The Negotiation Challenge Experience - An interview with Albin Thomas

Albin Thomas was a part of a three member team ( Albin Thomas, Chetan Kanungo, Vinesh Chandel) that represented the National Law Institute University in The Negotiation Challenge - 2010 at Leipzig, Germany. The team brought laurels to the University by standing 5th in the competition, with this being the first time that N.L.I.U. participated in the competition. The BlogCom gets in touch with him to find out more..

Q. What was the challenge all about?
A. Under the mechanism of Alternate Dispute Resolution, there are three methods, mediation, arbitration and negotiation. Negotiation is the most informal of the three, and is the basis of any corporate transaction, as before entering into any contract, there is negotiation. The Negotiation Challenge is a competition organized by Harvard Law School and HHL, a premier law school in Germany. Six B-schools and six law schools from around the world are shortlisted on the basis of resume for participation in the competition.

Q. Which were the colleges that took part in the competition this year?

A. From India, it was the National Law Institute University, Bhopal and the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. From US, there was Harvard Law School, Georgetown University of Law, and the eventual winners, University of California Hastings, among other business schools from France, Poland etc..

Q. How were the rounds of the competition conducted, which Universities did N.L.I.U. face in the competition?

A. The competition had an excellent concept attached to it. Since it was held in the city of Leipzig, a city which had been destroyed in the World Wars, only to come back, so the rounds of the competition were at different places of historical importance in the city and the rounds were based upon the history of those places. In one of the rounds, we were taken to the old city center and we negotiated a contract between the King's party and the traders, in another we went to an International Football Stadium where we negotiated a football contract. Since the rounds were based on historically and geographically important locations, it was an interesting experience for us.

Ironically, we faced UC Hastings, the winners of the competition in our last round and won that round, but lost to the runners up, a French Business School in our second round. The third round was an individual negotiation round, a one on one competition.

Q. Why do you think negotiation as an activity is important in law school?

A. Since a substantive number of students join law school to make a career in Corporate Law, it is important to learn the art of negotiation, since that is the basis for any corporate transaction taking place, and hence it should be paid attention to. Other forms of resolution like Arbitration and Mediation are much more complex forms when compared to negotiation, while negotiation represents the practical aspect of a contract.

Q. What differentiates negotiation from arbitration and mediation?

A. Arbitration and mediation have their own sets of rules that govern them. However, with negotiation, it's about having business sense, since there are no rules that govern the process of negotiation. One more thing we observed in the competition was that B-School students had a better command on the process than law school students, since it is included in their curriculum, while only law schools from the U.S. had courses on negotiation, which shows the international trend towards negotiation. But in Indian law schools, there still aren't courses directed specifically towards negotiation. N.L.I.U. has a course on arbitration, but not mediation, which shall be an important part of one's corporate career after law school.

Q. What do you think N.L.I.U. should do to encourage negotiation?

A. We could have a non-credit course on negotiation, to explain to the students the principle and the established philosophy that governs the process. As an effect of this, students would benifit through the practical aspect of negotiation, i.e., it's application in a corporate job.

Also, most of the Indian teams face the problem of financing, while other law and business schools that participated had their expenses covered by their institutions and along with that, they had coaches to guide them through the process. In fact the US teams were surprised to see us without a coach, and were impressed by our performance in the competition even in the absence of a coach and specific curriculum dealing with negotiation. So, if we can solve these problems, future teams actually have a pretty good chance at winning the competition.

Q. What would you advise teams that go for such competitions in the future?

A. The most important thing for new teams would be reading up on the topic. Our library does not have enough material on topics such as negotiation at present, so if the students can make an effort to obtain subject material on Negotiation, it would make a great difference. There is a lot of important information regarding the process, available on the internet, for example, the basic principles that need to be followed, how to start, how not to start (important because you do not want to make the other team uncomfortable with your idea or proposal at the very beginning of the round) etc..

Also, the ADRC can organise Intra-Batch competition to encourage practice or research in this area among the students of NLIU.

Q. What was the net positive that the competition lead to, for the entire team?

A. Obviously, the amazing experience that we gained in the competition, and the feeling of finding out that we're doing good, even without traditional preparation, gave us the confidence of doing better in the future. Also, the fact that we were the highest ranked Indian team there, would be considered in shortlisting us for the exclusive competition next year, on the basis of our performance this year.

Q. On a lighter note, tell us about the happiest moment of the entire trip?

A. There is no specific moment, since there were many, one of them being experiencing snow, for all three of us, although coming from different parts of the country, had never experienced snow. I will always remember how our teammate, Chetan, lost his luggage at the airport on arrival, and had to spend a substantial part of the trip with just one set of clothing.

Of mooting, among other things!!

A month of mooting, and you start cursing everything existing on this planet!! :P However, now that I sit to write this, a part of me feels incomplete… It is those days I want to go back to… And, so nothing could have been better than writing a blog entry!.. So, here it is.. I’m sorry, it may feel irrelevant to those who didn’t moot, however, whatever I will pen down will probably connect with all the people who tried their hand at memorial making and the grilling orals!! :P

We were given our problems on 24.12.09,(Yes! Doesn't feel like last year…) however, considering that we are the most diligent people around, and taking into check the fact that we had 1 months holidays to look forward to, the moot problem was certainly the last thing we wanted to look at! And so we technically started work around the 3.02.10, and the news postponing the moots, came like rains in the movie Lagaan.. :P .. So, work started, confusion overloaded, “Please help! Signs came up everywhere!! Sections, articles, acts and statutes were words we started hating! However, those were the days of increased phone calls and Gtalking, reassurances over the mess table, parents calling to ask if we were eating properly( which we obviously were), bunking classes(9 days in a row, yes, I did that)…! The times when people ask you about the progress in moot work( Trust me, that’s all people ask at these times!), and all you can do is *Sigh*..

The memorial submission comes as the part where you feel everything was worthwhile, afterall!! And then when the jumping subsides, and you have had a nice-big team celebration, you are made to realise the amendments you need to submit… :D..

And then came the D-day-Prelims!.. All drenched in sweat, cracking jokes which were not funny, checking heels and shirt, missing annexures, look of sympathy for the first speakers, and some unknown case in the memorial, curiosity regarding judges( We were checking out 5^th years in formals and the possible threats attached!!) were somethings worth mentioning!!.. All the bests and you will be goods flew around!!.. With the last round of hugs (Girls do that!!) and melodramatic gestures, we went into our respective courtrooms. And what happens next and the rest, you will have to moot to know it! The only formula that applies is, “if you know it, then Dude(\m/) or if you don’t, Dude( :|).”, and leave the rest to God and Your Lordships!! We were unaware of what happens when you stand at the podium and begin to talk, or rather when you are stopped in mid-sentence!! But, we made it alive... :P The second day had to see another round of butterflies and hazy vision, and the unforgettable moment of panic after seeing the nameplates of the judges, which was the deadly duo of Navin Sir and Tanuj sir, however, they turned out to be awesomeness defined... :) !! And it ended well, with a little melodrama and presence of mind… And then the ecstacy and surprise of making it to the Quarters!!.. Trust me, when you begin to moot, you leave all hopes of making it to the next rounds, and all you pray is that you are not thrown out of the courtroom or your memorial is not flung at your face!!.. Neither of which really happened... :D

There are times when you just want to chuck everything, and go for a long holiday, and that’s when you realize that you have put down the wrong Statement of Jurisdiction! And then urgent calls follow.. :P There are times when you forget what was the case all about, when you want to burn the Constitution to ashes, when you are falling over the laptop but can’t afford to sleep, the dread of the oncoming mid-terms, the convincing parts with the parents when you have to show them that moots are the most important things on the earth, the reminders of mark deductions when you are late(Ahem ahem!!), the ‘Man!Thank God” feeling when they tell you no marks being are being deducted, the hugs after winning one part of the so-called battle, and the glares people give when they see you not working!!.. And somehow, on times like these, God grants everything you ask not-to-happen!! :P

You have to moot to be in an unprecendented situation of the same petitioner-respondent memorials, to know how it feels to see the smug smiles on Akshay’s face just before memorial submissions, to not being able to find a Supreme Court judgement, to know all the WPs and SLPs, to feel the panic of missing CPCs, to have skipped breakfasts, to know of the Supreme court working days, and the Chief Justices of India…(Yikes!!) :P.. You also have to be there to understand how it feels to be up against your best friends, which in this case would be Shreya and Surabhi( who later were the winners, credit obviously going to me and Krithika... :P)out of which one is your roomie (Shreya and me), in a knockout round!.. But, we had the happiness in knowing that we will never end up against each other for any other rounds, whatsoever!!.. :)

Moot teaches you how to take criticism in the best possible way, act on it, expect the least expected, teaches you diligence to a certain extent, teaches you how to remain calm, how to sit in the pressure-cooker and yet not get boiled, become sleep-deprived zombies, reading between the lines, how to go round and round on the same things yet being good, reading 300 page judgments(Uh..huh.. Kesavananda guy, u wait!!), the crossed fingers before the winners are announced, and the hugs and You-did-its followed!! .. You get out stronger, and happier..And you realize that winning does not matter, just like I did... :)

Many might feel that I’m against the idea of mooting, however, you have to understand the underlying obssession which made me write this!! As somebody rightly said, “You always have to moot the second time”! J.. And not forgetting, there’s always a moot hangover… :P

-Kriti

P.S: I'm sorry, I never realised this entry turned out to be sooooo big... Hope its a happy read! :)

Saving Panthera Tigris: Tough Job Ahead for Asia

After a long time I say hi to this blog and to all my friends who are in a good habit of following this blog. Now, I know that this article is not associated with NLIU and I know it even better that it is but for this reason that this blog post may be removed in a couple of days or even earlier, but since I had to convey something to my batch mates, I couldn't find a better medium of communication than this.
Now, I finally begin with what I had to say. Those of you, who are big TV buffs like me, must have observed the advertisements of the Save Tiger Campaign by Aircel. I watched it too, first because they have hunks like Dhoni and Baichung Bhutia in their ad (you can't help but notice them first) but then I was moved by the message it conveyed "Just 1,411 tigers are left in India, will we let our National Animal disappear?" The first image that came to my mind after this was a photograph that I saw in class 9th in my social studies textbook, it displayed almost 30 tigers dead in front of an English police officer, who stood loftily displaying his 4 feet 5 inches long gun with a dozen Indian 'helpers' standing behind him. Sorry for over-reaction but I seriously felt like taking away the Englishman's Gun and shooting him and then posing in the same way in front of his dead body as he did before the tigers.
The reason for tigers being our national animal is that a tiger is a perfect example of beauty, glory, royalty, richness and pride. Other reason is that once upon a time it was found in abundance in our country and it still is in the maximum number in our country. Statistics reveal that currently there are 3200 tigers in the whole world; while a century ago, this number was over hundred thousands. 160 countries over the globe prohibit the sale of tiger's body parts.
In India, National parks like Corbett, Dudhwa, Kaziranga, Kanha and Bandipur contain maximum tiger population. However, increasing human population and illegal trade are the main reasons for tigers being killed here. According to a research by WWF, increase in sea level is also a reason for tiger extinction in countries like Bangladesh. The world famous area for tigers, the Sunderbans have encountered a 96% decrease in the number of tigers. In Russia, ruthless deforestation is giving rise to tiger extinction while in China, the heavy demand for tiger's body parts is a reason for tigers being killed. The situation can be understood by the fact that there are only 50 wild tigers left in China. Vietnam too faces the same holdup. United States has more tigers encaged than in forests, Texas having the maximum number of encaged tigers. Europe exports almost 5.8 tons of palm oil per year, which leads to a vast chopping down of rainforests, a home for tigers in Europe. Nepal has the maximum cross roads over the world, which is responsible for the smuggling of tiger parts.
The main reason for tigers being killed at this large pace is the medicinal value of its body parts. According to the Wild Life Trade Tracks Expert in East Asia, Dr. Priscila Geo, Chinese people believe that medicines made of tiger's bones have magical effect on orthopedic ailments. However, the sale of tiger skin, bones and other parts is prohibited in China since 1993 but still the trade silently continues. The Director of World Bank's Tiger Initiative Project Mr. Keshav Sharma says that over a last few years, the Middle class has grown substantially in China which has resulted into an increasing demand not only for medicine and wine but also for ornamental gifts, hence resulting into more and more killing of tigers.
However, measures are being taken for increasing tiger population around the world. Chinese Scientists have recently proclaimed that they can develop approximately 600 tigers a year by genetic engineering but these tigers will face problems of adjusting with climatic conditions. There is a lot of dispute worldwide regarding this matter as wildlife activists say no to this idea. Asian countries have agreed to contribute largely in the number of tigers and make their number increase substantially till 2022.
Let's hope that this majestic and beautiful animal survives even more on this earth and remain an icon for our country with its inspiring natural characteristics that make it our national animal. Let's hope that we never encounter a day when a tiger deprived of its natural habitat will enter our university campus. Bhopalis must be knowing that there are some real tigers in Kerwa Forests too!

-Durva

Of empty hostels and bonfires

On the 24th of December 2009, smiles that had been lost underneath never ending stacks comprising mainly of unorganized photocopied notes, subject material and books that were never actually referred to, returned on the faces of most of the students at NLIU as they packed their bags to return home. The MP Tourism taxi service probably recorded peak profit that day, as most of us rushed to catch that trains they don't know the name of, for obviously that didn't matter to them. What mattered, was the belief that this journey will take them outside the godforsaken campus that had been haunting them in the last two weeks, thanks to the end-terms. So as 'most of us' vacated the hostels, the unfortunate rest stayed back to face a painful round of negligible social contact, no food on campus, empty hostel corridors and locked rooms. Why? Exactly the question almost everyone of us staying back asked oneself at the end of the day, 'Why did I pick this moot!?' Among the 15 or so students staying back were not many heavyweights of mooting, but there were some hopefuls. The teams that stayed back included those representing NLIU at B.C.I, Jessups North, MM Singhvi, DM Harish, Vienna East, K.K. Luthra, and the GLC-T moot. And somehow, we managed to make it an experience worth reminiscing.
With the library closed for the first 3 days due to local and national holidays, the mooters stayed in their respective rooms for a substantive part of the day, only coming out to find the tapra closed and walking back, or to arrange for food. I made regular rounds to the Jessup team's room, to fetch some inspiration from the quartet stuck to their laptop screens. It helped me out a little, but couldn't prevent me from wasting my time on various futile issues like thinking about where to eat for hours and planning meals in advance. So, the year 2009 was ending with most of us making honest attempts at researching, yet often finding ourselves checking out the amazing download speeds that we were getting. GBs in an hour, the WiFi lord was impressed I guess. Some of us did manage to resist the temptation and work, which is something I can never be proud of, because sadly enough I couldn't follow suit. And I paid the price later, working non-stop for more than a day, and convincing the courier service to take my package even without proof of identity. Managed all of that, and learned never to repeat some fatal mistakes that I made during the period.
Some things still need a mention, because of being the only light moments that we had, moments that were free from pressure, and filled with humour. This would obviously include the Christmas Dinner that was delicious, (according to what I am told, couldn't be there) the Bonfire which included ideas like burning the dog and smoking the bonfire flame(one of which was turned into a practical demonstration, I leave it upon you to figure out which one ) and everyone's submission date. All of us managed to submit on time and those of us who didn't quite know how to format, acquired the knowledge the hard way, and the rest we decided to keep for later.

Advice to future mooters staying back:
Make sure you know who else is in the hostel.
Keep listening to music, BUT work!
Always have stuff to eat.
If you're not experienced enough at it, don't sleep for 20 minutes, thinking that you will wake yourself up on time. (You're going to wake up the next morning, take my word)
Keep talking to people. (don't let the big bad moot get you)

And, DHL doesn't take packages after 8:00 PM.
This piece of information, would certainly help.
(I submitted at 8:25 PM, but I was lucky)


-Yash S Vijay
Batch of 2014

In absurdness

Okay, its 2.51 am and I got this damn sociology end term tomorrow but still somehow I can't stop myself from penning this down. For one, m happy that I finally did write something for this blog… nw fewer curses from yash, I guess. Anyways, what dragged me to my laptop amidst that crappy shit(no offences!) of gender, caste, varna, class, panchayat n how some toda tribe marries in some corner of this world, blah blah… was the fact that it suddenly dawned on me…. 5 more days and am done with my 2nd trimester… NOOO… it feels like it just started a week back or something…
the day when we were back from our term break… all chirpy n fresh…when we stood at our classroom door guessing which prof is gonna teach us next… n not to forget the awe n…. Okay awe… on the face of our 2nd years seeing their future SOL classes… n that freshers..which just feels like… what… couple of days back or something??? N stetsons n tankha n cbcl… phew!!!

Seems like flashes in time….

Lotsa moments if I recount them back…
n it still feels so quick as if time just kept on flying by…

No doubt I m dying to finish off these last papers and run home, shop, meet old friends, relax, njoy, sleeeeeeeep… but at the same time I don’t want this trimester to end… perhaps to stay for a lil longer so that we can live our 1st year more….

Hfff! Its in here where you feel, no matter how much you curse it, hate it, rejoice it, miss it, crib about it... you just can't stop loving NLIU…

2 trimesters down the line n it makes me realise… I have fallen in love with this place…

N time continues to fly by…

Shit!!!

3.30!!!!!! I'm so gonna flunk socio tomorrow!!!!


-Shreya

Never Again….Mind It!

Shejal Verma

23rd, 24th and 25th !!! Yes!! The day really came when I boarded in train for going my home-sweet-home…Ah! So I was in fact going home…flowing like a breeze, I euphorically and safely boarded the train and the journey began…..So what`s new in that? I`ll tell you-
The following conversation took place between me and my co-passenger (sorry I don’t remember his name ) just before few minutes when the train reaches Raipur and I am proud to clarify his misconceptions about the `So called legal profession` (in his terms)…
(The co-passenger will be addressed as Mr. X…No intentions to take a particular name.)
.......................................................................
Take One….Action!
Mr. X: Alone?
Me (With a doubtful expression): Err…Yup
Mr. X: Where are you going?
Me: Raipur
Mr. X: I see
Me: What??
Mr. X: Oh! Nothing…! So which in which class are you? (That’s not his mistake…I hardly look a 1st year student! )
Me (Gladly): Pursuing B.A. LL.B (Hon.) from National Law Institute University, Bhopal
Mr. X: Oh…I am so sorry, you don’t look so old to study in….what college?
Me (with not a very good look): National Law Institute University, Bhopal
Mr. X: Exactly. “To vakil banogi…”
“Ha”, I said.
“Ajkal kaun banta hai?”
Now that was the limit…. “Not again”, I said. People think there is no other profession than engineering and medical. You utter them the word `law` and instantly (more faster than 3*108 m/s ), a beautiful picture of a man wearing white shirt, and black pant pops up. It is melancholy that they can hardly think beyond this. I had already given divine knowledge to a plethora of people about the great importance and scope of legal profession but this man poured water to all my labour.

“Ok”, I thought, “lets wash off his mind (Ummm…firstly, finding his mind would be a much better idea!)”
“Do you know what exactly Legal profession is?”
A straight forward `No`………..Expected
So I`ll have to begin it from the beginning….
..................................................................
Take Two…..action!
“The practice of law is indeed a wonderful experience. As a naïve, you get to know what actually governs not only your but other countries, acquaint with your rights and duties, problems of the masses and a great opportunity to help them when you enter into it and a lot and lot more (Of course I Don’t know everything coz I m too just a beginner.. ). It is in demand because of the changing scenario in the regulations made by the Government vis-à-vis changing social structure. The world is beyond Physics, Chemistry and Math. The scope of legal profession has widened since many years and is increasing day by day. And 11 NLUs (for common masses, I’ll reframe it to as 11 National Law Universities) together with many law colleges provide a concrete base to cultivate and transform ourselves into a rational thinking and responsible individual, where decisions are ought to be taken by mind and not by heart.
It’s a profession where you can actually raise voice for……”
Chai, coffee, cold drinks, fruity!!!

