Nihar Mody, the co-founding partner of Platinum Partners and head of the Mumbai office, has retired at age 51 last week.

He commented on the news first reported by Bar & Bench saying: “I have been practising law for more than 25 years. I have been wanting to take a career break for a while. I have now taken that break and I will decide what I want to do in the next phase of my career.”

We spoke to Mody by phone and he reiterated that he had no specific career plans whatsoever right now. “I’m now taking a break. It’s only at the end of the break that I’m deciding what I want to do. As of now, I’ve not decided anything.”

Mody, who is set to celebrate his 52nd birthday this week, added: “I’ve been thinking of this for some time. It’s an exciting world out there.”

He noted that there was “no subtext” to his departure whatsoever. “Been doing it for 25 years - more than 25 years - and I’ve been thinking of taking a career break for some time and just decided to take a break. I promised myself that for the next two months or so I wouldn’t take any decisions.”

He said that the management duties in Mumbai had already been transitioned to 2014-Wadia Ghandy lateral partner hire Ankit Majmudar over the past years.

In terms of his next move, and whether it would be law, he joked: “Whenever I think about it, I don’t have any skills other than law.”

However, he added that abroad a career change - even for lawyers - was far less unusual than it was in India. “It may be law, it may not be law. I am just going to enjoy myself. Lots to be done, catching up to do, and some time off.”

Delhi-based Platinum co-founding partner Karam Daulet Singh had commented to Bar & Bench about Mody’s retirement:

He has been a co-founder of Platinum along with me since its inception. We value his contribution enormously. He has decided to move on and we wish him the best.

As far as Platinum is concerned, we hope to grow strength to strength. We are looking forward to building this firm even more strongly in the coming years.

Platinum has been founded as a close ally, if not formal best friend, of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer - something which Platinum and Freshfields had both always officially denied.

Freshfields long-time India head Pratap Amin had retired in February of this year.

When asked about market speculation of his next move, Mody mused: “That’s human nature. There is always speculation and always gossip - that’s one thing you can’t control.”