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6 NUJS L. Rev. 1 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/nujslr6 and id is 1 raw text is: CONVOCATION ADDRESS Prof Dr. Partha Chatterjee* Hon'ble Mr. Justice Altamas Kabir, members of the General Council of the University, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. P. Ishwara Bhat, members of the faculty, distinguished guests and, last but by no means the least, the graduating students of the University: The Chancellor and members of the General Council have done me a great honour by inviting me to be the Chief Guest at the Seventh Convocation of The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences. As a lifelong resident of Kolkata, and a member of the academic community of the city, I have watched with some pride the nation-wide reputation that NUJS has achieved in the last decade or so as a premier institution of training in law. It is, therefore, particularly gratifying for me that I have been given the opportunity to address the graduating students at this convocation. I am also delighted to be sharing the dais with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who was my fellow student at the Presidency College, Calcutta, in the mid-1960s and whom I am meeting after forty-five years. I have many fond memories of those years, not all of which can be shared in this august gathering. Allow me only to make the remark that even though they say that morning shows the day, Altamas Kabir at the age of twenty did not display any of the gravitas of a future Chief Justice of India. He was jovial, fun-loving, sometimes mischievous and always a very loyal friend. The lesson that I will draw for you, the graduating class of this university, is that the youthful frivolities and indiscretions that all of us have indulged in as college students are no impediment to achieving the highest levels of excellence and distinction in professional life. I know I am expected to speak today on matters concerning the relation between law and politics. However, it is impossible to do so without taking note of the remarkable outburst of public emotions over the brutal rape of a young student in Delhi and her subsequent death. I cannot recall another incident where the procedures of law and justice have come under such intense public scrutiny, leading to the beginning of the trial of the accused and the submission by the Committee headed by Justice J.S. Verma of an entire report recommending comprehensive amendments to the criminal laws on sexual vio- lence, all within the extraordinarily short time of around a month. During that period of public outpouring of grief, frustration and anger, one heard many unrestrained expressions of opinion on what people thought should be the proper punishment for such acts and which are the most effective procedures for achieving justice. I do not wish to review all of these opinions. But I do Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York; Honorary Professor of Political Science and Former Director, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta.

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