With November in Nagarbhavi quickly approaching, Quirk presents a Photo Journal, that documents all months of campus life. Starting from the first trimester jitters to the fun of third trimester, get ready for a run-down of everything to expect on campus. Don’t miss the nostalgic video by Ojas Chandaniha (Batch of 2025)! We thank everyone who contributed pictures for the same.
If there’s one thing that the last eighteen months have proved, it’s that technology simply cannot replace ALL the events at NLS and make it as exciting as if it happened in flesh and blood. Sure, streaming platforms have made listening to real-time music engaging and fun but it isn’t a perfect substitute for vibing to some indie hits in the field on a January night. No amount of online chess or video gaming can give you the rush of shouting “Law School…Law School…” on the basketball court and nothing beats Univ Week.
With Law School slated to reopen in November, we at Quirk want to chronicle what a calendar year at NLS was like, in the Old Normal. For the senior batches, this would be a chance to refresh your memories. For the first (and second) years, here’s what a pandemic-free year at NLS would have been.
Before you dive in, here’s a video that’ll either be a trip down memory lane or an initial glimpse of your life for the next few years. We hope you enjoy watching it!
JULY
Lakshmi Nambiar (Batch of 2023) writes:
July is a month of excitement – probably the most exciting for fresh-faced first years who bubble with all the anticipation of entering their dream college with no law school baggage to burst that bubble yet. Perhaps you worry that homesickness might get you down – but the multiple orientations will keep you busy throughout the month – orientations that will make you wonder what you have been doing all your life when all these cool activities should have been what were occupying your time. They will introduce you to committees, clubs, collectives and the extremely wide range of law school activities that leave you wondering when you will even have time for class, or worse, sleep. Sleep, of course, will be a long lost dream (one that you don’t even have time to dream about) because your nights will be spent being introduced to the law school fraternity. Whether your idea of a night is a dance party like Freshers or a chill scene at the field or even an intimate jam session at Navalgund park – you won’t be left wanting – and these first nights might just form deep bonds of long-lasting friendships.
Sometime in mid-July you’ll find yourselves being whisked away for a visit to the High Court. The High Court visit is one of the most wonderful introductions to a life in the law – whether it’s the beautiful red buildings, the fancy courtrooms, the dressing-up in formals or the bus rides to and fro – there’s something in it for everyone.
July is when you first discover the most omnipresent joys of NLS – like the happiness that only a coffee and bun-butter-bhujiya at Chetta can give you, the never ending supply of campus doggos, and the freedom of college life. It’s also when bonds are forged in all kinds of unexpected ways – ranging from the hatred of pigeons and PDA, to the PDA itself. Bonds that begin with sisterhood in hostels and carry on to hostel group rants about terrible bathroom manners. Also July, my sweet summer first year children, is when you will be inducted into the law school state of mind – and slowly begin to become a law schoolite – starting with learning the local lingo, and finishing only when you successfully learn the most quintessential NLS skill – to faff. You’ll also be taken out on treats by various groups – rank parent treats, state treats, senior treats, etc.
AUGUST
Spiritus
Jwalika Balaji (Batch of 2023) writes:
Spiritus is our annual sports fest. It’s a great chance for us to sledge other colleges (that’s why they hate us and think we’re entitled pricks). But it’s also a chance for us to feel like we’re not half-bad at sports! (And it really isn’t the sports that matter. It’s getting watermelon-juice-half-sugar-full-ice with your sports team after practice sessions, paid for by sportscomm, that really matters) We have these amazing pub pools before spiritus to make posters “welcoming” other colleges to law school. The first years have a wonderful experience at spiritus :). They are chosen (read: forced/de-facto) volunteers at Spiritus and have the worst jobs of all – carrying mattresses, cleaning the basketball court at 12 AM after a heavy rain, rolling the ground evenly on the tennis, throwball and football courts, getting up at 5 AM to draw lines on the different courts for that day’s match, sitting at the registration counters etc etc. Name any job that involves fun (read: bitch) work and you’ll have to do it. It’s actually really fun though – you get to bond with different batches at college, get yelled at but then also get cake from sportscomm, cheer on your university teams and feel proud about your university. Also, the lack of sleep for the three days makes you delirious at this point so you’re just going with the flow anyway. There are amazing food trucks which come in. There is a flower stall (called Informals) where you can gift people flowers and messages, and it’s generally a very cute and spirited vibe! (pun intended). Then at the end of three days, there’s an insane party that’s thrown on the night of which usually the university rounds moot problem is released so you’ll curse your life and carry on and law school, like always.
