Ram Jethmalani was born on September 14,1923, in the town of Shikarpur, Sindh in undivided India. Ram chose to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, a prominent lawyer. He graduated even before his 18th birthday; too young to be allowed to practice. He got a special dispensation to practice law at the age of 18 instead of the usual 21. After the partition of India, he came to Bombay as a refugee and embarked on a new life. In a few years, his abilities were recognized and soon he was perceived as one of the leading criminal lawyers of the time. He has served as Law Minister of India and also as Minister of Urban Development during the Prime Ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee against whom he later on contested election in General Elections of 2004 from Lucknow constituency. Ram Jethmalani is a distinguished and respected criminal legal luminary, an active parliamentarian, a public-spirited nationalist and, often, a defender of lost causes. For many years Ram has written on law, religion, philosophy, economics and politics. He spares no one and does not suffer fools. The fact that he is controversial, a non-conformist and often goes against the grain, makes him somewhat of an untouchable to conservative publications and media houses. Jethmalani has appeared in many high profile cases including defense of Rajiv Gandhi's killers in Madras High Court in 2011; defense of Indira Gandhi's killers; defense of Harshad Mehta and Ketan Parekh, underworld don Haji Mastan; and defended death sentence of Afzal Guru. He also represented Manu Sharma, the prime accused in the Jessica Lall murder case, but could not get him acquitted. Recently, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh while releasing Jethmalani's autobiography 'Conscience of a Maverick', described him as “Truly his own man” with the courage of conviction. He said, "I have always admired the qualities of head and heart that Ram symbolizes. He is certainly a maverick, as he calls himself in this book, but he is a delightful and likeable maverick. A maverick is a deviant. Some deviant persons can be irritating because they disturb the norm. But there are those who endear themselves even to those who may differ with them. Ram is certainly one such person.” he added.

Reporter> Violate laws of religion, you are a sinner… Violate laws of men, you're a criminal… violate your own laws, you are pathetic… said Toba Beta. So, there are three kinds of laws (a) Legal, constitutional, made by logical and rational thinking… (b) Laws of religion, community or society like no smoking or vegetarianism… and (c) Laws we make from our own life experiences. Out of these three laws which one do you trust the most and is the reason for your success and achievements?

Ram Jethmalani > Well… I must tell you that I am not a great one for religion. So far as religion is concerned and religious belief is concerned, irrespective of reason and logic, even that has a small place in human existence. There are certain questions which arise in mind of everybody – Why are we on earth? What is the purpose of this whole universe? What should we do here? Where do we go from here? Who is ruling this universe? Is it some ‘Satan'? Or God or is it a Blind Law of inexorable operation. Now, these are questions on which the finite human brain may not be able to give you answers. And you may then believe a great saint, or you may believe a great philosopher, or you may believe a great religious leader. So long as that belief does no harm to humanity, it is welcome to be tolerated.

But ultimately my own firm belief is that ideal existence is an existence which is guided by ‘Reason' and ‘Logic' but is inspired by this great dynamo of “Love” and “Compassion”. There is no better life than this. Even these two sentences I have told you, I can summarize still more. And that is my one line religion. “While you are alive make as many people happy as you can.” There is no higher religion than this. Rest is all just muck!

Reporter> What do you think about our India's education system?

Ram Jethmalani> I believe that our education system in this country is faulty. Let me summarize the deficiencies of our system. It produces knowledge but without wisdom. It produces in you some kind of thirst for power but without a corresponding understanding of obligations to the rest of the world. It produces cleverness but no conscious. This education system has to be changed!

I have one great complaint against our education system in India. The value of any civilization is to be judged by the manner in which you treat your teachers. A teacher is the fulcrum of civilized society. The tragedy of this country is that rascals of politicians live in luxury but almost every teacher lives in a state of honorable poverty. There are therefore, no good teachers. This is the biggest tragedy!

And… there are no teachers who are trained in philosophy of secularism. To my mind if India has decided to become a secular state and in spite of the fact that we had terrible provocation to convert ourselves into a Hindu theocracy, our country was divided on the basis of religion. You created an Islamic republic and I give a tribute to Hindus that they did not succumb to that same folly and we created a secular state. We created a secular state without explaining to people what secularism really is. I am so sorry that every government in power has kept people away from understanding secularism. Because all governments are out to exploit religion. They thrive on religious differences. And that brings in the evil of vote bank politics. True secularism has been destroyed in India by corrupt politicians exploiting religions hatred to secure votes.

I must tell you frankly, Karl Marx attacked religion. He said religion is the opiate of the people. I wish religion was an opiate, because an opiate puts you to sleep, puts you to rest, it makes you peaceful. It doesn't certainly make you violent and quarrelsome. Unfortunately, religion which is not an opiate has turned out to be an aphrodisiac for atrocities. The world has been destroyed by religious warfare; that is the whole history of our planet and that religious warfare has yet not stopped. It is getting worse! Religion has now taken a shape which has no resemblance to any religion of the old prophets. I have been telling my Muslim friends that the Prophet of Islam was one of the great Prophets. He is perhaps the only Prophet, who told his followers that when you walk in search of knowledge, you are walking in the path of God. He is the only Prophet who told his followers that “Ink of the scholar is more valuable than the blood of the martyr”. I regret to say that our entire Muslim world, with some honorable exception - You have taken to martyrdom but forgotten scholarship! That is the tragedy of Islam. Islam has now become not the Islam of prophet but the Islam of Mr. Wahab. Nobody has the courage to tell these things. Today the effect of ‘Wahabi' version of Islam is that now you are killing Sufis and Shias; forget killing of non-Muslims, but you are killing Muslims too? And nobody has the courage to speak up! Go ahead, next question?

