2967 By Many A Happy Accident: Recollections of a Life by M Hamid Ansari. Rupa. Pages 368. Rs795 Book Title: By Many A Happy Accident: Recollections of a Life Author: M Hamid Ansari Vivek Katju First, a disclosure. Hamid Ansari was one of my ‘gurus’ in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). He emphasised, by precept and example, the virtues of discretion, deep study and reflection, dispassionate analysis and objectivity. His autobiography ‘By Many a Happy Accident’ bears testimony to his firm adherence to these qualities amidst the demands of diplomatic work. Nor, after retirement from the IFS, did he give up these attributes in the academia or as a university Vice-Chancellor, as chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, or in his two terms in the high office of Vice President of India.