RS Nowbath
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“EMIGRANT Coolie: a legacy unearthed”, the POST, April 15 – 19, refers.
Ranji Nowbath was as famous for his razor-sharp wit and eccentric office persona, as he was for his legal brilliance.
Working as an article clerk (candidate attorney) who passed through his doors in Durban, working under him was often a masterclass in both law and "character building".
Nowbath had little patience for clerks who relied solely on textbooks without understanding the "soul" of a case. He would pose complex, obscure legal riddles during the morning tea – which was often a sacred ritual – and expect an answer that displayed logic rather than just rote memorisation. When I stumbled, he responded with a dry, devastatingly witty remark that made me realise that I hadn’t thought deeply enough.
He viewed a poorly-drafted legal document as a personal affront. My drafts were sent back so heavily annotated in bright red ink that the original text was barely visible. He didn’t just correct the law; he corrected the syntax, often adding a sarcastic footnote about the "death of the Queen’s English" in the Durban legal circuit.
Rather than giving clear directions, he was known to drop a massive, dusty file on my desk with a cryptic instruction like, "find the ghost in this machine". He expected me to dig through the history and social context of a case, teaching that a lawyer who doesn't know the history of his people (particularly regarding the Group Areas Act) couldn't possibly defend them.
He often preserved the streets of Durban as his extended office. I was sent on an "errand" that was actually a disguised lesson in networking. He would direct me to engage with the head of the then NBS , while sending me to the post office and the cells of the police station – he said I needed to have an insight into life and living, if one is to understand, and appreciate life and living. He would send me to speak to a specific shopkeeper or a veteran journalist, only to grill me later on what I observed about the person’s character, rather than just what they delivered.
He would play a very aggressive devil's advocate, puffing on his pipe or leaning back with a mischievous glint in his eye, forcing me to defend my position until I was nearly sweating – only to end the session with a chuckle and a word of profound encouragement.
Often those who would pass through the office even on a casual visit would be the who’s who of the Durban circuit.
He operated an intense boutique legal practice, but it skilled me with all the ingredients to be in my own practice now exceeding 45years.
HIMAL TUGH
Durban