Boys Hostel Blues

As Vivek Mehra lay down on his bed, in his room, there was a knock on the door. Vivek, not surprised at all, this is bound to happen. Just when you want some peace, a little trip of private silence, there is supposed to be a knock, and if you believe Vivek, that knock was also, important enough to be answered and to be opened the door for. But in retrospect, he admits, he really should not have done it. So, his Clusterbud, Amit tells him they're playing Domeball, and asks him to come. Vivek doesn't really know why he feels so down, so he follows in hope of a little cheering up, after all, isn't exercise supposed to secrete endorphins, and who doesn't want a little game with the ever-available batchmates, and he is game for that twisted version of football that is popular among the first years and often played in the new hostel, with the time, the occasion, the fact that there is an exam 7 hours away, notwithstanding.
So, he goes out, naked feet and he's ready, for a 2 on 2. Midway through the match, he realizes this isn't working, loses it 50 goals to 31, and is sweating like a pig, add to that the fact that he has wasted an entire hour in this desperate attempt to make himself feel better so that he can study.
Next remedy, he already thought of it during the match, Music. A-Ha! Now, that, he thinks, should be the end of all his troubles. So, he goes back into his room. and 4 clicks away, Mother Mary comes to him, speaking words of wisdom, 'Let it be.' The Beatles, of course, they can help him out, at least this time he's confident about it, and he sings along. The track moves into strawberry fields, and nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about. Strawberry fields forever... It's working, he thinks, he has a smile on his face, and here he is on his bed, and this might just lead to him picking up that damned set of photocopied notes that he spent 40 bucks on the last evening, ofcourse, with a pledge that he will start, as soon as possible.
The Beatles are still playing, yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, and he feels so comfortable, this is one of the best moments Vivek has had in his room, and ... he falls asleep.
Mate struggles to wake him up, its 8:45 in the morning, Vivek is busy dreaming about Strawberry's and John Lennon, and a football writing his paper. Wait, his paper, he should get up. And he's up, 10 minutes to go, he puts on a pair of jeans, brushes his teeth, looks at his I-pod, on stand-by, and off he goes.
Three hours later, Vivek doesn't feel that good. And, he thinks a little exercise might just make him feel better. "So, my paper didn't go that well, how about some Domeball?" And midway through the game, he knows it's not working, but there is always an insane line of hope that lives with you, no matter in what ways, and by what extent, it defies all logic known to man, when you've got the Boys Hostel Blues.

P.S: Vivek Mehra, is a fictitious character, that the guards believe is a first year student at NLIU, and also is the cause of all nuisance in the boys hostel.

- Yash S Vijay

Tempus Fugit at NLIU

So since you people have a knowledgable insight on how we study and write our exams it is time to ponder on as to why we did what we did , or in more sophiticated terms what exactly were we doing when we were supposed to be indul inging in academic pursuits. So its time to look back as to where did the first trimester whiz away , so here follows a simple breakup of our daily itinery

The day starts of when we wake up with a jerk realising that our apparently faithful alarm has ditched us unceremoniously and we have about half an hour to make ourselves somewhat presentable and rush to class . So then starts a mad flurry of "getting ready" and when we look less of a tangled mess we descend to breakfast ( which in reality is rapid scooping of random edible particles into our mouths) all the time fervently praying we are not late.

Well a short sprint and we arrive in class gasping for breath to find we have missed attendance ( oh by the way attendance in NLIU is sacred meant to be nurtured and cared for and in a large number of cases the sole incentive to bear some lectures ) so cursing ourselves and in the sympathy of our more punctual friends we take up our seats . In class it is an enjoyable blend of some knowledge intake and some titbit talking .

Well at the end of classes hungry , frustrated ansd sleep deprived we hurry to lunch which is rather an ecstatic affair as it signifies the freedom from our morning lectures , followed by a power nap and we set out to our post lunch classes which are pretty much leisurely , hmm classes over we move towards the library ( NLIU has a fantastic one ) for some hard academic labour , well an hour later of probable progress in our studies we set out for our evening tea complimented by a customary walk around the campus which is splattered with meeting good friends , not so good friends and accquiantances engaged in similar exercises all greeted with varying degrees of politeness and fiegned surprise , then for some skywalk talk and we head back to the hostel.

