IDIA Harvest 2019: Nine IDIA Scholars Make It To Leading Law Schools,Support Them [Read Press Release]

IDIA's Harvest

Arjun Ghosh: Son of a daily wage labourer from Rashidpur (a tiny village in the Hooghly district of West Bengal), Arjun's story is one of the most inspiring stories ever. Losing his eye sight at the tender age of four did not deter him from pursuing his dream. In fact, this loss of eyesight made him turn to the law. For his blindness was not accidental, but caused by the wanton negligence of a local doctor. Arjun vowed then that such perpetrators of serious harm would not go unpunished. As luck (and a lot of hard work) would have it, he secured a seat at Gujarat National Law University. And is on his way to becoming a leading lawyer and a torchbearer for justice in the world.

Vaibhavi Pedhavi: Similar to most of the other scholars at IDIA, Vaibhavi's life has been one of sheer adversity. Hailing from Zirad, a village in coastal Maharashtra, Vaibhavi's family of five has to survive on a monthly income of Rs. 5000. As a young girl, she lost a dear uncle in a boat accident. Unfortunately, due to sheer lack of legal awareness and counseling, the family could not obtain any compensation for this wrongful death. Vaibhavi now wishes to remedy such injustices. Fortunately, she secured a seat at Gujarat National Law University under the first allotment list and is one step closer to that goal.

Sushanth Gajula: Sushanth Gajula is a very vibrant student from the Sai Junior Blind College in Hyderabad. Originally from Warangal, Sushant's family settled down in Begumpet, Hyderabad. Sushanth's father, a medical assistant under a private doctor, provides for the family of 4 through his salary of INR 8750 per month. Sushanth was born with a defect in his eyes that rendered him blind at a very early age.

Through his untiring efforts, Sushanth did exceedingly well in CLAT and has been allotted a seat in WBNUJS, Kolkata, one of the top 3 NLUs in the country today. The cost of completing a legal education at WBNUJS, inclusive of tuition, related costs, internship, hostel, mess and nominal living expenses, is INR 4.83 lakhs. Your contribution could help Sushanth achieve his dream of practicing law.

"The IDIA Hyderabad chapter was a constant source of support in the phase of my preparation for CLAT as they gave me valuable inputs. The volunteers were very dedicated and were always open to our doubts even if it is a trivial one."(Sushanth Gajula)

Biswajit Shil: Biswajit's story is a rousing story – one of dedication and determination triumphing against all odds. Biswajit hails from a small village - Bhaktipur in the South 24 Parganas District of West Bengal. His father, a farmer, supports the family with a meager income of Rs. 4000 per month. Biswajit is blind since birth. But that has not stopped him from making most out of his life. Blessed with a keen sense of fairness and justice, Biswajit realized very early on that many of his villagers were taken advantage of due to their lack of legal awareness. Biswajit is now determined to set things right, starting from his village. He dreams of becoming a leading lawyer and offering pro bono legal services to those in need. His recent victory at CLAT by securing a seat at National Law University Odisha takes him one step further to this noble goal.

"Law is a topic of myth and mystery."(Biswajit Shil)

Sheetal Kumari: Sheetal Kumari is a hardworking and passionate student from a small village called Patra Toli in the Ranchi Distict of Jharkhand. Her father works as a security guard at the National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL) at Ranchi, with a monthly income of merely INR 5,000 per month, and her mother is a homemaker. Sheetal has scored well in CLAT 2019 and has been allotted a seat at the National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi in the first CLAT list. Average cost of NUSRL including tuition fees, internship, hostel, mess, travelling and nominal living expense is about 4.47 lakhs per annum. Sheetal needs your help in achieving her dream (of becoming a lawyer) and setting way for others to follow.

"I want to become a lawyer because I belong to a community which is socially and economically backward. Due to this, many people try to suppress us and consider us weak. Due to a general lack of education and awareness, girls are not sent to school, and nobody can raise their voice against it as they are not aware of our laws and our rights. So, I want to become a lawyer to fight for the rights of tribals and other oppressed communities and help them attain equal status in society."(Sheetal Kumari)

Akhil Nenavath: Akhil is a sharp, industrious and driven student from Devarkonda village in Telangana. Akhil's life has been one of grave hardship, having lost his father at a very tender age. His mother toils long hours in the field as an agricultural labourer to support Akhil and his younger brother. With an annual income of around INR 85,000, the family has had to endure innumerable financial difficulties.

