K.K. Venugopal biography an attempt to come to terms with himself: N. Ram

Explore K.K. Venugopal's memoir, "An Accidental Lawyer," a journey of self-discovery and reflections on his legal career.

People write autobiographies for different reasons and motivations—from confession to self-discovery—and the one written by senior lawyer and former Attorney General of India K.K. Venugopal is an attempt to “come to terms with himself”, N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Group, said on Tuesday (March 10, 2026).

Speaking at a discussion on Mr. Venugopal’s book An Accidental Lawyer—My Adventures in Law and Life, Mr. Ram said the memoir sought to find the author himself, and that is what is appealing about it and makes it very readable.

“I think people come to the genre called autobiography for different reasons and motivations. For example, the confessional mode starting with Russo… Gandhiji, of course, with ‘My Experiments with Truth’. There are others who try to find themselves like Jawaharlal Nehru in ‘Discovery of India’.”

Also Read | Kalyan Singh told an ‘utter lie’: K.K. Venugopal on Babri Masjid demolition

“In writing such a book, you try to find yourself—to see what kind of person you are. That is an interesting exercise,” Mr. Ram said, adding there are others who want to talk about themselves and their greatness.

He said Mr. Venugopal’s book is, in a sense, an attempt to come to terms with himself and not just as a lawyer.