No no!!! not that!!! It was a typical chai wala with a typical voice (I wish I could convey the sound effect to my readers. As for now, be happy with the imaginative picture you have drawn in your mind!)

So where I was? Yes, “It’s a profession where you have the authoritative right to argue for the interests of the people concerned.”
After having said this much, I sensed that the man was indeed listening to all my `su-wakyas` like a diligent `shishya`….

Continuing further…
“There are many fields you can opt in law like corporation law, civil law, criminal law, international law, labour law, patent law, tax law and so on.
The importance of legal profession in a developing country like India is so much that it can`t be illustrated (Sometimes, it becomes difficult to describe the simplest things…But I don`t think law is that easy.)
Lastly, I`ll tell you who we are.
We are those who are concerned with the protection of rights of the people, trying in every way that they are not infringed, representative of clients, who work for the country and give our best to improve the status of the society by making the citizens aware of their laws.”
“WE ARE LEGAL ACTIVISTS….. .”
...............................................................
Scene Three….action!

Me: I think that’s enough to make you understand what the legal profession is about. Hope I`d be able to tell more when we meet the next time….
Mr. X: No no, its fine! I mean fantabulous! I really didn`t know the importance of this subject and its vastness! Meri galti.
“So next time when you meet someone who is completely alien to this great field, just bring him out of darkness by giving a sweet lecture of mine, verbatim.”

The train whistled and entered to the Raipur Junction.

“Time for me to go…..Hope to see you again! Bye!”
Mr. X: Bye. Have a great day Ms. Legal Activist!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Pack up

So this was all about my journey. I really felt great that I could explain my co-passenger the vitality of my subject. A memorable trip indeed…
Catch you later….

just to remind us all...

hey friends..!! i've written this poem much to remind us all...about the few reasons we are here in NLIU..here it goes..

The stories of making of lawyers ,
The sagas of truth tellers in this world of mirage,
Where the false and injustice pile up,
And dampen my nation with their evil collage,
Being the lawyers in process, let’s not forget one thing that should be,
That we are here to change the system and give a ray of glee

Decades will come, centuries will go,
The closed doors of courtrooms will put up a good show
But the soft hearts covered in tough black attires,
Who will still have a feather of love beyond their satires!
My nation still calls for those few hearts,
Who will think par making money and rising charts!

Away from the worry of placements, away from the hunger of grades
Lets give one more chance to ourselves, to look at the sun beyond the shades
One fair rising sun we had decided to be a lawyer,
Let’s not let the wick go off and extinguish the fire,
My country, my nation, my people still stretch hands in hope,
some1 will come to support my paralysed nation, and wake it up from a dope


- AKSHATA NAMJOSHI

Entries for "Wavelength"..!!

Hey people,
This is a request to everybody who is reading this post, to please,please, please submit a write-up...Ok, not write-up as in write-up "write-up".. but it can be poetry, articles, jokes, cartoons, book or movie reviews, agony aunt columns or anything you are good at...
Requirements:
1) a pen and a paper.. (Uh-huh.. Hilarious!!)
2) no defamations... :P ( no taking names, unless it is for a good cause!!)
3) submissions to be made at the earliest, but definitely at your convenience.
4) It should be fun to read...( That it will be, I'm sure of!!)

So, you need not be a writer to give in your entries... You just have to be a little creative, innovative and imaginative, which we all are..Atleast we can give it a shot, right??
And all of us can spare just half an hour for a nice, cute, little "something" as our contribution to WAVELENGTH...
The entries can be emailed to litsocjc@gmail.com
Remember, we were ( Past tense, Shit..I correct: are here) to make a difference!!
And, to be really modest about stuff, we are really good...:P
So, All you people out thr.... BUCK UP!!.. ;)
\m/
- Kriti
Member
Literary society, JC

P.S.: Catching up on my diligency @ NLIU, sadly I have foregone all hopes of being diligent ever..*Sigh*
And guys, Please BLOG too!!! :)

The first week @ second trimester

The most eagerly awaited 8 day break had arrived, marking the end of an unforgettable first trimester @ NLIU… Also, bringing in lots of time to make new resolutions ( which had to go into the drain, I knew that even before making them.. :P ) .. like

1) Reducing tapra visits,{ which could not be followed due to cancellation of last lectures for three days, and the hunger grabbed us, which did not let us wait till our hostel mess timings, and we could not resist the tempting tapra visit and then Yash’s Birthday and resisting free food is seriously difficult},

2) Reducing facebooking{ “Oh! Mom, Can’t I even talk to Krithika and Surabhi, when they aren’t here?!”… Aur yahan aake,” Yaar Krithika, I have met this friend online after a long time, bass 5 minute aur!!”},

3) Regularly going through the course { “Oh! It’s the first week… Shreya, kaunsi movie dekhni hai?” and I haven’t even bought the Bare act as yet},

4) Less of skywalks{ “ Krithika, let’s go for a walk!” and the walking and talking extends for like 2 hours at a stretch},

5) No missing classes { Shreya loves idli sambhar more than Contracts… and I feel like catching up on sleep only before LRM}..

