As a Parliamentarian, he is a master of effective under-statement, using plain but serviceable words, which are usually galvanized by a sincerity of purpose and an assurance of good intentions. Blessed with "a large, benevolent-looking personality" (to borrow the words from G. K. Chesterton), he impresses with his stable bearing. He appears solid and well balanced without becoming stolid. He inspires confidence in others; and, in his turn, commands the confidence of his associates. A well-known diplomatic correspondent of a British Weekly once observed that Shri Chavan disarms opposition by his innate courtesy and succeeds even in penetrating the fire-proof reserve of a seasoned diplomat.
Though his intellectual interests are very wide, they are intended more for self-culture than for public exhibition. He rarely launches into tirades or crusades from the seat of vantage, which he commands. His convocation address at Aligarh, for instance, is a model of brevity and lucidity with a thoughtful approach to some problems of higher education. It contains no excathedra pronouncements, nor pontifical admonitions to the erring younger generation, nor passionate exhortations on patriotic service.
One of the important duties of the great office Shri Chavan graces, is to attend to a wide variety of social gatherings, dinners and parties. He moves among the fashionable and the elite circles, where rustling silk and glittering diamonds outshine even blazing chandelier-lights, with an interested but detached attitude. He does not become flurried or fussy. He does not show total insensitiveness to their Circean charms ; nor does he strike the self-righteous, Saint Simonian airs. In such gatherings, he himself remains at ease and keeps others at ease. With graceful dignity, the peasant-born Chief Minister, beaming with smiles, moves through the world of wealth and culture, which he has conquered and which, in its turn, attempts to assimilate him in their system. A detached observer of such functions is reminded of the courteous retort of Lord David Cecil to Lady Cynthia at the occasion of a fancy-dress ball, that "he may appear as King Charles I, but does not intend to lose his head."
The study of the process by which Shri Y. B. Chavan attained the great stature promises to be a fascinating one. But neither the occasion nor the space allows a full-dressed study thereof. A retrospective glance over the formative period of his life is, however, worth presenting. It is usually presumed that persons attain the full stature of their personality in their college career.