Inauguration of School of Law In Lavasa Creates History

It was a proud moment for the august gathering to witness the inauguration of School of Law, Lavasa on 27th July 2019 in the Central Block, CHRIST, (Deemed to be University), Lavasa. 

History was created in Lavasa with the launch of School of Law. Each Law student is fortunate to be a part of such a historic moment. By virtue of being the first batch of School of Law they are the privileged ones as they will be the trend setters for future students.

While it rained outside the mild drizzle to heavy downpour made everything look incredibly beautiful. It appeared as if heavenly blessings were bestowed upon the college. Heaven and earth were adorned with an enchanting look and everyone was spellbound by the ambience.

The event began with invocation of God and customary lighting of lamp by the dignitaries while the choir sang the invocation song, 'There shall be showers of blessings...Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead!'. The dignitaries who lighted the lamp were Chief Guest, Justice Siddharth Mridul, Ms Madhurima Mridul, practicing lawyer at Supreme Court, Guests of Honour; Mr Venkat Malapaka and Mr Dasari and Mr Siddharth Mande, former Corporate Head, Reliance Gio along with Dr Fr Jossy George and Dr Fr Arun Antony.

It was followed by solemn recital of Holy Scriptures from different religions. The concluding prayer was read out by Fr Arun. 

Then Director & Dean, Dr Fr Jossy P George addressed the students and welcomed them warmly.

Fr Jossy expressed his hope that soon the students will understand that CHRIST Lavasa is a nurturing ground for an individual's holistic development to make an effective contribution to the society in a dynamic environment. Once they leave the portals of the college they will make significant contribution to the society at large and will be a force to reckon with.

Fr Jossy is optimistic and hopes that five years from now, they will turn out as confident and positive graduates who will carry forward the legacy of being a Christite and will uphold the core values of CHRIST in their words and deeds with faith in God in pursuit of excellence. Fr Jossy sincerely hoped and prayed for their bright future and wished them an incredibly successful stay in Lavasa.

Director & Dean, Fr Jossy George addressed the first batch of Law students as proud Christites. He expressed his joy in greeting the students as they embark on a new journey which will materialize in 2024. He motivated the students to prepare themselves for a five-year long journey in Lavasa. He encouraged them to prepare themselves as they plan a graph for the challenges that lay ahead. 

Fr Jossy aptly quoted famous lines from Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken. He asserted that a student will see different roads in his journey but they must take the one less traveled. The end may not be visible but a few extraordinary efforts will bring the desired results.

He glorified the journey of CHRIST and felt elated to share that the admissions were taken within a span of just a few days. Fr Jossy feels that CHRIST is a brand to reckon with as the students are the advocates of the brand name.

In a poignant analogy Fr Jossy urged them to develop their TQ ie. talent quotient at a young age. He asserted that for CHRIST, Lavasa teaching is student centric and every effort will be made to train the students in the right direction through a well-defined curriculum. Fr Jossy concluded his motivational speech by encouraging them not to be bogged down with faliure rather they must strive hard to fulfill their dreams.

It was followed by Chief Guest’s address. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Justice Siddharth Mridul. His father Late Shri P R Mridul was a senior advocate. Justice Mridul did L.L.B. in 1986 from Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. He has practiced as an advocate, variedly in matters relating to Writ and Writ Appellate Jurisdictions, Civil Original and Appellate Jurisdictions, Company Jurisdiction and Criminal Jurisdiction in the High Court of Delhi. He has also practiced in The High Court of Judicature at Bombay, The Karnataka High Court at Bangalore, The Rajasthan High Court at Jaipur, Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal, Company Law Board, Appellate Authority for Industrial & Financial Reconstruction, Debt Recovery Tribunal, National and State Consumer Dispute Redress Commissions at Delhi.

Justice Siddharth Mridul served as a member of the Disciplinary Committee. He was appointed by the High Court of Delhi as member in various committees to go into inter alia, the issues of rehabilitation of children after the abolition of child labour, illegal construction in contravention of municipal bye- laws and much more. He was appointed as Additional Judge of the High Court of Delhi with effect from 13th March, 2008 and as a Permanent Judge on 26th May, 2009.