6) Blogging @ NLIU { I am blogging after the blog has almost completed the month},

7) Making exhaustive notes in class{ however, we are too exhausted from the last days back-to-back movie watching to even try to listen to the professor}…

8) Sleeping on time { Arrey, ab movies roz roz thodi naa dekhte hain, aur Anindita ka birthday bhi ab seedhe agle saal hi toh aayega naa?!}

9) Visiting library atleast once a week { “Library jaake padhai nahin hoti yaar…” }

10) Attending Saturday debating { “Yaar, is hafte ghar jaane ka mood hai, agli baar dekhti hoon”}

11) Reaching class on time { “ Just one more snooze will not harm”… Shit, Shreya, its 8:30..!” and when I reach the washroom to brush, Apeksha is giving final touches to her hair, thnx to Sam for keeping up our Cluster - waking up late- tradition!!.. and we also have an indepth knowledge of the same happening in the boys hostel, thnx to Parnil..!!}

I guess, many of us, as in the not-diligent ones{ And mind it, it is not innuendo} might have faced these…

The past trimester also bought silly yellow nail paint experiments, more spoilt papers, debars and repeats, back bench faltugiris and shining flashes, beautiful calligraphy on paper, writing our names all over the place,reading novel at the last seat, feeling bad about the Bhopal gas disaster and not listening at the same time, gossiping in class,70% attendance policy, and things which we didn’t want to be repeated in the second trimester. However, since history repeats itself, the second trimester is proving to be a replica to the first!!

Since, I could not follow my planned routine in the first week, I have {in vain} decided to try and follow them in the second week now…
The second week comes as a promise, a new dawn{ Shit, college again}, and I have promised to be a “bit” more diligent!!..

So, I’ll be back with a “bit” more diligency @NLIU or lack thereof… and will certainly let you guys know more about it… :D

I'm not hungry for comments, though you can post a few just to make me feel a bit nicer... :P

-Kriti

Mind-B(L)oggling

My first post on this blog.Since my thought to action process is even slower than snails,it took me 15 days to get my hands off my head and put them on the keypad.The biggest issue to be dealt with was on what topic should I write this post? Thousands of topic crashed on my cerebellum.Foxy.Yash and his sleep:An eternal love story.Gyan Mandir.Environment.Nobel prizes.Indian economy.Then I thought Foxy is one of the most overresearched topics in our university and environment should be left to be dealt by Lavanya.Soch Avani Soch!Dimag ke tantu hila.I seriously needed to write something on the blog.Afterall,Parnil and Yash ate up our 1 and a half hour to make us write something on the blog!I called up my brother,just to have his part of opinion on this.He actually suggested me to write something about Nanotechnological researches or the complex integrated chips or the spectrometrical blah blah blah.Bye bye bhai!Then I understood about the cyclic nature of time.It leaves you standing at the same place from where you have started.(LRM lectures are easy to understand by quoting daily life problems:) ).To blog or not to blog? Blog Avani blog!!Then I started imagining about a magician who just comes and makes my fingers tap on the keyboard and ..and..ting ting!!My cell beeped.Idea cellular limited has no work other than disturbing its customers by asking them to pay Rs.3 to them for knowing about their past births.That gave me an idea to write something on "The disadvantages of advancing technologies".But that would have looked like a school level essay which has been decently copied from the Oxford English essay book.Jaane de Avani!Blogging is not for you.Lets turn off ..no..no.. hibernate the laptop and sleep.

-Avani Verma

WHAT IF...

