In keeping with tradition, women bagged the most number of gold medals at the 26th convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Of the 17 gold medallists, nine were women. The most number of gold medals was also bagged by two women students. Bhuvanyaa Vijay and Shraddha Gome took away 13 gold medals each.
Ms. Vijay, 23, from Dehradun, remembers how a small incident during her 11th grade led to her taking up law. “I had won the Frank Anthony Memorial All-India Inter-School Debate. The chief guest for the occasion was the former Chief Justice of India M.N. Venkatachaliah. While giving away the award to me, he said that I was a good orator and would make a great lawyer. And here I am,” she said. Incidentally, Mr. Venkatachaliah was the chief guest at the convocation.
An LAMP (Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament) Fellow, Ms. Vijay is looking to gain some work experience before enrolling for a master’s programme in an Ivy League colleges in the U.S. As part of her fellowship, offered by the a New Delhi-based think tank PRS Legislative Research, she is currently working as a legislative assistant to Jyotiraditya Scindia, MP.
“My work is primarily apolitical. I am into parliamentary research. After my fellowship, I plan to specialise in public policy,” she said.
Striking a balance between curricular and co-curricular activities, Ms. Gome, who hails from Indore, said she enjoyed her journey in NLSIU.
“While I studied hard for the exams, I also ensured I did things I enjoyed, including dancing and taking part in competitions,” she said. She is passionate about being in leadership roles. She is one of the participants in the 12-month Unilever Future Leaders Programme. “I am yet to decide whether I want to pursue my higher education immediately after the programme or gain some work experience. But, I know I want to work on something that will have an impact on society,” she said.
A total of 572 students were awarded degrees in B.A. LLB, LLM, Masters of Public Policy, Ph.D programmes, and P.G. Diploma courses.
Chief Justice of India and Chancellor of the university Dipak Misra delivering his address at the at the 26th convocation of the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain
In his presidential address, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra advised students graduating from the NLSIU to practice service-oriented lawyering.
Mr. Misra, who is also Chancellor of the university, said, “Knowledge capital, skill and ability which cannot be used to help the poor and the needy will not bring contentment and peace within.”
He said that degrees from prestigious institutions, charmed jobs in offices with towering reputation, and abundance of power may sound like a dream, but one may find the doors to inner peace and tranquillity closed “because you would have kept all the goodness to yourself, ignoring the cries of many who are still living at the mercy of the rich and powerful”.
He hoped that students would be sensitive towards their active role as a socially conscious lawyer besides indulging in corporate or law firm practice.
“If you aspire to make a difference by your calling of the legal practice, you should be prepared to have sustained faith in the nobility of the profession and aristocracy of the intellect,” he said.
NLSIU to get its own auditorium
Launch of AIR cafe, crèche facilities, yoga centre, and a landscape garden are some of the recent infrastructure additions to the NLSIU campus at Nagarbhavi. However, the campus lacks a proper auditorium to conduct events. But this is set to change.
Mr. Misra on Sunday said, “We are in a different campus, in a different auditorium for celebrating the convocation. One of the [retired] Supreme Court judges who have come here today, V. Gopala Gowda, was anguished that the university does not have an auditorium to hold the convocation. The matter was discussed and a decision taken. Karnataka Minister for Law and Justice Krishna Byre Gowda and Higher Education Minister G.T. Deve Gowda have agreed to completely finance the construction of the auditorium at the NLSIU.”
He added, “I make this announcement as Chancellor of this university so that there will be no one to resign from the commitment.”
The 26th convocation of the NLSIU was held at Dr. Babu Rajendra Prasad International Convention Centre, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK.