Life and times at the NLU Orissa.

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Oh look! Lady Justice is Peeping!

“National Law University, Orissa. Oh good…at least it’s a National Law University..But Orissa? Should I go there or should I wait for a year more? Might as well take the plunge!”

Questions like this went through my head when I was considering getting admitted to NLUO. Their website made a lot of promises and it didn’t seem like a bad place to be in, after all the Vice Chancellor Dr. Faizan Mustafa was their biggest USP. So, bags packed and mind set I reach Cuttack, a quiet place, very green, and it proved to be a pleasant departure from the poisoned air of Kolkata. First steps into the hostel were a mixture of nervousness, excitement and an inner urge to make this strange territory familiar. A brilliant view from my room’s balcony on the 6th floor took me to a different place all together. On one side you can scan the town area, and on the other side the scenic beauty of the Mahanadi and the hills have the ability to make any stoic soul poetic.

The funny thing about Law is that it’s like your first smoke, first it hurts your lungs and you cough, but gradually when you get used to it, it becomes almost indispensable. Our faculty is always ready by any means to help us out in any way possible about any matter. The brilliance in them fail to smudge their warmth and compassion. In our classes we question universal truths, disbelieve obvious facts and set forth a new train of thought. As our VC believes, we are here to not train in legal education but “justice” education. I suppose this is what makes learning an addictive and productive process here.

Yes of course we complain about too much pressure. But that is when our good ol’ WiFi comes to our rescue – movies, songs, videos, games and of course other materials are a click away to help recreate ourselves. Going to Bhubaneswar, Puri or plain outside is a great way to rejuvenate yourself. A few pocket friendly food joints make our parents question the purpose of paying separately for the mess food..well we can’t help it can we? Food is important for surviving, but good food is important for living!

Sports (indoor and outdoor) are given a good deal of importance by the students here and the number of intra-university tournaments we have reflect our passion and dedication for bruised knees and sprained ankles. Playing the guitar and beating buckets at night is also a way of entertainment when we are not busy pulling each others’ legs, chasing each other down the stairs and curling up in fits of laughter. Rooms where study-tables are used more for piling up clothes reminds us that it is up to us if we want Mulla and Pollock’s book on Contracts on the table or Pepe Jeans- your destiny is in your control.

It sometimes got frustrating when things weren’t as easily available as they were back home but then I realised it depends on where you look for it. This sentence can be interpreted at many levels and that is purely intended. These expeditions to search for common goals brought together amongst us a new family, and made Cuttack a home away from home. It has hardly been a year and we have already been through so much together. Yes, love stories; some action-packed, bloom in the campus and alcohol becomes cheap for the broken hearted. But simultaneously future thinkers, leaders, pioneers form within these grounds.

It is a matter of great pride that in a span of two years students of NLUO have achieved a name for themselves in various inter-university competitions (academic and non-academic) and from no angle does it seem like this trend will cease to continue. As I suit up on a Monday morning I remind myself that I am a part of something huge, something of a different league. Even legends make mistakes; we are just legends in the making.

So when a few of us sit on the highest point of the Boys’ Hostel and look at the horizon beyond the horizon, we nod at each other and smile because it doesn’t matter where we have come from, it doesn’t matter where we intend on going, what matters most is that at this very point we can see far ahead of us and far beyond us, not get perturbed by the future, and depressed by the past but live the moment to the fullest with hiccups and silly smiles.

Rohan Mukherjee

NLU, Orissa, Cuttack.

34 COMMENTS

  1. NLUO is among the best institution for one to explicate himself, or it is the best.
    The quality of a university is measured more by the kind of student it turns out than the kind it takes in.

    Akash pratap singh
    National Law University Orissa.

  2. Great stuff re ! We people already know more than what we need to know about law schools (at this stage) !!
    Excellent coverage…the only significant college you missed is the college that must not be named..Yes..I understand the reservation.. 😀 😀

    • Dear Premangsu,
      We request people from other law schools to contribute and if they do, it goes up on CG! There is no particular bias against any particular law school. What we are aiming at is a wide range of coverage so that you do make an informed choice, a very vital thing. For the take on NALSAR we have requested one of our very brilliant V years who is a prolofic writer and widely read country-wide. Next up is a round of interviews with important people. I am trying my best to make this section in CG useful, informative, funny and giving you that informal take on just about everything related to law schools and the legal fraternity as well as the profession, something I felt was a welcome break from the monotony of CLAT prep!

  3. Excellent insight into and about the University , Mr. Rohan.
    Though not very detailed, it does builds about a fairly good image of the place.

    Oh, sorry I almost forgot to introduce myself (both to you and to this site).
    I’m Anchit from Allahabad,UP. I’ll be giving my XIIth this March (CBSE) and will be competing in CLAT 2011 and other examinations (Yes, NLUO examination too, in case you were wondering. I know you were).

    So yes, nice article and an excellent website. Really loved the initiative you guys have taken. Also, just for the record, I was considering Orissa as a serious option all along. This article just sort of added up to the Pros of the University.
    And that brings me up to another important issue I felt you should have addressed. I’m sure there are some CONS to this University too. Everything has a negative side. So can I request you to state the cons too (hint: cafeteria food *_* ..maybe.)

