Being a law student is not easy. No, I’m not talking about the boring lives and the thick books. This is about the general attitude I face as a law student.

I had decided to do law after my 10^th grade and to that effect had taken up science in junior college (that’s +2 in Mumbai). I appeared for entrances, cracked both, getting a decent rank in both. Got into a top NLU and life was fine. As you are well aware there is no NLU in Mumbai.

But the gods will not let you stay so happy for long. Till we were in university, we were the ‘elite’ of the legal students in the country. The college is blasting the MPL circuit and doing great in general academics. The women are decently hot and the guys are fun to be with.

The dream comes crashing down the moment I land back in Mumbai though. Well intentioned uncle-aunties are left shell-shocked on hearing you are doing law. On being told that it is being done from a far-away city, the jaws drop further. Didn’t he get admission in Mumbai? And why did he not do engineering? Ah, the entrances are tough, but I know Rahul who took a drop and got into Yusuf Hafeez Abdullah engineering college. I’m sure you would have cracked it too.

Being told that I am in a top National Law University rings no bells. You should’ve tried GLC she tells me. It’s very famous. My doctor uncle also took a law degree from there.  He just wanted to have one more degree she tells me. I try explaining the reform in legal education but seeing the condescending “I shall tolerate your naivete” faces makes me want to wring her neck and wrinkle her flat botoxed forehead.

How much did you get in your HSC she asks me? 65% I reply. Ah, So much for ‘elite’ students. Her smile may seem friendly but her eyes face and not so gentle nudges to uncle betray what she thinks of the combination. So you did not get admission in Mumbai? No, my admission has nothing to do with............. It’s Ok she’ll say. Law is big profession nowadays anyway. You should become like Ram Jethmalani she’d say. Ah.... and you think I’d never thought of that. Either way, he’s in litigation, it’s not that easy flash into my mind. But I just smile with a “I hope so”.

So you had to go all the way there from to get admission in a law college? The entrance............ I start. Forget it I sigh. Yes aunty, I had to go there from this city just to get admission somewhere.