Project submissions
Ashi Mehta (Batch of 2021) writes:
Aah, the bane of our law school existence! At the start of every trimester, we, along with our friends promise to start projects on time and coast through submission time with ease. But, lo and behold, where does the time go?! Dreaded submissions are now approaching, time to check for internet inconsistencies, events to volunteer for (or coaxing the C/JC to add my name on the volunteer list) – for that elusive “Yes, Permitted” on project submission deadline. Project submissions are also the time when Chetta comes alive at midnight and our co-dependency on black coffee/RedBull/TZinga/Sting begin (I have seen a friend buy 3 of them for a night, said friend is still alive – thanks). Time to fire up the laptop and type at ungodly speeds or delegate paraphrasing to juniors (another classic trend – NLS is truly where leaders of the future are created) to make it to the 11:59PM deadline! The OGs will recall running to the ED (another relic of the past) with printed copies of their projects before the clock hit 5:00PM, after having made umpteenth changes in their projects to please the Turnitin gods (when we were allowed access – I feel ancient now). Project submissions are truly testament to the fact that diamonds are created under pressure…or that writing thoughts in 5000 words on a topic we have no clue about are all possible!
SEPTEMBER
University Moot Rounds
Rhea Prasad (Batch of 2024) writes:
If the daily anxieties of college weren’t enough you will also be faced with the most daunting question of all time: to moot or not to moot? As someone who mooted in their first year, I can tell you that it is honestly not as horrendous as it’s made out to be; if you genuinely want to try out the activity and explore whether it interests you, don’t take stress of being the MooT StUd everybody has convinced you you have to be. More than researching and mooting itself, it’s the fact that everyone’s running around with 0 hours of sleep, functioning on 926252 cups of coffee and discussing “public policy” at every imaginable corner in college, that causes the real stress. The night of memo subs, you’ll see every corner of the library full of people in three day old pyjamas, you’ll hear the anguished screams of the unfortunate souls whose laptops have crashed and then you’ll see the lucky few who submitted on time chilling at Chetta. Of course, the days of the oral rounds are no better. You’ll see people crying outside the Moot Court Hall, pacing up and down furiously with their notes and you’ll wonder why you decided to moot in the first place. As someone who managed to sleep 16 hours a day, do pretty badly and come to the conclusion that I’m not cut out for mooting, I’d recommend approaching Univs with a pinch of salt and plenty of caution. Because deadlines will always be closer than they appear!
First set of exams
Lakshmi Nambiar (Batch of 2023) writes:
With the end of September comes the sweet sweet promise of home, or at the very least (if you are interning in the break) a respite from the academic term which by this point you have grown quite sick of. But before that happens comes the harrowing ordeal that is exams. Four days, four papers, no sleep and LOTS of Chetta’s midnight double coffees (with a side of Sting if you’re feeling especially motivated). Exams really really suck – there’s no doubting it. But college exams, for the first time ever, gives you the opportunity to stay up all night with your friends and batchmates – forming study groups in hostel rooms, mess tables, acad classrooms (until the 11PM bell) and Chetta benches. Yes, it sucks, but hey at least you’ve got company. It’s a bonding experience of its own. And sex is great and all, but have you ever had a four-hour nap after four days of non-stop exams and no sleep? There is no sweeter feeling in the world. Then there will be Instagram stories of x/15 trims done and bye bye law school, and the hostel will be filled with people running around trying to simultaneously pack and get ready for one last night out. And then before you know it you’re back at home, eating veetile choru-sambaar (aka ghar ka khaana). It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times.