Today I woke up, found something crawling on my right cheek and yes....I caught it...
A stupid black cricket, trying to get into my ear via my cheek. Soon, I discover a rash, red as blood on my same cheek and I start devising ways to look less ugly owing to the stupid red rash, a gift by the big hearted but small bodied black beast, the idiotic cricket.
Often, there are shrilling noises coming anytime to us in the hostel. Well, there are many reasons like some scary new-hostel-spirit-story, someone jumping in front of you in the dark, Oshi's superb 'tum to thehre pardesi' track and some shrill alarm clocks of some very diligent law students who are not that satisfied by their mid term exam marks (I'm not taking names for security purpose) ;-) and the crawling beasts I was talking about earlier. I am by the way, one of the very few daredevils of the hostel who are not that scared of insects. You can encounter them anywhere......in the toilets, corridors, balconies, rooms, beds and sometimes, food plates. They gather in their batch meetings, which take place every time it rains, the most popular venues for these meetings are window sills and corridor lights. They also take shelter in your hair (I found six small ones when I shampooed after 8 days), sometimes get shut in your laptop and appear out of your sport shoes. Although some of them are quite impressive, like the one in the photograph above.
The hate from these nasty creatures can reach any extent, for example my room mate performed the herculean task of slaying two lizards by the help of an insect spray. I however, show mercy and carry them to a safer place away from such cruel hands (Hope u haven't seen me killing the cockroaches brutally!).
Sometimes I wonder, what this place had been if not our university and I am thrilled at the thought of an insect zoo. This would have made Bhopal an even bigger tourist attraction, and people would have loved to come here. It would have been the first insect zoo in the world and talking economically, it would have fetched more amount than every student's fees combined. So, the next time you see a crawling/flying beauty, do not just ignore or shun it away or scream loudly in fear, just imagine in which section of insects would you keep it in the zoo?

So......until we meet next time on this blog......Buh Byeeeee!


-Durva

Going Home....

kk……so almost 3 months……I was finally home!!

Mom's cheering in a loud, almost shrilling manner. Dad's grinning, a smug look on his face!
I ….up in the air..no.literally..My younger brother has me in his arms, easily lifting me feet's above ground level!!
My grandfather….happy with wet eyes..Enjoying the view from a distance.

In midst of all this frenzy, I could’t help but think about the three months of my life I've spent away from home, away from the people I love,oh so dearly..Learning.Furbishing myself..Feeling homesick sometimes or sometimes on top of the world.Making memories for life….'most blithe'……….


life here started with the wonderful ‘introduction’ we faced off just to be followed by the mid terms……then came the ever anticipated projects n presentations।just followed by the end terms!!anyways much has been said about our trimester system……….no use abusing further!

We are done with so much (no denial to the fun unlimited )in just 3 months…… horribly tight schedule!!

Hoping to have a looser schedule with an extra subject in the second term :-)!!


-Anubha Shrivastava

(back frm home today!!)

Waking up: Through the eyes of a First Year

This post is a long one... don't say I didn't warn you.

---



This is a first hand account of what the herculean task of waking up was to a newly sleep-deprived first year in his first few weeks at NLIU.

Note: My thoughts are in italics, everything spoken is in regular characters.

---

8:26 AM: Room A-116, New Boys Hostel, NLIU Bhopal

{Alarm number one i.e. Parnil’s cellphone begins to beep}

Something is beeping. My phone is beeping. No, it can’t be my phone beeping… its only been 3 minutes since I went to bed… Or if it is my phone beeping, its clock has gone wrong. Nope. This can’t be my phone beeping. I should sleep more. Sleep. Sleep. Beep. Beep. My phone is beeping. WHY THE *content suppressed* IS MY *content suppressed* PHONE BEEPING!?!? AAAAAAAAAAH! Goodbye phone. I am not listening to your *content suppressed for language* BEEPING! Hello Mr. Sleep, take me away! Sleep. Sleep. Sleezzzzzzz…

Yash: *drool*

---

8:45 AM: Room A-116, New Boys Hostel, NLIU Bhopal

{Alarm number two i.e. Parnil’s other phone begins to beep. Alarm number one has overcome the snooze limit and its beeping can no longer be stopped. T minus 15 minutes to class}

Something is beeping. Has this happened before? No it hasn’t. Déjà Vu. In the morning. But my phone is beeping. Or should that by my phones are beeping. Are my phones beeping? Why yes. Yes they are. And they’re doing it together. Beep. Boop. Beep. Boop. Wow. That’s kinda catchy. That’s a catchy… a catchy… that’s a catchy beep. Hmmmmm… catchy. Catch. Catch a cat. Cat caught a cat’s catch. Catch some sleep. Sleep beep. Beep beep. Boop. Boos. Booze. Boozzzzzz…

Yash: *Snort*

---

8:47 AM: Room A-116, New Boys Hostel, NLIU Bhopal

{Alarms one and two have now reached a feverish pitch. Alarm number three (Yash’s cellphone) joins in with a beautiful tremolo. Alarms four and five i.e. Parnil’s iPod and wristwatch also begin to contribute to the rising crescendo – the Alarm orchestra has reached a point where it would put the London Philharmonic to shame. Alarm number six i.e. Amit Mate has begun to bang on the door, adding a tasteful rhythm section to this symphonious masterpiece. He swears in the countertenor voice that is his gift.}

Amit: *banging* Uth jaao bétiyon! Kyon phirsé class ki sorry kar rahé ho?!

Amit… I can hear Amit. I’m dreaming about Amit. Why am I dreaming about Amit? Amit is not a scantily clad Megan Fox... why am I dreaming about Amit? I can hear Amit. I can also hear beeping. So much beeping. I should see what time it is… maybe it’s happy time. Beep boop. Hehe. Boop. That rhymes with poop. Boop boop poop.