Only to find that your room looks as if a tornado has run through it .With dejection in the heart and digust in the face we set about doing disaster mitigation ,m when we realise that it is time for dinner. Well some food and everybody heads to the terrace for a bout of dissection of the day 's events.Then we drudge back to sincerely bury ourselves in books (absorbing nothing academic) and refresh our redundant brain , only for brief interludes from our nocturnal gossiping .So under the influence of fatigue we finally slip into the realm of dreams for another repeat of our quite monotonous routine as enumerated above.

So while writing i did realise where time slipped away and i so totally agree with surabhi on her pledge and it is dilligence and effective time management are priorities on my agenda of the second trim.

Krithika Chandrasekaran

Disclaimer : This article is an effective generalisation and strives to potray what most students did.Not to be taken in particular reference to any person living or dead.

Projects, Presentations, Writing, and of course Viva...

While this is what the voyage of the end terms include, I (or perhaps` We`) enjoyed sailing on it…
Although most of our marks will certainly contradict our `enjoyment` but we somehow managed to overcome it and reach across the shore (Ahem! Don’t forget that our results are not out yet…So don’t be too happy!!).
Nevertheless, being it our first end term, we luckily survived till the end. It had been a great experience to have snacks at midnight, chit chatting without bothering about the future consequences, smelling fresh pages of the study material an hour before and hastily turning those up, witnessing the deadliest of the nightmares and of course being the victims of the `blast` after looking at the question papers!!

Despite all this, I personally think that the pattern of examination and studies which NLIU has adopted is the best that any NLU can have,for it enhances our researching skills (Now forget about your cut copy and paste techniques which you all have done in schools or may be still doing it, or you`ll be screwed. The comment is a fair one and not at all fictitious), oral skills, writing method (something in which I am extremely bad and is evident through this writing) and last but not the least our confidence and practical knowledge about the subjects in viva; the best way to discover ourselves where we stand at present (nothing to do with `Sociological Imagination`!).
While my friends have already discussed about the `Collective trauma` which we had undergone, still this whole experience was a good one and I hope to enjoy it to the fullest and bring out the best of myself..
HOPE IS A DESIRE WITH AN EXPECTATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

But ofcourse do enjoy the festive time and forget everything atleast for a few days.
HAPPY VIJAYA DASHAMI

Shejal Verma

The Art of Procrastination

Now that you sufficiently know HOW we “study” for our exams. It’s probably time you know how we “write” them, or rather how we wrote the first trimester. I doubt the trend will change much though.

• Delay entering the examination hall for as long as possible (We had just started studying the night before, remember??? and those last minutes, ohh precious time!!)
• We grudgingly enter the room, clutching onto the barely read study material until the eyes of the teacher bores into us the warning of letting go of the material.
• We look for our seats, reverently praying that the ceiling gives way or the professor cancels the exam or something of the like.
• A faculty member hands us the Question paper and the answer sheet and after a few minutes it dawns on us to fill in our details on the answer sheet.
• While hastily scrambling to get all details right, we glance over the question paper, dreading the worse.
• Just a cursory glance tells us our worst fears have come true, we are clueless regarding most of the questions and have a vague idea about the rest, clearly not enough to write a ten mark answer.
• We look around hoping for bouts of inspiration to come seeping through our neighbours, who are, well, equally clueless
• Cursing ourselves silently we try to focus and attempt a question and imagine and write, attempt and imagine some more and write even less, the cycle goes on, until we realize that what we have been writing probably does not make any sense but cannot be improved anymore for lack of any substantial info, so……sigh…..move on…….
• Bored with all the hard work, some of us take a bathroom break and return with gleeful smiles ( now that’s a mystery am yet to solve…….what is this washroom and cheesy smile connection?)
• A few of us start dozing ... ... ...
  
• 45-50 minutes later most people have given up writing…and after 20 minutes or so of aimlessly staring at the answer sheets (no that does not help). They hand in the sheets and leave the hall, towards freedom and light, literally!!
• The bravest however endure the entire time span, and come,out only after being repeatedly told to give up, its okay (I, sadly belong to this clan).
• OUTSIDE: Nobody wants to discuss the question paper but that is all everybody talks about..