NOVEMBER
Anmol Kohli (Batch of 2024) writes:
November begins with hope. And I don’t mean the hope of passing your Economics I repeats (though that can be important as well). I mean the hope of having found a new home, of realising that this is you for the next half-decade. The anxiety and chaos of your first trimester is over. You went back home, and were relieved—or perhaps astonished—to find that the world outside is much the same. Life now, however, seems slower. While you enjoy the comfort of your family’s home, a certain listlessness creeps in. At this point, you realise that you want to go back. You hate that you feel this way; you’re surprised at yourself. But by the end of October, you start hoping. This hope manifests in several ways: it’s the hope that the strangers with whom you inhabited 8:50am classes half-asleep and laboured at events still remember who you are. It’s the hope that the first trimester was a trial period, that you will no longer make mistakes, and the next fourteen trimesters will be an effortless demonstration of your inherent genius. It’s the hope that you have now imbibed a certain law school ethic that you naively suppose all your seniors possess. It’s the hope that you, too, can be a functioning cog in the madness of the law school machine. Hold on to these hopes and enjoy the events of November!
Anshita Agrawal (Batch of 2023) writes:
I know Diwali away from family doesn’t sound like a fun thing but Diwali at NLS also has its own unique vibe, one that you shouldn’t miss out. A few days before Diwali we had Dandiya night organized by CulComm; it’s a festive form of NLS Quad parties. For once, it was nice to see the college dressed in something other than lounge-wear. And on Diwali I remember going to the field with my entire batch and lighting lanterns (after multiple failed attempts). We were all dancing and singing around the campus and just enjoying the feel of home away from home.
DECEMBER
December is a busy month in Law School. There are a lot of external and internal fun events that happen, apart from the usual monotony of project subs, vivas and mid-trimester crisis.
Bangalore Namma Pride March
The Bangalore Namma Pride March usually happens within the first 10 days of December. The Pride Parade sees a huge turnout everyday is such a colourful and heartwarming place to be. Every year, a huge contingent from Law School goes to the Parade in a bus organized by the NLSQA, carrying posters that we make at a pub pool the previous night and with a makeup and painting session right before leaving!
Gunjan Jadiya (Batch of 2023) writes:
I hate crowded places. I try to avoid them as much as I can. So when I heard there was going to be a Pride Parade in Bangalore I don’t really know what prompted me to go. All of my friends had refused yet I decided to go with some of the students from college for no particular reason. Once we reached the starting point of the parade and I saw everyone covered in rainbows, I got goosebumps. Good goosebumps. I had never been a part of a crowd that could collectively give such a love-filled vibe. I couldn’t stop smiling. Even though the parade covers a long distance, I don’t remember getting tired at all. Because never before had I been a part of a crowd that made me feel such warmth in my heart (or a crowd that was even 1% aesthetic as a pride parade). Crowds for me have always been suffocating but pride was like a big hug that screamed, “We love you for who you are and as you are + fuck homophobes” The only regret I have from my pride experience is not going for all the free hugs and kisses people were giving away.
Christmas and New Years’ Party
Jwalika Balaji (Batch of 2023) writes:
For Christmas, Cul Comm usually hosts a smol christmas party with carols and general feel-good music in the quad. A lot of students gather in the quad and simply spend the whole evening together. Arrangements are also made to go caroling at midnight, joining those who walk along the streets of Bangalore on Christmas Eve. It is a beautiful and wholesome experience.