Parnil: *rolls over and falls off bed, climbs back up unperturbed, claws around for phone through one half-open eye*

Eight four seven. Eight four seven… Four eight seven. Four ate seven. Hehe. Funny. Its 4:87 in the morning. But that doesn’t sound right… Eighty seven? No wait. Eight… Four… Seven. Eight forty-seven. That’s ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen minutes to nine. Thirteen. Class starts at nine. Nine O’ Clock.

I’m so smart. I think I should sleep some more because of how smart I am.


Eight Forty-Seven.


EIGHT FORTY-SEVEN!?!?! *expletive deleted*

Oi! Yash! GET THE *expletive deleted* UP! CLASS STARTS IN THIRTEEN MINUTES!!

Yash: *drool* Hmm? Hmm.

Parnil: DUDE! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! GET UP!!

Yash: Mmhmm. Hmm.

Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap. This is bad.

*Grabs toothbrush, toothpaste, liquid soap, bottle of Old SpiceTM and mug, scrambles out of the room hurtling towards the bathroom*

Amit: Kya kar rahé ho?!

Parnil: Thank you Mate, owe you Mate, love you Mate.

Amit: Aww… you say the sweetest things.

---

8:51 AM: Middle Stall, Boys Bathroom #2, New Boys Hostel, NLIU Bhopal

Parnil: *sprinkles Old SpiceTM liberally around stall, eyes turn towards toilet seat where there is a small, green and clearly surprised amphibian staring back. It’s large, liquid eyes unblinkingly gaze into Parnil’s puffy, red and wide open ones*

What the? *Blink* Is that a frog?!

Why yes. Yes it is. There is a frog on the toilet. I wonder what the French for that is. Il ya un grenouille sur la chaise de toilette... wait. Now is not the time. I am late. And there is a frog on the toilet. THERE IS A FREAKING FROG ON THE *expletive deleted* TOILET!! AAAAAH!

Parnil: MATE! MAAAAAATE! THERE IS A FLUGGING FROG ON THE TOILET SEAT IN THIS STALL!

Amit: Well then apologize to it and come back out.

Parnil: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Amit: What? It was there first you know. It called dibs.

Parnil: *Unacceptable language deleted* YOU!

Amit: Not now honey. And wake Yash up.

---

8:56 AM: Room A-116, New Boys Hostel, NLIU Bhopal


Okay, I fell asleep in a Teeshirt and a pair of Jeans last night. That takes care of the clothes problem. Mental Checklist: Pens – Will borrow them in class, check. Register – Have the Common Law register, that should work for now, check. Phone – Check. Am I wearing pants – Check. Alrighty then. What am I forgetting?

Yash: *snort*

Yash. I am forgetting Yash. I mustn’t forget Yash.

Parnil: YASH! WAKE UP! IT IS TIME! WE SHOULD BE IN CLASS RIGHT NOW! AAAAH!

Yash: Hmm? Mmmhmm. Hmm.

Parnil: *Climbs up on Yash then punches him in the back. Stands up on him and begins to jump*

WAKE UP! YASH! YAAAAASH! WAKE UP!

Yash: What?! I’m up man! You could try just telling me to wake up verbally you know… What is wrong with you?!

Parnil: *Still jumping on Yash*

TRIED! YOU DIDN’T LISTEN! WAKE UP!

Amit: *walks in, sees Yash sprawled on bed, Parnil jumping on top of him*

I’ll give you two a minute alone then…

---

9:01 AM: Room 1, Academic Block, NLIU Bhopal

I’m late I’m late I’m late I’m late. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap.

Parnil: *pries open door, sees the Professor taking attendance, sheepishly requests to be let in*

Professor: *Looks at Parnil exasperatedly, nods, goes back to attendance*

Roll Number 17!

Hold on. Did he just say 17? HE SAID 17! YES! I MADE IT! HAHAHAHAHAHA! WOO HOO! Who’s your daddy now, who’s your daddy now, who’s your daddy now?! Oh yeah!

Parnil: *walks up to a seat at the back, grins at Kanu, Kriti, Shreya and Krithika*

You know I almost missed it today. Almost. You guys will not believe what I saw in the toilet today.

Shreya: I really don’t like the direction I see this conversation taking…

Professor: Roll Number 19!

Parnil: No it isn’t dirty, I swear. I walked in and I saw a frog! Can you believe it?! A frog!

Professor: Roll Number 20!

Shreya: Parnil…

Parnil: I mean, how crazy is that? A frog! And I was so convinced I’d missed attendance! Wow,
can you imagine my luck?

Kriti: Parnil…

Professor: Roll Number 21!

Parnil: But it’s not luck is it? He was at 17 when I walked in! Can you believe it? Like 4 roll numbers away! But I really am that awesome, even if I do say so myself…

Kriti, Shreya, Kanu, Krithika: PARNIL!

Professor: Roll Number 22!

Kanu: Present Sir!

Parnil: *Realization dawns. The Pyrrhic victory is no longer a victory at all. Once again the wily beast of attendance has eluded capture*

Parnil: OH YOU *expletive deleted*



-End-

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