Now, I wrote the above to probably tell you what is the level of the questions you are expected to answer at NLIU (which as understood is high), and while, a night before the exam studying, might save you from failing an exam it won’t get you the top grade. NLIU needs you to study regularly and keep up with the work done in class everyday. So, I pledge to myself (really don’t know about the others) that I will regularly devote a couple of hours for purely academic purpose, avoid procrastination. Really, I have had enough sleepless nights ;) ... Do let me know what you think, will write soon....

- Surabhi

What this is about.

This is about mid-terms, our first half-fry at Satish's, our not so secret batch Meetings, our Intro Party, our moments of togetherness, our first feeling of a sense of belonging, our first display of being an NLS student, about our thoughts and about our stand. This is about the never ending debate of party manifestos and agendas and downloading speeds :) which, if you believe us, are related in the most convincing ways in this Institute. This is about an imaginary 21 gun salute, to be an inappropriate metaphor, and that certain article in the newspaper yesterday.
This is about Mindori, the village that is our neighbor, about that beautiful stretch of water that's a walk away (Kolar), and that Numero Uno position in that certain international moot, 3 rounds away.
This is about our life, our ambitions, our opinions, and everything that is even remotely related :). This is about being a part of The National Law Institute University, Bhopal and how it feels like, to be here.

This is about us.

Batch of 2014
NLIU.

- Yash S Vijay

Another Beginning !

Hey friends. I've composed this poem on behalf of our batch, THE FIRST YEARS> Initially it was meant for the introduction party, which somehow got suppressed by the hooting, anyway

here it goes...

At times we sounded stubborn, at times we sounded adamant,
But the true stepping stone is this overwhelming moment,
Where we start afresh , with excellence par limitation,
Because this is the era of the making of a new civilization,
With a hope, with a belief that yes we can amend.
This is another beginning towards a new end,
Gone are the days when people used to cry on their fates,
We construct our own paths and we mend our own ways,
We believe in ourselves and we guide our destiny,
And we still go together, despite of discrimination or mutiny
We are good people n we know that we don't pretend,
This is another beginning towards a new end
We are capable, but surely not without support,
We'll need guidance, to glorify our passionate effort,
Few years down the line we may stand on height,
But we'll never forget this place which has taught us to fight,
Against all odds, against all evils, against all injustice that is prevalent,
This is indeed another beginning towards a new end.
-AKSHATA NAMJOSHI

The Endterms are over, take a bow.

Today we wrote the last Endterm paper of the first trimester. Wait, allow me to rephrase that - Today, we wrote the last non-repeat Endterm paper of the first trimester. No one can fault me for not being realistic. :|

Exams are one of the most frequent occurrences at NLIU, courtesy the Trimester system and so we seem to have an exam as soon as we wake up from the prolonged post-exam hibernation that we had to take as a result of the previous one - we ricochet from exam to exam, Midterm to Endterm ad infinitum and get almost zero sleep during. This of course, is because of the close to continuous nocturnal pre-exam activity that takes place on campus (innuendo not intended).

The thing is, the nights before each exam tend to be perhaps the most social nights of the Trimester. (I speak for the Boys Hostel of course and for all I know there is near-constant rigorous and feverish revision in the Girls Hostel. However, something tells me that there shall be uproar and outraged denial by many of my female batch-mates who would undoubtedly be scandalized by my suggestion.)

Revision is a rarity in the Boys Hostel, primarily because the night before the exam is the first time people actually read the material that the professors here so diligently labour on. (Again, such people are also a rarity - not because everyone else has read the material but because barely anyone reads it, even before the exam.) The night before the exam is thus a wondorous journey of discovery and exploration as the braver ones among us unflinchingly dive deep into the depths of the tomes each of us is bequeathed, no doubt in a selfless attempt to salvage knowledge that they shall endow on the rest of us 5 minutes before the commencement of the paper. (Baibhav and Chandan, I'm looking at you.)