Then comes the (in)famous New Year Party. It is that time of the year when seniors graciously pool in their money (cough cough) and organize a party for the entirety of college. A resort is usually booked and we are taken in buses there. Since first years have curfew, they are usually shipped back to college around 1-2 AM that night. And of course, some DISCO members have to stay on campus to take room check (paavam). The rest of college usually stays till the morning and then comes back to campus. Yamuna Solidarity can truly be seen in the evening right before leaving for the venue. All dance songs are being played in the bathroom, people are visiting each other’s rooms to check out what everyone is wearing, people are mixing and matching outfits, lending jewelry, helping out with makeup and taking pictures of others. It is truly a feeling of unity, representing the quintessential yamuna bond during these times. At the party itself, people are singing, dancing, making out :p, sharing stories, eating and drinking. The best part of NYP is the countdown to 12 AM, when you have 400 people around you counting down the new year with you. There is this burst of warmth and affection that you feel towards everyone and it is one moment that the entire college shares.
Of course, these parties do come with the caveat that it is often in such spaces, where instances of sexual harassment occur. This has spurred a lot of discussion on drawing sexual boundaries, making sure that people check up on each other during quad parties and generally a call for SHARIC facilitators to be more vigilant during these times.
JANUARY
Strawberry Fields
Anmol Kohli (Batch of 2024) writes:
January may have your second — and understandably worse in quality — project submissions in the first week (the only constant even in these times). Once you are finished with those, though, you are rewarded by arguably the best event in NLS: Strawberry Fields (or “SF”, as we fondly call it). Before SF, there is something called SF PnP (press n publicity). Seniors take juniors out for a night of fun, under the pretext of creating publicity for SF. Well, we do distribute pamphlets, coasters and matchboxes with the SF logos printed on them – some of them are really nice, with amazing artwork on them. It’s a night of fun and frolic, with seniors getting to know juniors better and bonding with them!
Strawberry Fields is our rock fest – which basically means three days of shouting and screaming in the name of music (kiddin!). It has been organized for over 23 years and is super fun. All of us dress up, chill at the food stalls, take pictures at the Tinder stall (very apt), and bang our heads to the music for three nights. We have our amazing, very-own Laa Skool band and they never fail to make us cheer for them! So with exciting headliners and watching all kinds of bands – old, new, and with different styles of music – coming out to perform on the Field, it’s a unique experience by itself. Ask anyone from the Batch of 2024, and they will tell you that SF 2020 is pretty much the only time they had real, memorable fun at campus, before COVID-19 ruined everything 2 months later. For 3 days, the student body really lets go (it has no other choice, the music from the field reaches the library!). SF is a unique part of NLS because it has existed since 1996.
MARCH
We basically do nothing in March. All first years are just very happy to be on campus for the ‘chill trim’. Holi usually comes around in March, and groups of people do play Holi on campus! But apart from that, there are no events per se in March.
APRIL
Dalit History Month
Anmol Ratan (Batch of 2023) writes:
April 2021 saw something that law school has rarely been made witness to. It saw a month-long celebration of art, literature, music and every other possible facet of Dalit life under what we at SPAC called ‘The Dalit Fest’. The fest that sought to celebrate Dalit History Month as well as honour Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy was marked by sheer gratitude and an immense sense of camaraderie. While in an ideal non-covid time SPAC would annually celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti in true-blue law school fashion, with great music and food, this time we knew we were undertaking something that was way greater than all of us and anything we had done in the recent past. The fest opened with a two emerging Dalit voices, namely, Ms. Yashica Dutt and Mr. Dipankar Kamble and was followed by an interview with Mr. Praveen Kumar. The culmination which was marked by a three-hour long virtual cultural night was truly the cherry on top. Personally, for us, it was not until the very last vote of thanks that we all breathed a sigh of relief and realised what we had pulled off. It was one of the toughest yet most satisfying things I had ever done in Law School and I am sure I share the sentiment with other members of the collective.
