The Social Network

                                                  The Social Network

Today, while reporting in Chambers for my internship, I was pleasantly surprised to see an old friend. He’s pursuing law from Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur. He had come to intern as well. I know him because we happened to have studied at the same coaching institute while preparing for CLAT. It’s funny how your paths cross in the most incredible way and when you least expect it.

As a law student, I have had the opportunity of visiting other national law schools while representing my college in various competitions and conferences. Luckily, I have had the opportunity of meeting many people, whom I knew previously from my hometown. Some turned out to be seniors from my alma mater La Martiniere while most of them were fellow CLAT aspirants. What is unbelievable is the fact that while I knew these people very vaguely during 14 years of school or during that 1 month of CLAT preparation, I felt an instant sense of camaraderie when I met them later, the feeling that you get when you see someone familiar in a maddening crowd of unknown...

This is particularly true of my ‘HNLU friend’, whom I got to know better when he came to my college NALSAR during an inter-college fest, Summons last semester in September. I met him again in Lucknow during my winter semester break during a youth Fest. This semester when I went to his college to present a paper at a conference on Environmental Law, I again got the opportunity to interact with him. Meeting him as a fellow intern today was a pleasant surprise.

Such chance meetings are bound to happen, this you will realize once you embark on your journey as a law student. You never know at what point of time you will meet an old acquaintance. Law school teaches you many a lesson of Life and you realize that what sets it apart is that it(law school) is not just about knowing how to get your grades straight(what we call “adjusting to the system”), it is about learning as you stumble. Of the many things which I have learnt here, probably the most valuable of all lessons is respecting people and not being hasty in judging them. The scientific concept of “time and space” is applicable even socially, because what your relationship with a person will be, only time can tell and if your friendship can stand the test of time, it is a relationship for life...

While also one is advised against actively “making contacts”, it is always better to keep in touch with fellow law students as it will help you to keep yourself updated on the latest in law schools. It also provides for a great opportunity to know a lot outside your own law school.

And this social network just continues to grow bigger and closer as you keep moving ahead.