</p>.<p>It will provide insight into Patil’s journey from an underprivileged village boy of Mandakal (now Maladakal) to a Supreme Court judge in New Delhi. He was appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court of India in 2000. Since his retirement in 2005, he has served as the acting chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of India, and as Lokayukta of the Karnataka government.</p>.<p><strong>‘Down memory lane’</strong></p>.<p>Although five biographies have been published about Patil — three in Kannada and two in English — he started work on his autobiography on the request of his family and peers. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>.<p>It took him approximately a year and a half to collate all the data and an equal amount of time to finish the book. “I had never maintained a diary to record my daily life. So collating all the data was a real trip down memory lane,” the 84-year-old tells Metrolife.</p>.<p>The book covers various phases of Patil’s life, with chapters titled ‘Embarking on life’s journey’, ‘Legal career’, ‘Productive retirement’, ‘Blessed family’, and ‘Plaudits and publications’.</p>.<p>“I come from a humble background... from one of the most backward villages in the erstwhile region of Hyderabad-Karnataka. I grew up poor. I did not have any educational support. I was the first graduate in my village. Despite these adversities, (in the book) you see me slowly make my way up, from being a student, then a teacher, a principal and a lawyer, and finally a judge,” he says, adding that these varied roles taught him important life lessons.</p>.<p>Patil hopes the autobiography serves as a guide to aspiring advocates, and encourages people — especially the youth — to not give up in the face of adversity. “I have always had faith in three things — hard work, honesty, and humility. (People with) these three traits will always be blessed by divinity. This has always been my belief. If I could achieve my goals despite the curveballs life threw at me, it should be a reminder to people that they can also achieve anything they set their mind to,” he adds</p>.<p>M N Venkatachaliah, former chief justice of India, has written the foreword of the book, published by Sparsh Foundation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Both the English and Kannada versions will be launched on January 21, 10.30 am, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval. The book is priced at Rs 800</p>