Given a law school how many of us would assume that the knowledge of the law tends to strengthen the weak and weaken the strong. Well, it might seem very straightforward and enjoyable in spite of all its uncomfortable notings, that legal knowledge has made its way into creating chefs that embody law into their spirits, I mean to announce this.

Here are two tales that wail to announce that a law school atmosphere is not only into creating lawyers but also empowering people- the actors of my two tales being chefs. Of course, these tales might be more comprehensible to a person inside a law school campus, which the “On Campus student” would be sure about. The domain of these two tales therefore set their wings inside a Law school campus and not beyond.

Accredit it to the students or the wave of legal precision that flows within the campus of a National Law School from which I could make out sense and not nonsense. I was having my regular snack at the canteen when I happened to eavesdrop at the conversation between the two attendant chefs.

Let me frame out the conversation between them.

One said to the other, “Why don’t we employ children to wash dishes, the other retorted “No, No how do you say that in a law school campus, it’s a crime, employing child labour is a punishable offence”, the former said, “Why? We see many children working as labourers outside.” The latter again replied “It might happen outside, but how can you think of the same even, children at this tender age must study; it is their age to study and play and not to wash dishes”. For the process of dazzling myself with a sense of inner joy, the inquisitorial discussion between the two attendants was sufficient.

To narrate next, I was sitting in the hostel mess, and suddenly the most huge bodied chef with a dish in his hand came and sat by my side. He asked if I was going home these holidays to which I said that I was not on holiday but was just interning at a law firm in Delhi. He then asked if I was getting any stipend to which I replied in the negative.

He said” But Amarchand Mangaldas, Luthra do pay stipends”, to which I retorted, “Yes, those tier one firms do pay stipends but the law firm I am interning in is a second tier one”. Would not one be amazed and delighted to hear this from chefs that fight and gruel with gigantic spoons and mess food every day!

To put them simply, the above two tales epitomize how a law school campus influences the thoughts of the people who work on campus. One might refer to it as the “On campus effect”. To put it that flat without much archaic expressions and verbosity, the students, faculties and their interactions with these employees chide them in their actions and their feelings to propel them to sense law and this is what I am romantic and proud about.

The daily interaction of the students with numerous people doing supportive jobs (I hate to call them fourth grade jobs or menial jobs) infuses the strengthening spirit of the law into the minds of these people and this is what I would call weakening the strong. The deep reach of these job doers into the lives of the students who interact daily with them does infuse a sense of power, the power of the knowledge of the law. I wont go to describe what impact does this have in their lives, as that is not my centre of discussion.

We try tons and millions to propagate legal aid and make a hue and cry spelling that our work of spreading legal aid is still unfinished, but have we ever gazed about how the seepage of legal aid has occurred so well into the society at least in our surroundings. After all legal aid is not constricted to the walls of only educating people with the knowledge of statutory provisions, or just wake up their brains only to let them know what their rights are. It is also about making them responsible to themselves and also to the society.

Legal aid may be sensed a parallel gateway to this, but what matters to me, is that a law school campus encompasses such an area which is more than the domain of legal aid. This is what I call” Legal aid not in a strict sense” and this is what I am happy about.

(With apologies to the sentiments of the people who might be hurt by the above tales)