The rest of us seem to follow the same looping pattern as we -

• Read one page
• Weep in dismay as we count the number of pages left
• Look at the time remaining till sunrise
• Plan a timetable that meticulously has us study everything prior to said sunrise
• Marvel at our own (illusionary) brilliance
• Reward ourselves a break for said brilliance
• Exit our rooms and engage in conversation with our immediate neighbours (inquiring about their state of readiness or lack thereof), then our neighbours and also travelers we may bump into on our path
• Go to the mess
• Pick up on snatches of conversation when we hear phrases like "....said that the Nuisance cases are definitely going to be asked about" and make mental notes to devote considerable time to the study of said cases as we also try and figure out how to make room for them in our significantly tight but well-conceived time tables.
• Finally realise that it has been 35 minutes since we last read something
• Scramble to our rooms and hold the material
• Read another page in the terror of quiet desperation
• Lather, Rinse & Repeat

Nonetheless, exams are times when we discover inner strength we never knew we had, especially post-examination when we are told that the 3 page answer we laboured on was completely off point. (The art of pélna is one that is quickly learnt here.) Exams at this University build moral fibre and strength of character – and they do so with alarming frequency.

Exams teach us so much. We are forever in their debt.

However, following the Viva-Voce exams tomorrow and the day after, we shall have emerged (although not unscathed) battle-weary and tired from our first Trimester. And then we shall rest and recuperate, sharpening our weapons for our next battle - a battle who's inevitability has finally sunk in.

Someday I will also post on the Joy of the Project.

Till next time,
Tally Ho!

- Parnil Urdhwareshe

The Law and Economics Cell

So guys it has been 3 months at NLIU, with our trimester officially ending on the 25th, and its been rather eventful. There are so many opportunities, so many things to participate in and so many cells to be a part of, and so little time. One such cell or rather i should say one of these opportunities is the Law & Economics cell.

The LEC, as it is called, is a group of 10 students, 2 from each year who are determined to spread the economic angle to the legal course, as an extra-curricular endeavor inflicted upon those interested. And as I am a part of it, i would like to explain as to how, we the students of 1st year can benefit from the LEC.

The most important activity that the LEC conducts on a regular basis is the Economic forum. The Friday Forum or the Economic forum is a weekly presentation on any topic related to Economics. And obviously, it takes place every Friday, on the 3rd floor of the Gyan Mandir. The presentations are often guided by visual aid such as projectors which are provided to the LEC by the university.

Now a growing misconception in the 1st year students is that only a member of the LEC can hold and deliver a presentation. This however is totally wrong. Any student of the university is free to, and more than welcome to deliver a lecture or presentation at the Friday Forum.

The only role of a 1st year LEC member in this activity is to ensure that everything runs smooth.
Now, the LEC gives us the platform to hone our lecture delivering skills, also provides a rather rigorous test for our researching skills. By delivering a presentation and thereafter addressing the queries of the audience we somewhat overcome stage fright and also improve our oratory skills.

The audience, being an essential in the forum also benefits from the presentation. It's an opportunity for them to get enlightened on a particular topic relating to economics. Topics like global meltdown and the financial crisis, piracy, economic analysis of various industries have been generally addressed in the 1st trimester Friday forums. However students are expected to have a vast knowledge of the topic, as time to time queries and clarifications will be asked for by the audience. This in turn compels the student to do extensive reasearch, which is something one has to do at NLIU, either way. Further, one learns how to handle a knowledge thirsty crowd which might bring the speaker to unimaginable levels of intellectual depth in the topic.
I personally believe that everyone of us, at least in the early trimesters wants to carve a niche for himself or herself in the field of public speaking. The Friday Forum is the perfect platform!

All in all, the Friday forum under the LEC is a glaring example as to how students can make the most out of NLIU.

- Dhruv Varma

Introduction. :)

Alright, This is supposed to be an all-student account of our life and the various unexpected but thoroughly enjoyed seconds, minutes, hours or days that we have to go through (necessarily so) under the undeclared curriculum of The National Law Institute University, Bhopal. The original nature of this blog is supposed to be informal, although I think we should put up a disclaimer for what it might just become at times, lets just say we have our moments of radical explosions of thought, but we're law students after all. So, here it is, life at The National Law Institute University, Bhopal as told by the Batch of 2009.
Also, I feel good, just wanted to give this post a tiny touch of personal magic, that's all.
Never mind.
Cheers!
- Yash