This article is written by Ramanuj Mukherjee, CEO, LawSikho.

I try to share good articles with you every single day. Articles that will inform, educate, inspire you to take action. A few of you also write back to us.

Couple of days back, I had shared an article about a conversation I had with a law aspirant. One of the regular readers of the blog, Kishore Deshpande, who has also subscribed to a couple of courses from us, wrote an amazing mail and inspired us.

There are times when we feel really glad that we chose to do what we do, and this was such an occasion. India needs to have an organization to which people can turn to if they want to learn the law (really learn it, become capable at it as opposed to read some sections and a bunch of case laws or get a fake certificate) and we are filling that void.

We are proud to be able to make a contribution to the journeys of amazing human beings like you, Kishore.

Now I will leave you to read the mail, because I know it will inspire you to take action, too.

Over to Kishore.

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Hi Ramanuj SIr,

I have with interest read your dialogue with this girl who is aspiring to become a Lawyer.  I wish to share some of my own experiences which I think may be of interest to you.

I graduated and joined a large company in their Accounts Dept. as a Clerk and spent a year there, I attended an interview in which the Interviewer gave me insights into how interesting a Sales job would be and the freedom I can get in this profession.  I joined a company selling computers and accessories.

In about 8 months, I realised I was not cut out for this job as I just could not achieve my targets even after putting on tremendous efforts. Before I could go back to the Agency and question the counsellor, he had already left the job. In the meantime, I completed my LLB.

I then saw an ad for Purchase Officers in a pharmaceutical firm. Thinking that purchasing is a much simpler job than selling, I joined the company and initially managed to please the management with my skills.

But in the course of time, I got carried away with the huge commissions and favours offered by vendors and was caught red-handed using a vehicle provided by the vendor as an incentive for releasing orders in their favour.

By then I had over ordered and our factory store was full to the brim. The Management realised that I had goofed up big time and quietly requested me to take a walk. This was a huge shock to me, as I never realised what I was supposed to do in my life.  

I got a break in the Gulf, again in a Sales job.  Since I was attracted to the prospect of going abroad, I accepted and even promised myself that I would not compromise on the quality of my work and deliver results.  I did exactly that and managed to excel and create a niche for myself within a period of six years.

But fate had other ideas for me and the company slowly started winding up and started laying-off staff. The axe fell on me too and I had to return back to India.  I hunted for a job for about 4 months and landed in a semi-Administrative post in a pvt. sector company.

I was now responsible for the recovery of outstanding dues from our vendors.  I excelled in the job within a matter of one year and got a promotion after the management realised that I had a law degree. They wanted to use my skills for litigation purposes. Since I had little choice I accepted.

I suddenly realised my true potential and plunged into the depth and crevices of the Legal profession and started on my job with the fervour and passion of a first-time athlete competing in the Olympics. I started with small cases and constantly interacted with the panel of lawyers retained by my company.  I slowly started to get the feel of the processes the documentation, petition drafting, pleading and the court processes. I registered several cases and in a matter of months, results started pouring in and the recoveries improved drastically. The management hailed my efforts and I got another promotion within 2 years of my joining the company.

I am today, a celebrated Corporate Lawyer and my hunger and quest for knowledge is all-consuming, that I have stopped watching TV altogether, I stopped playing games on my mobile while commuting by local train in Mumbai, I started to buy Bare Acts and now have a huge collection, whenever I fell short I borrowed Acts and other material from my Advocate friends and read through and through.

However, when the management asked me to introduce the Sexual Harassment Act, I was flummoxed as I did not have any idea about this new Act.  

I purchased a few books and started reading up, but it was not very helpful, although I did manage to get an idea as to what this Act was all about. I then came across your ad and impressed upon my company management to allow me to do the course.  

They agreed and even financed me, initially, I started reading the course and there was a lot of eagerness in me complete the course, but my workload left little time for me to concentrate on the course and it got inadvertently neglected.  

I went on holiday with my family and an incident changed my attitude and my outlook towards life and sexual harassment.  There was a pretty girl travelling on the same bus I was travelling and some uncouth teenagers were teasing her from a van they were travelling parallel to our bus. My son pointed out this to me and I realised that this was going on for quite some time  I saw that the parents of the girl were embarrassed but did not lift a finger against the goons.

I do now know what overcame me, I asked the driver to stop our bus and park it aside.  The goons had the temerity to park alongside and make faces at the people travelling in our bus.  

My wife was upset and asked me not to get involved, but I was beyond seeing any reason and unable to tolerate the girl’s discomfort.  

I got off the bus and faced the goons (there were four of them) with great trepidation as I was not sure what I was getting into. Luckily for me, the moment I confronted the goons, a few passengers from the bus alighted and stood right behind me. The goons seeing senior ladies getting off the bus quickly rushed off. I felt a sigh of relief that I did not have to use any harsh words against the goons.

I realised that if we stand up against adversity, circumstances too at times favour you, it’s the courage that you have to muster in order to conquer the fear lurking inside you. The parents of the girl thanked me profusely and the whole bus lauded me for taking the initiative.  This incident gave me the impetus to awaken the dormant mind which had veered away from facing the reality of completing the task I had so willingly and eagerly accepted of completing the Certification course in Sexual Harassment and Workplace Diversity.  

I started re-reading the notes and took an oath to appear for the test before the due date.  I took the online test and cleared it with 82%. This I felt was an achievement I had not imagined I could reach.  I have contributed articles on social media.

On seeing my success, and the subsequent handling of Training Sessions, Holding Workshops etc. excited the management into asking me to go in for a Diploma in Labour Laws with iPleaders.  I have now ended up enrolling for the course in November 2019 and have already completed 5 assignments.  Even now I have become addicted to reading and writing articles and penning my thoughts at every opportune moment that I can grab.

You are absolutely right about carefully choosing a career and pursuing it in a way that it ensures your growth along with improving your skills and knowledge, which will serve you not only in your career but also in your life.  It comes with a lot of hard work, dedication and love for whatever you do for a living. The passion should be like the Amarjyot; never-ending light.

I hope my bitter and not so bitter experience will help youngsters in charting their own destinies without the feeling of regret.

Thank you,

Kishore Deshpande

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