Day Zero
April is the month where we also see our 4th years dressing up in impeccable suits and getting ready for Day Zero, for placements in firms. It’s quite nice to have an existential crisis right at the end of your first year. But you also feel super proud when you see your seniors placed at these prestigious firms. Overall, bittersweet :’)
Law School Debate (NLS-D)
Pallavi Khatri (Batch of 2022) writes:
The end of April usually spells what we like to call “Zombie-mode” for everyone in the Literary and Debating society – as we scramble together day and night to conduct the National Law School Debate. With 70+ teams and a host of debate judges coming from India and abroad each year, the LnD has its work cut out. But it’s not just the committee. NLS-D wouldn’t happen without the 100 or so NLS students who double as adjudication participants and volunteers – with placards for the multiple venues to try and disperse confused looking kids from other colleges to their respective rooms. And while all of this happens on the outside, inside the tab room there’s a constant feeling of urgency as the tabmaster puts in scores on to TabbyCat to try and make the next round start on time.
After the 7 tiring preliminary rounds, it’s fair to say that every party involved, the committee, volunteers and participants are dying to let their hair down. And that’s when the ‘Break Night’ happens. This faaairly crazy party is held somewhere less fancy than Sheraton or Taj (coz we’re not MCS and ADR board sorry) – but has the best vibes for sure. Sometimes it gets a bit out of hand with everyone puking in the bus and the LnD transport incharge getting calls from the Bus company for a year. But despite all that, it’s all worth it in the end – for the camaraderie NLS students end up building on their shifts, for the joy that engulfs the winners and for the “we did it!” feeling for each LnD member!
MAY
May is perhaps the busiest month for some of the law school committees, and depending on whom you ask, and perhaps the most fun for law-schoolites. There are two major inter-college events that we usually host in May, NLS-NMC (the flagship ADR competition that we host) and NLSTIAM (the flagship arbitration moot that we host). Most importantly, Univ Week also takes place in May.
NLS Negotiation Mediation and Client Counselling Competition (NLS-NMC)
Shambhavi Shivdikar (Batch of 2021) writes:
The month starts off with its usual law school monotony with project subs in the first week, but begins to speed up as we reach NMC. The next event in the SBA Calendar is the Negotiation, Mediation and Client Counselling Competition (“NMC”) organized by the ADR Board. The 3-day event sees 200+ participants (since NMC is the qualifier for ICC Paris, we even get some firangs and allegations of white bias ofc) milling about on the campus and the ADR Board frantically running multiple rooms and safeguarding the confi like their life depends on it.
The preparation for NMC starts months in advance with soliciting judges and problem drafters, finding Acco, inviting participants, and painstakingly choosing volunteers from the student body for the event (you will know the reason in a minute). During the actual days of the event, the ADR Board makes the Acad Block its temporary residence replete with a mattress, a set of UNO cards to help de-stress, unlimited cans of Monster EnergyTM drink to cope with all-nighters and perpetual exhaustion, and takeout boxes, courtesy the generous Convenors. Volunteers chip in and do their part by carrying around tables, enquiring about life insurance at the LIC counter (especially recommended for those who have their History vivas due) and timing the rounds (the best way to learn some negotiation tricks which can be deployed on unsuspecting peeps in the Nego Univs). However, the main attraction of the competition is neither the DSLR photoshoot in formals for your LinkedIn Profile or FB DP change, nor the networking you do with the studly judges and peeps from other institutions; but the most lit and fun socials of the year which has everyone clamoring to be a part of NMC. At NMC, we believe in ‘work hard, play harder’ (but please make sure you don’t get wheeled out in a wheelchair or make us pay extra for destruction of property).
NLS Trilegal International Arbitration Moot (NLSTIAM)
Vignesh Ramakrishnan (Batch of 2022) writes:
Having been part of the Moot Court Society for three years, NLSTIAM was the event I looked forward to the most. Being a part of the Organizing Committee does give you some perks and they were perhaps the most exhausting days in law school (after Spiritus). The Acad was bustling with students from across the country in their fancy suits burning up in the Bangalore Summer (sorry to burst your bubble, but being a sprawling metropolis does not really suit Bangalore’s weather, especially in the summer. Please prepare accordingly :P) Volunteers can be spotted running around in hastily worn suits, non-matching pairs of socks and shoes borrowed from neighbours/ roommates. Running the rounds is sometimes thankless, however, it does provide a lot of experience on how to argue and the questions judges ask. Depending upon how nice your judge is, it’s also a good opportunity to network with alumni and other accomplished people in the area of arbitration law.
