I joined my Senior Ms. Dave’s office in Sept 2020 equipped with a very little knowledge of practice and procedure of the Hon’ble Apex Court. I was extremely nervous to work with/for/under her office but, at the same time, I was equally determined to learn to the best of my capacity.
I knew that her office is a hardcore litigation office and I was scared as to how I will manage everything but due to her welcoming, forgiving, adjusting attitude coupled with freedom to work gave me a free hand to try and experiment. This working style gave me confidence as a result of which I was able to manage her work quite efficiently (if not perfectly) alongwith, of course, my share of mistakes and errors for which I extend my sincere apologies. It was very soon that I witnessed magnificent changes taking place in my professional life along with gaining the requisite know-how about the functional system of the highest Court of land.
Today, I would like to express my love, respect and gratitude for my both Seniors and my amazing and fabulous Associates for accepting me as a member of our small litigation team. Being part of APD’s office (as we all at times refer to her) has not only granted me an opportunity to learn to practice law but has also helped me in becoming what I am today.
Dear Ma’am, I am short of words to express my heartfelt gratitude for the important role that you have played in my professional growth and for teaching me the nuances of legal practice. This has contributed immensely to me becoming a reasonably efficient Advocate so far. Ever since I have joined your office I saw exponential growth in myself. I have seen me from being raw to becoming a pro in almost everything which an Advocate who aspires to practice before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India should be. I know that it is just the start and I have miles to go yet at least my journey has started and I am moving in the right direction. This would not have been possible without you, dear Ma’am. Thank you so much for everything.
I am truly blessed that I have you as my mentor to teach me the nitty gritties of the work of an AOR. It is due to your encouraging words that I was able to make the final decision to appear for the exam otherwise having the past devastating experiences of failing in almost 10 exams while preparing for judicial services I had decided to never appear for any exam till I would have overcome the trauma of three consecutive years’ of back to back failures. Thank you so much for your kind words. I still remember that it was the end of April 2021 and while having lunch in the office you simpliciter said that, “exam de do, kya farak padhta hai. Kisi ko bataney ki zarorat nahi hai ki exam de rahe ho. Agar ho gaya toh bhadiya hai agar nahi hua toh agle saal phir se de dena. Just give it atleast.” To this day, I am, still, truly grateful to Universe for arranging the above conversation between us. I think that for the most part of my professional life, you are a God sent Angel. Thank you for being there with me, Ma’am.
Though, on a day to day basis like since the last two years, now I will not be physically assisting you in routine as such but I will always be there for you in the best of my capacity. You have become an important part of my daily life and now that I have decided to go independent I am certainly going to miss each and every moment spent with you and others. From going to office (Noida to Delhi) together (at times returning back home as well) to discussing the cases en route; from sharing few gossips to learning important life lessons and the managerial skills while hearing you talking to clients and seniors; from having three spoons of rice and daal from your lunch to going for Diwali get together; from eating evening snacks and having “kadak chai” while preparing the matters of the next day to cracking jokes and burst into laughter I will never forget those days.
Also, I am truly grateful to you for being a protective Senior even if it means to wait until I get inside my society. I genuinely love you for not only being a good Counsel but for being an amazing person as well. Thank you so much for all this. Please accept my sincere gratitude for these two years as I have just been a gainer and never a loser. I believe that “once a junior is always a junior” hence, it is my wish to hear you telling the others one fine day, “that, look, she is my junior. I am so proud of her. She has come so far with many feathers in her hat. I am proud to be her Senior”.
Dear Ankita Ma’am, thank you for being a Humumarr kind of a Senior. Of course, I have always tried to maintain the line of being a junior yet you have never let me felt that you are Senior. I am grateful for the comfort level that we both share. I am going to miss the way you talk just like a friend and at times become a partner in crime in teasing Ma’am. For once again, please accept my sincere gratitude for forgiving me when I had committed the NCLAT blunder. I have no words to express my apologies for the embarrassment that you had to face before the Ld. Sr. Counsel and the Client purely because of me. Thank you for handling the situation like a true Senior who protects his/her junior at all costs, especially, when the mistake is committed unintentionally or due to lack of experience. You did not get angry even for a second and had not uttered a word. Rather, you were busy in finding the solution to do the damage-control. Thank you, Ma’am. It is almost going to be one year now and I am still figuring out what went wrong inside my head that made me commit such a big mistake but no success in finding the reason yet. Thank you for being with me. I am definitely going to miss your company and the evening laughter sessions that we all have whenever you are in the office.