    Also, mind my enthusiasm and (unnecessary) demands, but can you provide few images of the campus and the facilities. As in, your hostel and such. I’m very intrigued and I won’t mind if you provide me with some visual aids to help form a clearer mental image of the University.

    Thanks again for taking your time to post this article AND to read my comment.

  4. Actually, it is not a conscious thing to cover all Law Schools. We just take in contributions as and when they come. So, if ever there is some write-up that comes from any college/law school, we promise, it’ll go up.

    I guess the trimester system tires them out.

  5. @vikash: thanks man ..i appreciate it 🙂

    @anchit: Ofcourse there are negative points, our infrastructure is still developing, a new campus is coming up (hopefully very soon), we will be shifted to a new hostel in the next academic year which is within the new campus grounds.
    And yeah, about the cafeteria, honestly, i think its good when you compare it with usual hostels. Like meat twice a week, fish once a week, eggs twice a week..all that goes..food quality is decent enough..I mean dude..this is a ‘hostel’, not a ‘hotel’..u dont come here expecting banquets right? 😛

  6. @Rohan
    Yah 😛

    And I’m a vegetarian btw, so the meat,fish and the egg in your post that were meant to lure me weren’t quite the cut 😛
    Anyways, thanks for taking your time to reply. All the best for the semester.

  7. @rohan
    i live near cuttack and i second the fact that the views are amazing especially in summer when the river is brimming, if not the food the view definitely makes it a hotel. and for those who don’t know cuttack is the seat of orrissa high court and the birth place of shubhash chandra Bose.

    • the current boys’ hostel is a former IAS officers’ residence….can’t really complain..i personally feel we (me and my 2 roommates) have the best room apart from the adjacent wing- 6th floor (view, breeze), attached toilet within the room, and a geyser..not every room has that.. 😀
      It is unfair..but as long as it is tilting on our side, why complain? 😛

  8. well if you guys are looking for a college that can make you stand in front of the top, oldest and the most prestigeous law universities of the country then NLUO is surely the place for you. Competing with them is not less than a Achilles task but this college and its students have proved(not to forget only within these 2 years) that no matter where it is situated, no matter how long it has served, some brilliant law makers are in the making over here. I can proudly say that I am a part of this prestigious university. Can you???

        • Wow seriously you didn’t got the point? I thought he made it pretty obvious.

          ‘ if you guys are looking for a college that can make you stand in front of the top, oldest and the most prestigeous law universities of the country then NLUO is surely the place for you. ‘

          Well he wants to say that NLUO prepares you just like the other ‘oldest,topmost universities’ ie. the ones that have joined CLAT etc. (you got the point) 😛

          ————————————————————————–
          “Competing with them is not less than a Achilles task but this college and its students have proved(not to forget only within these 2 years) that no matter where it is situated, no matter how long it has served, some brilliant law makers are in the making over here. ”

          And here again he emphasizes the point that this college has stood upto the challenge and has made it’s mark among the other unviersities in a short amount of time. That pretty much sums up his post.

  9. good discussion. thank u rohan beta for arguing with such a force.I as the first worker of NLUO would take a different line, look at our course outlines, exam papers and teacher-taught relationship.See our integration of Mass communication with Law, integration of knowledge between B.A.LL.B and BBA.LL.B.
    This year we have come up with a unique Ph.D program.For the first time in our country we would admit students to Ph.D immediately after B.A. LL.B or LL.B with highstipends.NLUO is another name of innovation.

  10. I am currently in Eleventh grade (well gave my annuals anyway) and am seriously considering Law , whatever you wrote does add to the lure of the life . I do not know much about Law Schools , but you sure made NLU Orissa sound great. 🙂

  11. i got into nlu orrisa and initially i was planning to leave it as i wasnt sure of the rankings, do you have any ideas about the kind of placement that nluo gets?

    • see Nidhi, we havent had any placements as of yet, because our colg has just reached the 4th year being the senior most… but what I,as student of NLUO can promise you is we have one of the best faculty and environment, which makes it a good option to live rather than to leave… 🙂 I hope this satisfies you.

  12. Good article rohan , its good to have some insight into the less talked about law schools . just one thing…
    “busy pulling each others’ legs, chasing each other down the stairs and curling up in fits of laughter”
    should i be worried ?

  13. hello,every body ..i can imagine urs imagination of hw would be life in nlu’s .but don t expect more. Except top 3 nlu s all are equal. Also it does nt matter more u get nlu or other best institution.
    In my opinion all law institutions are same who places themselves in top 30. but matter arouses there hw u study after getting college.
    I expected very much from this name NLU.but nw i feel it maters hw u work here.
    so get any institution in law but work hard there,becoz it is not IIT.

  14. hi guys i am studying in class 11 and i am on of the clat aspirants and i am planning to join nlu cuttack just wanted to know about the campus,faculties and life there!!!!!!!!

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