There’s a very specific reaction I get whenever I tell people I am from Bhopal.

Saddening it is but I feel the Gas Tragedy and its unjust legacy is intricately
connected to the story of my town and it certainly mustn’t be forgotten. The
tragedy is a symbol of inherent disregard towards people, the environment, and
the cold injustice before and after the incident meted out by corporations. The
after-effects of the incident still seep into what we often take for granted in
certain areas– the water they drink, the soil that raises the crops, and the places
we are disallowed to go to. I’ve understood very intrinsically how essentially
important it is to use law and legal awareness well.

I also understand the dangerous romanticization of law and justice and I try to
be careful enough to not get disillusioned by it, but here’s the thing – I
recognize the vexed system we’re in and that is exactly why I care so deeply
about being associated with Jurist. I do not just want to be a part of the
dissemination of information, but rather in the reporting and creating awareness
of injustices that can eventually make people question, think, and do something
about it.

Building on that, it’s not just about creating awareness among people, it’s also
about accepting I have a lot to know too. Through this position, I intend to
enrich my own worldview through the depth of information, writing, and
reading that I would be required to do. As a first-year law student, I am not
fighting landmark cases or writing ground-breaking judgments. On most
evenings, I am in my hostel room, reading, writing, and contemplating. And
that’s the thing – I love it so much. I truly value how I get to read and think
about the issues that are pervasive enough to impact more lives than just mine, I
am in awe of the texts that reek of just how powerful law can be, and hence I
also very sincerely believe I would enjoy the work at Jurist, and would
consequentially do a good job.

I hope my association with the Centre for Cyber Laws and the Centre for
Alternate Dispute Resolution at my University helps with a correct articulation
of the thought process because of the research work that accompanies it. But if
there’s a requisite that lacks, this is certainly where the first-year enthusiasm
can be capitalized – because of the inherent novelty of the world that I’ve
entered, I genuinely want to learn about everything that comes my way.
I believe there’s something very fundamentally noble about the journalistic
perspective of law – the reliance people would put on your words to know about
issues is the strength of the position and in the world that we live in, is the
weight of the job. I recognize this value of being associated with the Jurist. With
that in mind, I would work not just to meet the expectations but rather to exceed
them.