A Short Story on Capital Punishment, and Other Stories
This week we discuss a short (but gripping) story on capital punishment; how one of India's most famous jurists became a lawyer; the importance of community; and a poem on our CV of Failures series.
A Short Story on Capital Punishment by Anton Chekov
Anton Chekov is known to be a master of short stories. His writing breathes life in its prose and always makes you think. One of the most talked-about qualities of Chekov is how he shows the interesting in the mundane, the beauty of small moments, and the joy in everyday life. It is often the simplest, yet the most incisive writing you would come across.
In 1889, Chekov published a short story by the name of ‘The Bet’. The story starts with a party. The atmosphere is lively and brimming with heated conversations. The topic of their debate: capital punishment.
Did you know: Due to how crisp his writing is, there is a writing principle called ‘Chekov’s Gun‘, which means that any unnecessary element in the story should be deleted. (Something which would also apply squarely to contract drafting).
Professor Nigam Nuggehalli on the Importance of Community
Professor Nigam Nuggehalli, Dean of School of Law, BML Munjal University, routinely writes a series called ‘Letter to Law Students’, where he shares pearls of wisdom to help budding legal eagles make sense of what is happening around them. In this week’s newsletter, he talks about The Importance of Community in Your Career.
My dear law students, as we come to the end of the year, I want to talk to you about the importance of community-building one and growing in one. Both aspects of community are together important not only for a sustainable career but for a more tolerable life…
Never Give Up- A Poem on the CV of Failures Series
As a response to our CV of Failures series, one student wrote this poem and sent to us.
NEVER EVER GIVE UP
Hum like a bird, flow like a stream,
Feel and touch the flower of a daffodil;
The world is yours, it’s your regime,
Break the ice, when all standstill.
Must take a breath, but be ready to fly,
Surely you will die If won’t try.
How One of India’s Finest Jurists Became A Lawyer
We often hear stories of how one was confused about law, and turned out to be an “accidental lawyer”. It not only happens with us, but even with India’s best lawyers!
Did you know that one of India’s foremost jurists wanted to become a poet in his college days?
…was in college studying English literature, he used to write poems; worse, he even fancied himself a poet. So, after he graduated with a BA (literature), he thought he would write poetry for a living but someone advised him to take up law. Being in two minds, he picked up pen and paper, and quite impetuously wrote a letter to the then poet laureate, Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809–92), enclosing a few of his choicest pieces.
[…]
Then, sure enough, one day he received a frank response from the great man himself, written in his own hand…
Read the story to find out who this was, and what response they got.
Quotes Corner
Good laws lead to the making of better ones; bad ones bring about worse.
-JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU, The Social Contract (1762)
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