Reporter> Having lived a fearless and achiever's life so far, would you consider yourself greatly blessed and deeply loved for the your achievements and contributions?

Ram Jethmalani> Look I don't have the vanity to tell you that I have held a survey of world opinion or country's opinion. But from my own immediate companions or people whom I meet, I have gathered a belief that no one thinks I'm communal and no one thinks that I am corrupt. This is my greatest satisfaction in life and so long my reputation remains unsoiled, I will consider myself the luckiest man!

Reporter> Why are you proud of India? What qualities of Indians make you hopeful of a good future of India?

Ram Jethmalani> Indians who make me proud of India? Let us not go back to ancient times or Vedic times. In contemporary world, India has produced Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi. Among the politicians, we have produced Abdul Kalam Azad, We produced Iqbal… until Iqbal got spoiled. What about Galib? What about Roomi? But where has their teaching of love gone?

Reverting back to the prophets teachings on education. Do you know that a Muslim divine was invited by the ‘Khalifa' to go and live in his Palace?He refused and said, “Sir, I can't!”.

Khalifa asked, “Why? I am giving you all facilities, for your academic pursuits, why are you not wanting to have this convenience?” Finally, he explained to Khalifa and said, “Sir, I would require 400 camels to transport my books to your Palace.. That was Islam! When you conquered even Spain! In 13th century you started burning books. It was direct insult to teaching of Prophet! And ever since then you became the slaves of Europeans, whom you had educated. Kuch sikhho yaar… I am so unhappy with…

Reporter> Ram Sir, If you were to write a book on future of India - what would be its title?

Ram Jethmalani> Future of India requires the highest kind of education for everyone in this country. Democracy without education is hypocrisy without limitation. The politicians do not want to educate the poor man. Intelligent educated men will ask inconvenient questions. Today, what irritates me more than anything else is that our rulers know and I know that 90 lakh crores of rupees, equivalent to nearly 1500 billion dollars have been stolen from poor people of this country and have been put in the foreign banks. Nothing is being done to trace these dacoits! Nothing is being done to recover this money! Richer nations - France, Germany US and other European countries ultimately broke Swiss secrecy laws, by bribing people. They bribed the bank employees, they bribed some customers of the bank to know names of all criminals. The names of Indian criminals are known to these people, these names are given to us. But you are not going to pursue them, these criminals because they are among the rulers! Is this not a reasonable conclusion or at least suspision? Will you have the courage to write this in your magazine, to publish this? I am not sure! I will be proud of your magazine if you print my words unedited, unchanged. Now, They are talking about food security for poor people. Humbug! It will cost us 125,000 crores.

Correct? Minimum! 125,000 crores?! And you are telling us frankly that you do not have the money. But we have to make this sacrifice because it is the election time. This is not a concern for poor. It is again vote banks! Why not recover this 90 lakh crores? Supreme Court of India has made an order that we appoint a special investigation team to get back this money because the government has done nothing! The Press is bought. The Media is bought. Nobody publishes this! Nobody!

Yesterday, outside the parliament house when prime-minister made his pathetic speech in Rajya Sabha; I told the ‘Press’, what is he talking?! He is talking as if some tragedy has taken place. And tragedy is created by you, the government, the politicians, the rulers. And... Instead of crying like a baby, you are not going after the rascals. Why? Because they are controlling you. I challenge they know the names. German government made a public announcement that we are prepared to share names with any government which wants them without any cost, without condition. If our prime minister wanted to know the names, he should have been the first one to catch the plane, fly to Germany and get them! I am ashamed of such prime ministers, finance ministers and all the humbugs!

Reporter> Sir, What makes you so fearless, honest and courageous?

Ram Jethmalani> Because… I do not break my own laws! I do not want to be pathetic!

Reporter> We say, 'Satyamev Jayate' but “Justice is often delayed”– People are losing trust on their leaders – What is your message of hope to the common man?

Ram Jethmalani> What hope can I give? In a democracy… please understand… Democracy is like a swimming pool. Periodically you have to change the water. If you don't, it will become a cesspool. The Poor themselves have to clean the cesspool by simple devise of voting them out of power! You have got at least a vote?! Vote for honest people! Don't vote for people who want to keep you in poverty without the means of earning but they want you to live on their charity.

Reporter> Within India and Outside India, who is the most unforgettable person you've met?

Ram Jethmalani> Well… (Smiles) The qualification of a person whom I've met as unforgettable makes it difficult to answer this question! (Laughs)… Nobody is a unforgettable person… We have had greatest politicians, we have had greatest statesmen, we have had greatest educationist. You can't talk about one or two unforgettable characters. If you really want to know that Mahatma Gandhi is unforgettable one… but that doesn't mean there are no other persons! Even Manmohan Singh will remain unforgiva... Oops, unforgettable prime minister… for different reasons!
hehehe *wink*

Reporter> If a person travels into the future and killed himself, would it be murder or suicide?

Ram Jethmalani> Listen, a suicide is usually the result of other people's conduct which is calculated to murder. If you keep a man in such great misery by stealing his money, by not giving him livelihood, by not giving him education. You want to kill him anyhow. So, every suicide is result of some murderous rascal's intention! A suicide can be justified on many other grounds. A suicide can be a person's final solution of discovering the mystery of life. A person may well think that I can't think of answers to questions of my life, may be suicide can give answers to these inconvenient questions of life. It can be a challenge to nature to disclose its secrets. A suicide can also be for a laudable cause. And suicide is not always a sin that is wrong!

Reporter> In English Dictionary, which is your favorite word and why?

Ram Jethmalani> Well… no favorite word in English language. But “Love” is my very favorite word!

Reporter> Ram Sahab, with that we conclude. It was an honour to speak with you. Thank you.

Ram Jethmalani> Thank you.