After the three exhausting days of the event, is when MCS with tons of paisa from its corporate sponsor (shoutout to Trilegal yo) decides to have the semi-finals and finals at a 5-star hotel “at the heart of Bengaluru’s commercial district” aka MG Road/Majestic (but that’s how we sell the exorbitant registration fees to Indian and foreign teams). ADR and MCS often get into wars about which socials is better (for the sake of brevity and to avoid any angry ADR members trying to lynch me, I’ll steer clear of that conversation). Ultimately, for the committee members and those who have slaved away the most (or have social connections *cough cough*) an invite to the socials is provided and you get drinks on MCS at the Taj or the Ritz Carlton.
Univ Week
Vignesh Ramakrishnan (Batch of 2022) further writes:
Okay, I promise that was the last brag about our committees and the extravagant socials we throw. As a first-year co-opt in MCS, I thought TIAM was the event I looked forward to and would enjoy the most. Univ Week, however, shattered all my expectations and is, has been and will continue to be, the most fun event on the law school calendar. The usually dormant batch-group suddenly goes into a frenzy (for once at something not controversial) and people are voting on the colour to pick for the batch colour day, deciding the songs and moves for the flash mobs. (Well, the enthusiasm on the batch group does slowly fade as you go through the years). For once you can go to class in the most outrageous outfit and you might actually win something for your batch (Fashion disaster day *insert screenshot of cul comm’s email*). The day is filled with flash mobs and laughter, and people dancing in the quadrangle (or nervously watching from the shadows cuz you can’t dance to save your life). The nights are even more fun, you can shout your favourite song with your friends and ruin it for everyone on karaoke night (I’m kidding! *not really, I’ve done it too*) or walk down the ramp and own the fashionista in you (cheers and applause guaranteed no matter what you do. Bonus points if you’re very drunk and embarrass yourself on stage) or try your hand at being a dancer on the Western or Eastern Dance Nights. Naturally, you can dance to Bruno Mars, the most popular Bollywood songs of the year and the mainstream south Indian songs that have been played for the past decade (No, I’m not talking about Lungi Dance!!!)
The most rave quad parties used to happen during Univ Week, and we’d party in the Acad all-night-long (even till 7-am). However, at this point, I feel I must emphasize on something that has already been highlighted by some of the earlier pieces. Law School does have a toxic hookup culture, where the number of partners you’ve had is fetishized, and despite many of us having contributed to this culture consciously or unconsciously, we must tell you to not condone such a culture. Lastly, I must add that all the socials or parties I’ve mentioned above, have all had instances of women being sexually harassed. This is not to say that parties are the sole cause for such instances. But even if we’re unable to establish a causal link, it’s important that, as a batch and all of us as the student community, take this seriously, ensure we always always are respectful and mindful of the comfort zones of other people and move away when the other person expresses the slightest signs of discomfort.
JUNE
SBA Elections
Lakshmi Nambiar (Batch of 2023) writes:
Despite there being barely 10 days left of the month, June is possibly the most d r a m a filled month in Law School. Even though there’s pretty much a set formula to how someone makes their way to the President’s chair, it is still a time of reflection on how we can possibly make law school great again. While the drama makes for great twitter threads, it also makes us question issues on campus – like those of sexism, and of the moral responsibility the SBA owes to the student community. Especially in recent years we have seen declining participation, which has been the catalyst for a push towards change for the better.
So there you go. If you’ve survived the whirlwind that is your first year, then congratulations, you have four more of these. All of this might seem tiring and hectic and scary, but life on campus makes it all worth it. There’s nothing that makes Law School more Law School than the bonding that happens on campus because of these events and being the small community that we are. We hope you will enjoy the experience of coming to campus and spending your remaining law school life in Nags. See you soon!
Love,
Quirk.