Chief Guest, Justice Siddharth addressed future lawyers in his invincible style and expressed his appreciation of Fr Jossy's presentation. He told them that they have come of age and added that today is all about them! He shared his reflections on life and wished the young students all the best.

Justice Mridul was appreciative of the prayers from various faith and articulated that they must subscribe to humanity unfailingly. He mentioned that three words define law, such as justice, liberty and equality. Justice Mridul encouraged them to develop Emotional Quotient also along with talent. He articulated that they ought to invest in people, which in turn will make life meaningful and they will benefit enormously in the long run.

He was highly appreciative of the scenic route on his way to Lavasa and was instantly reminded of the Scottish Highlands. He urged the law students to make the most of their stay in such an enchanting place as it will provide scope for introspection and growth. He rightly advised them to read Literature or History, go for a walk, take interest in whatever catches their fancy for a holistic development of their personality. Justice Mridul concluded by saying that five years from now he hopes to hear them in his Court Room.

 It was followed by address by Guests of Honour; Mr Venkat Malapaka and Mr Dasari.

 Mr Venkat Malapaka, Director, Deccan Chronicle and Editor, Clipper News was also present on the occasion. He was the Vice President of TV 5 Telugu News Channel. He played for Ranjit Trophy-Hyderabad.

 

Mr Malapaka was also highly impressed by Fr Jossy's presentation. He narrated personal anecdotes about his interaction with Amitabh Bachchan. He motivated the students not to be bogged down by failure, rather they ought to get up and try to win. He gave examples of his visit to Tanzania and Kenya and inspired them to forge ahead with grit and determination. Mr Venkat motivated them to always remember that they are the brand ambassadors of CHRIST, Lavasa. Mr Malapaka inspired them to take everything in a stride and be positive. According to him they are the future lawyers of the country and they must think big and aim high.

The other dignitary who graced the occasion was Mr Dasari Yoganandababu, MD and CEO of DTv (Telugu) and Vice President of Indian Federation of Journalist. He has been a gold medalist in journalism and has interviewed eminent personalities such as the Hon'ble President and Prime Minister.

Mr Dasari's address was short and crisp. Being a journalist by nature and profession he expressed his ardent desire to interview all the students sitting in the jam-packed audience and blessed them from his heart.

Dr Madhura Kalamkar was also present on the occasion. She has done B Com, LLB along with LLM and PhD (Law). Presently she is I/C Principal of Hindi Vidya Prachar Samiti’s College of Law, RJ College Premises, Ghatkopar (West), Mumbai. Earlier she was I/C Principal of Siddhyog College of Law at Khed and full time faculty in MCT College of Law for 5 years. She has also been a visiting faculty at D.Y. Patil College of Law and MGM College of Law for 3 years. Her areas of interest are Human Rights, Family Law, Civil Procedure Code, Arbitration and Conciliation. She has regularly presented and published research papers in seminar/conferences/workshops.

Mr UK Nambiar was also one of the invitees. He has done MA, M Phil, MBA (Law) and DLit (Legal Education). He is the Principal of MCT College of Law, Airoli, Navi Mumbai. He is a part of Academic Member Inspection Committee, Bar Council of India, New Delhi. He has been a special invitee for Board of Studies, Kandivili Education Society, Autonomous Law College, Mumbai and Vishwakarma University of Mumbai. He has been a correspondent for Times of India Navi Mumbai and Malayala Manorma, Mumbai.

An impressive video presentation at the beginning gave a meaningful insight into the life in campus. Then all the guests were felicitated and the ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks by Adv Apurva Sharma followed by Christ Anthem.

Another highlight of the day was institutional / departmental orientation by Academic Coordinator Fr Arun. An orientation was given by Coordinator - Examination, Prof Soumya V about the exam pattern and it gave an overview of the schedule for the entire year.

The entire program was successfully and meticulously coordinated by Dr Rakhee Kelaskar, Adv Saimy Abrahams and Adv Apurva Sharma from Department of Law. It showed their perfect planning and attention to details. Fr Jossy congratulated the entire department for creating history in Lavasa.