Akhil's continued efforts have paid off and he has been allotted NLUO in the first consolidated CLAT list. Average costs at NLUO inclusive of tuition, internship, accommodation, travel and living expenses are INR 3.80 lakhs per annum. Please come forward and help Akhil achieve his dream of empowering his community.

"I am keen to pursue law so that I can be of help to all the people in my village and community… [Otherwise,] I will not be able to help people of my community". (Akhil Nenavath)

Anant Budhraja: Anant Budhraja is a highly motivated and passionate student who was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh but has been a resident of Surat, Gujarat, over the last 18 years. His father tutors a bunch of local kids for a living while his mother is a teacher at a small local school. The family's total monthly income is around INR 20,000.

Anant did magnificently in CLAT and has been allotted a seat at the WBNUJS, Kolkata, one of the top 3 NLUs in the country today. The cost of completing a legal education at WBNUJS, inclusive of tuition, related fees, accommodation, internship, travel and mess expenses, is INR 4.83 lakhs. Your contribution could help Anant achieve his dream of becoming a lawyer.

"Law is the only field which makes one truly realize the basic rights that one is entitled to."(Anant Budhraja)

Ashok Sagar: Ashok Sagar hails from 'Sargaro ka bas', a tiny village in Rajasthan. His father, a farmer, supports a family of six with a paltry income of around INR 3,300 per month. Ashok, the eldest of 4 siblings, has always tried to set the right example for his brothers and sister, who look up to him. He is also determined to extend a helping hand to his father whom he has seen work doggedly in the scorching heat each day.

A voracious reader, Ashok has authored thoughtful pieces on topics varying from environment to the importance of hard work. Against all odds, he performed well in academics. He scored 87.67 % in his 10th standard and 85.50% in the 12th standard in the science stream.

Ashok's impressive performance in CLAT 2019 has resulted in his being allotted a seat in NLUO in the first consolidated CLAT list. Average costs at NLUO inclusive of tuition, internship, moot courts and other extracurricular activities, hostel, mess, travel, and other expenses are INR 3.80 lakhs per annum. Please come forward and help Ashok achieve his dream of becoming a nation builder.

Piyush Soni: Piyush Soni hails from Ganj Basoda, a small town in Madhya Pradesh. His father runs a small store and has to support a family of four with a monthly income that hardly comes to INR 10,000.

Through sheer hard work and determination, Piyush overcame insurmountable obstacles and his stellar academic credential stand testament to the same. Piyush topped his school, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Vidisha, in the tenth standard with a perfect C.G.P.A of 10 out of 10. Choosing not to rest on his laurels, he continued to work with the same resolve and in his twelfth standard, scored a mighty 90% in the science stream.

Piyush's efforts bore fruit when he secured a seat at NLIU, Bhopal. The average annual cost at NLIU inclusive of tuition fees, nominal living expense, internship, accommodation, travel and other related costs is about INR 4.38 lakhs per annum. Please come forward and help Piyush realize his dreams.

IDIA – A message of hope

IDIA (Increasing Diversityby Increasing Access to legal education) is a pan-India movement to train underprivileged students and help transform them into leading lawyers and community advocates. IDIA is premised on the notion that access to premier legal education empowers marginalized communities and helps them help themselves.

The Common Law Admission Test, 2019 ("CLAT") is the entrance exam to 21 National Law Universities (NLUs) spread across India. This year, the exam was held on May 26 and the results were declared on June 14, 2019.

IDIA trained 47 underprivileged students (from over twelve states) to appear for CLAT and other law entrance exams. Out of these students, 5 were persons with disabilities (PWD). IDIA is proud of its scholars who made the CLAT cut.

As legal education doesn't come cheap and cost of putting a kid through an NLU these days (inclusive of stipend and internship expenses, etc.) is Rs 2.5-3.8 lakhs per year making the overall cost of legal education anywhere between 12.5-19 lakhs for five years, IDIA needs your help and support.

You can contribute through cheque or online transfer etc. All details are in the "Support Us" Page on IDIA website at http://www.idialaw.org/

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