India, Jan. 23 -- There are book launches, and then there are evenings that feel like conversations continuing long after the pages have been written. The launch of The Life and Legacy of Arun Jaitley by advocate Sumant Batra was very much the latter. Held in the Capital on Wednesday, the room brought together family and old friends, including politicians, lawyers, and former statesmen.

This was not a stiff political tribute or a legal memorial. Instead, the book revealed itself as a collection of lived moments as a portrait of the late Arun Jaitley beyond the public image of Finance Minister, Parliamentarian and senior advocate.

Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi shared an old incident from a family holiday in Gulmarg: "Arun never u...