The climax was the Indo-British Legal Exchange which took place in Edinburgh. British judges and lawyers were breathless, eiher out of admiration or consternation, listening to the radical environmental jurisprudence of our Supreme Court.

Terrorism and counter-terrorism issues generated a lively and very useful interaction. There was traditional Scottish hospitality, with bagpipers providing the music. What warmed the hearts of our Scottish hosts was Chief Justice Sabharwal’s observation in his brief afterdinner speech adapting Loch Lomond: “You may take the high road or we may take the low road but the destination is the same: Justice and protection of human dignity.”

I missed the performance of 80-year-old Oscar Peterson, the legendary jazz pianist, who has a semi-paralysed left side. He played for about two hours and ended with a blistering Sweet Georgia Brown. A real regret.