NLU Jodhpur student wins UN speech-writing contest Set to fly to New York to meet UN Secretary General

Vatsal Vasudev, a seond year student at the National Law University, Jodhpur has won a speech-writing competition organised by the Academic Impact, a “global initiative that aligns institutions of higher education with the United Nations”. In this e-mail interview with Bar & Bench, Vatsal (pictured left) speaks of his initial reaction on hearing the news, his love for writing and the one thing that he is most looking forward to while visiting the UN Headquarters in New York..Bar & Bench: So how do you feel right now?.Vatsal Vasudev: I am happy over this accomplishment. Also, the congratulatory messages and the “keep-it-up”s which are pouring in from friends and well-wishers are making me feel the burden of expectations, which is a sweet burden to carry. There is a lingering feeling in me that this achievement is just a job half done – I have to make sure that it’s not just a flash in the pan, but is backed up with better work in future..B&B: Writing is one of your interests. How on earth did you end up in law school?.VV: Law schools have their own charms, the chiefest of which is that they offer a professional course along with a degree in humanities – which is a field of study I was always interested in. As a schoolboy, I thought that I was good at things required to do well in CLAT and hence getting into a premier law-school would be easier for me than getting into a premier engineering college, which was the next priority. Finally, I ended up in NLU-J..As far as writing is concerned, I feel that one does not necessarily require a formal, institutionalized training to be a good writer..B&B: Do you find time to write while studying at NLU Jodhpur?.VV: Yes. If supplemented with judicious time-management, the NLU-J system has enough room for accommodation of one’s extra-curricular interests..B&B: How did you find out about the competition? How did you go about writing the speech? Any advice for those interested in participating the next year around?.VV: I decided to use my post-second semester break to pursue writing. I ran a google-search almost every day, looking for writing opportunities, and one day I chanced upon the notice about this contest on internet..The theme of the contest appealed to me and I mentally organized my thoughts regarding the topic. Subsequently, I synthesized my views and ideas into a write-up, keeping in mind the fact that it was supposed to be in the form of a speech and hence a balanced interplay of logic and rhetoric was required..I read newspapers and magazines as a matter of habit, so I did not need to make any special reference to them while writing the speech. I believe that reading newspapers helps one formulate his/her ideology on contemporary issues, which is useful for competitions like this one..B&B: What is the one thing that you are looking forward to the most from your trip to the UN HQ?.VV: I am pretty eager to convey my views on the present structure of the Security Council to Mr. Ban Ki Moon, the Secretary-General of UN. How much heed is taken of my suggestions is beyond my control, but I am quite determined to put forward my case and solicit Mr. Sec-Gen’s response..Also, I am looking forward to making friends with students from different parts of the world.