So, CLAT is over. Rank list is out. The celebrations or brooding (depending on how good or bad it went), is done with. It’s a time of choice. Time to choose a college from amidst the options you have. Now one can never make a well informed decision until one has possibly visited the campuses of all these law schools and talked to an existing or ex- student and getting an objective viewpoint in such cases is heavily clouded by the slanderous backlash in the name of debates concerning ranking of law schools on different portals and forums that are found in plenty these days. I remember three to four years back, it was just on the forum of Law School Tutorials, that too, among enrolled students. If it wasn’t easy then, it’s not going to be easy now. But it never hurts to read up one more account in the myriad of opinions and college tales, if it contributes in any way to making, a ‘more informed’, if not exactly ‘fully informed’ choice.

Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur. The first point that comes to any third person’s mind, and is alleged a lot of times, is “strike? Inconsistency in administration?” well, the strike is a movement that is close to every HNLU-ite’s heart and is remembered on a very different note than is portrayed or seen by others. A movement that brought about great changes in the University, and the rising graph of the University’s performance in terms of academics, Moots and placements, is evidence of the same. And the inconsistency in administration is resolved after Prof. S. P. Singh assumed office in April, 2011.

Location:

Raipur is a budding commercial hub and so, even though it does not have all the metropolitan luxuries and facilities to the extent any other big city has, but with MATS University, NIT, IIM Raipur and Vendanta campuses around, we do have a vibrant student crowd. You have a PVR and an INOX and a couple of other good theatres to catch the latest movies, about three big malls to shop and a few small but great cafes and eating joints. You also do find a couple of good pubs around including a branch of Ten Downing Street. So good food and drinks, is not that difficult to score in Raipur. Though yes, Raipur is essentially a small town and if you’re from big metros like Bangalore, Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, etc. you might get a little weary of it after some time, but honestly, after the long winter or summer break at home, it never fails to look like a familiar respite on a boring weekend.

Infrastructure:

We have arguably the largest campus, (excluding that of only the upcoming campus of GNLU, I think) sprawling across some 67-70 acres encompassing a beautiful lake and lush green scenery. Honestly, the view of the sunrise or sunset from the balcony of your room (yes, our hostels provide single room accommodation) is breathtaking. For all nature lovers and poets, welcome to heaven. Though it is difficult living 22 kms away from the hustle and bustle of the main city, but we have daily buses to the main city every afternoon, with return trips at about 8pm. We have a fully equipped computer lab and an amazing, air conditioned three-floor library, (not only a heaven for all book worms, but also a great place to spend blazing summer afternoons in A/C. Trust me- three floors, you can choose a nice seat and a few thick leather bound law books to take a quick nap sitting at a table *winks*), five fully equipped moot court halls, 15 air conditioned classrooms, and a lot more. Now honestly, this is mentioned in detail on our website, but this post is to give you the information that actually makes sense to you.

We have one playground that currently serves as the football and cricket field, designated volleyball courts for both hostels, separately, in-house badminton courts in each hostel, and in such a huge campus, you generally do find a lot of space to play, sit or stroll around in leisure, even though more often than not, you wouldn’t actually find the time for the same, given the hectic nature of the course you’ve chosen for yourself. We have an IDBI ATM in campus, separate mess and canteen in the Boys’ and Girls’ HORs, apart from a common canteen at the main entrance, though once you enter hostel, you are bound to miss home food and it is not a myth, but the same sad story across Law schools. We do have a dhaba nearby that occasionally fulfils the craving for butter chicken or paneer pasanda. ;) All in all, you have a beautiful, state of the art campus that could, in whatever little or big way you let it, be your second home.

Campus Life:

There is one thing about HNLU- everything is managed (de facto, and de jure) by the students, and for the students. We have student bodies co-coordinating all activities, ranging from an Academic Support Committee, a Finance Committee to your regular HOR, Sports, Debating and Moot Court Committees.

Your schedule is hectic, you will curse your workload when you miss the chance to catch your favorite movie on a weekend, but you cannot escape the culture that runs in the aptly christened “HNLU Family”. When you join the college, you are welcomed with this phrase, and you spend 5 long years realizing its value, at every step. Ragging is not an issue that has ever been addressed with any official proceeding here; whatever interaction takes place is pretty friendly, and worth it, as the seniors you get know through such interactions more or less make up the best parts of your law school life. The unity of this student fraternity is epitomized by the very phrase “HNLU Family” itself.

An alumnus of the college very aptly had said, “When I see HNLU, I see a vibrant student community”. Though the work schedule can be hectic many a times, cultural activities are not given a back seat in HNLU. We participate in a lot of college fests (sports as well as cultural & literary) and have a lot of intra-college events ranging from Literary and Debating week, Monday evening GDs, JAM, rock nights, Salsa/Jive nights to Paintball and State days. Practically, you will not have a single semester without at least two of each category of events- sports, cultural and literary. Debating and Mooting are taken very seriously here. We also have a very active MUNing culture and students have won a lot of such events. First years are given special Orientation and guidance by seniors regarding these things. All in all, this truly is a place where you work hard and party harder.

Faculty:

If this were a mineral, it’d be rarer than gold or even diamonds. Good faculty is a rare species what with the cream of all professional institutions preferring to opt for a law firm or litigation. In a few subject areas we do have a handful of senior, and some young, though really dynamic and well- informed faculty, though in certain subject areas, you would really hesitate to say the same. However, with Prof. S. P. Singh as our new VC, and offers floated for new permanent faculty appointment posts, we are hoping to rope in some good senior faculty by next semester. Apart from this, we do have regular guest lectures from eminent judges, legal luminaries and other renowned professors, which sort of makes up for it.

Placements:

This is what you would be ultimately interested in. We have independent Internship Co-ordination Committee (with two members from each batch) working in close consonance with the Recruitment Co-ordination Committee. Our placements have improved drastically over the past three batches and this year’s outstanding records are already up on Legallyindia. With the current trend we are aiming at securing more international placements too. The culture of internships is very widely practiced, advocated and followed in HNLU, and securing good internships is not difficult as we have a lot of our alumni placed in major law firms who guide you through the process, along with the efforts of the Internship Committee. Big recruiters like Amarchand, AZB & Partners, LinkLegal and Platinum Partners do rope in the top rankers of batches and the sheer number of PPOs (pre-placement offers) that we have managed to bag shows the kind of work output the students of HNLU show at their internships. With the percentage of recruitment being 75%, though in batches of students numbering around  150, it might become more difficult to co-ordinate, however, as already established, good work never goes unnoticed or unpaid, what with an efficient and effective recruitment co-ordination system, in place.

All in all, the crux is that in HNLU, where the autonomy and role of students in day-to-day affairs is far more, compared to other contemporary institutions, you make your own 5 years. I remember a favorite quote of mine by J. K. Rowling, from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, “It is often our choices, and not our actions, that make us what we are...”In the end, everything boils down to your choice. Not what college you choose, but what you choose to do in the college you get into. And so if this is what your choice is, welcome to HNLU.

PS- any queries or questions regarding anything in or outside this post, or suggestions, is most welcome. Though it might not be the best advice available, again quoting harry potter, “At Hogwarts (err... HNLU), help shall always be given to those who seek it.”  :P

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