When I look back on my life, I realise it has come full circle. I have worked in the legal field throughout my career; and if I broke new ground while working for large organisations, I am continuing to do so at the age of 70.

But, first, let me rewind. I was born into a humble family in Calcutta and had a burning desire to turn the financial status of my family around. I wanted to become a doctor but my parents could not afford medical school. One day, my father took me to meet a solicitor friend of his, who advised me to take up law instead. I enrolled as an ‘article clerk’ while studying law. Back then, it took three years to get a law degree and an additional five years to upgrade to ‘solicitor’. I pursued both degrees simultaneously, thus reducing my education by two years.

I moved to Bombay for better career prospects and, in less than a month, I was appointed law officer with the Industrial Finance Corporation of India. I worked there for three years before I joined BNP Paribas, then called Banque Nationale de Paris, where I set up the legal department. Sixteen years later, in 1990, I retired as head of the legal and secretarial department.

Determined to continue working after retirement, I seized the opportunity of a second innings by becoming legal manager with Bombay Hospital. Being the first to establish a legal department in this hospital, I took care of medico-legal cases on behalf of the hospital as well as cases pertaining to medical negligence and kidney-related transplants.

In India, a notary merely authenticates documents but in Western countries, they are regarded as judges—they preside over complicated matters, sometimes even in conflicts between two countries. And, thus, it was a very proud moment when, as ‘Notary Public of Maharashtra Government’ as well as a member and former president of the International Notary of India (based in Ahmedabad), I was selected by the president of the International Notary Association of France to represent India at the Vietnamese Notary Conference at Ho Chi Minh City in 2014. It was a thrilling experience to address representatives of 25 countries on ‘Land Registering Systems in India’, a system the Vietnamese government wanted to adopt. After my talk, the governor of Ho Chi Minh City invited my wife and me to a special dinner at his residence!

This exposure opened new arenas of growth for me, past the age of 70. In October 2016, I represented India at the 28th World Congress of Notaries at the Paris Conference. I was also the first Indian to contribute to Revista International Del Notariado, a European magazine that publishes views of legal experts from across the world. I am now looking forward to representing India at the International Affairs of the Indonesian Notary Association, to be held in Bali, Indonesia.

Despite all these activities, I continue to serve as senior general manager (legal) with Bombay Hospital. It’s almost as if the universe has conspired to allow me to serve a medical institution, if not as a doctor then in a legal capacity. I am often reminded of Swami Vivekananda’s words, “I have so many expectations and wants but it is He who knows what I need.”

—Sidheswar De, Mumbai

Photo courtesy: Sidheswar De
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
September 2017