The Bar & Bench idea: 11 years in the making: Shishira Rudrappa

Bar & Bench was born out of a conversation between three friends -- Abhishek, Bipul, and I. We were the best of friends since our days at the National Law School, Bangalore.

We initially started a website where information on the legal community could be accessed, viewed and shared. But we slowly realized the power of social media, and the hunger for real-time reporting from the Courts. I believed that one day Court news would take up most of the front-pages of our newspapers. Today, that belief is reality.

In 2011, Pallavi Saluja joined us. This was a big boost in Bar & Bench’s transition towards a real media company. Her emphasis on the facts, breaking news, and accuracy helped us build our vision for our company. We were one of the first to start live tweeting from Court. Murali Krishnan pioneered these real time updates from Courts. Anuj Agrawal helped our small startup navigate its way to becoming a real media company. Aditya, the quiet man in our company, ensured that he filtered gold from the dust.

More people joined us as we added offices in Delhi and Bangalore. Meera, Shruti, Aditi, Rintu, Aishwarya, Debayan, Lydia and Mohsin have pushed each of us to evolve and innovate.

Ravi, Chandeep and Punit have been our backbone. Today, Nataraju, Siddesh, Anup, and Kapil join this team. Along the way many have joined, many have contributed and later left for greener pastures, having made us stronger in the process. My friend, Neel Maitra, has given me critical inputs and time whenever I have asked.

We are a team led by women, and we have reaped the benefits of the diversity of our team. This is another reason for my confidence in our ability to take on present and future challenges.

It is with this confidence that today, we take another step!

My friend Shamnad used to say, “Our H(e)arts are in our villages” (referring to the jurist HLA Hart). If our HLA Harts have to find their way from our villages to our Supreme Court, I feel that our news also has to reach those villages.

Today, on our Independence Day, Bar & Bench is launching in Hindi and Kannada. What better day to move from being confined to one language towards freedom and diversity.

Wish us well, complain about the things we do wrong, make us better!

Thank you, धन्यवाद, ಧನ್ಯವಾದ.

Shishira

(Co-Founder, Bar & Bench)

Bar & Bench Hindi is on Twitter & Facebook.

Bar & Bench Kannada is on Twitter & Facebook.