The Mooting Experience

-"Submitted your projects?"
-"Ya Dude."
-"Both?"
-" I only had one dude."
-"1???"
-"Moot, man."
-"Oh!"

For quite a while talks such as this were a reminder to me that I had a moot coming and that it was the reason I was being exempt from a project and giving only two of the exams.(Well, having to study for two subjects during the holidays is not fun though!!). However, this entire mooting thing was yet to hit me seriously, you know, in the way that you see all the stud mooters always discussing about their moot issues, problems, arguments and cases. In a way, I was almost relaxed.

Too relaxed, it turned out to be, for suddenly there seemed to be no time and a lot of work left. Backed by the spirit that no matter what surely, things will get done, with lots of hard work, lots of help from friends and seniors, finally we had the memo in hand and were ready to go to Trivandrum.

During the train journey, Adhiti, the other speaker of our team wanted us to practice a bit. Since, our oral practice was virtually nil, I had no option but to comply :). Thankfully, I had to go back to my berth when the doors between the AC and Sleeper section closed and I had a wonderful sleep.

Landing at Trivandrum, the day passed by before anything substantial could be done. KLA was a beautiful place and the students seemed genuinely enthusiastic. Of course, the name tag NLS brought with it awe and also snide comments.After the opening ceremony and the draw of lots, we were asked to argue for petitioner in the first round the next day.

As our lodgings was at a considerable distance from the campus, I managed to get only an hour of practice and asking Basu to wake me up at 4, I fell fast asleep.

Waking up at 6, we made a rush to the college. Thankfully, ours was the last session and we had asbout 3 hours to prepare. Did I just say, thankfully? Well, the waiting hours stretched and nervousness turned to confidence and then back in equal measure. It was then, I realised the intense pressure of moots and the desire to do better than the other teams there.

Finally, sometime around 3, our rounds came up. Seeing Adhiti speak, I was besides myself with nervousness and before I knew it was my turn to argue. I am still not sure what I argued, but at least it seemed to make some sense and after a while, it felt good to try and convince the judges arguments that I had thought over countless times. Thankfully, the round soon got over and we won it with a pretty good score.

To cut it short, we won the next round too, but did not make it further. I was not sad and realised that this moot had taught me that mooting can be fun too. Besides, it was necessary to focus on the nuances and also on aspects like smiling, speaking cordially and the like. And the whole competition factor made the thing even better. At such places, I realised the respect and the buzz that NLS creates and the need to maintain and excel those expectations.

Thankfully, we won the best memo. It felt good having the best memo among 45 other teams and something to show for the combined efforts of the team. All in all, it was a wonderful experience, topped on by the day at the beach and wonderful hospitality by the KLA people.

Some Questions

No more games, No more lies
Money or love?,
Thats the question I am asking
Am I impossible or magnificient?
Thats the question you need to answer
Its now or never
And I am not playing
Questions, a lot you ask
And answers so many to seek
You don’t remember the last one
Do you?
Of so many things said
And misunderstood
A perennial drought
Or an overflow?
Never one to be caught out
Gone..
Long gone with the flow
Before this one has been answered too
And I am left
With the questions
The one I am asking