Dear KP, I am so grateful to you for being a saviour when I could not do certain things due to either lack of knowledge or my already pending work. Thank you for always imparting the basic practical knowledge of the procedure in Trial Courts. I am going to miss the occasional teasing that our Seniors does while imparting the valuable knowledge of how to become a ‘good husband’ as behti ganga mein main bhi haath dho hi leti thi. Thank you for being a chill and easy going Associate.
Dear Sir, thank you for teaching me a valuable lesson in life that it is never too late to pursue your dreams even if you have to take a different journey altogether. Thank you for bringing a little calmness and stability in the office with your utmost patience whenever we all went through stressful days. Thank you for demonstrating the importance of having a peaceful mind in all situations which is necessary in our tough profession so that our health does not get affected. To make a special mention, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for never forgetting to play Hanuman Chalisa and Aarti followed by twenty minutes of non-stop bollywood songs in the car. We both share a similar taste of music and our playlist is also more or less the same. Thank you so much Sir.
Dear Parmod Sir, thank you for patiently dealing with my occasional outbursts when you had joined our office and were new in the profession. But trust me nothing was intentional as I myself was under immense pressure to cope up with the work and other things. But after a point in time, on many occasions, I have spoken my heart out when certain things got a little difficult. Thank you for lending me your ears. Also, I would like to say that you are a very strong man. I wish you all the very best to keep moving ahead in life without fearing anything. I am always there to help you. Moreover, you will always be my first choice to seek help for High Court matters so that you can rescue me if I am stuck anywhere. The above is the self declared privilege and you do not have an option to say no (only a slight degree of pun intended, rest I am very serious of troubling you in future). Thank you for everything.
Dear Himanshi, I am so used to talking to you daily that I have immensely felt your absence in office during my notice period. Because I had to complete my pending work due to which I had to stay back in the office I felt lonely for the initial 10 days of your leaving the office. I want to thank you because having you around me was an extra support which I needed all the time, and will now need you more so you better come back to Court as enough of your sabbatical period. It is over now. When you were around me I had the opportunity to feel the warmth of having a good and understanding female associate which was very comforting. Though you are almost 8 years younger to me but I must admit that on several occasions you came out to be a more matured and experienced person in handling certain situations which, of course made me, being a human and a Senior, feel a little less but luckily and thankfully the sanity prevailed and rather than feeling insecure I felt encouraged to accept my flaws and open myself to learn from a junior. This was possible because of our free and frank communication which we had maintained between us. I have learnt that good communication has no age/hierarchy barrier as it all depends on the understanding of the individuals and willingness to speak as well as give a patient hearing. Thank you for everything.
Dear Akshat, you are the new blood in our office filled with immense passion and energy to make your mark in this profession. I wish you all the very best. As a Senior, I am always there for you and I will try to help you in whatever best way I can. Keep up the energy and perform well. You have a huge responsibility of carrying forward the name of your family as you are a fourth generation lawyer. I know things will be hard for you, maybe not in terms of establishing yourself (as per the general notion) but certainly in maintaining the standards and retaining the name that your previous generations have earned with their hard work. So be careful and keep moving ahead. You have all of my love and support.
So, the countdown is over and the time has come to say goodbye to the present life and take a chance to start everything all over again, welcome the new opportunities, carry the responsibilities all alone with the support of my loved ones and the well wishers, and to fulfil my dreams. So, wish me luck everyone because all I can think right now is, “let’s see, aagey kya hota hai…Zindagi kahan tak leke jaati hai aur main kitna safar tay karne laayak hoon?”
Thank you for your patient reading! Stay safe and healthy, dear readers. Meet you soon with something new and exciting.
