People imagine all sorts of terrible things about lawyers, as if they are unpredictable like toddlers. When people meet a lawyer, there is one standard question that 's asked, "Do you win all your cases?"
I wonder how many patients ask this of surgeons and doctors.
Do you want the truth when you ask that question or a reassurance of sorts? Maybe you just need to consider what winning means to you in the context of getting a lawyer to support your side of the story. If you want to win to destroy something, that's not winning, is it? If you want to win because injustice has been done to you, it is about creating trust in your version and through legal representation.
To me, winning is about creating trust between you and the lawyer, you and the opposite party and you persuading the judiciary that justice is on your side. When that happens, the win is that of justice, not of two warring lawyers as people tend to believe. To me, it's always about principles that you live by. Sometimes, it's important to win and make that your legacy of standing by what is just and fair.
In March 2010, on a short visit to Kochi, my home town in Kerala, I visited the Travancore Palace (it's a traditional Kerala hotel). My father-in-law, Dr.C.R.Raghu, took us there as it is on the way to Cherthala and Alapuzha. It's more than an hour's drive from Kochi but definitely worth it. Surrounded by lush greenery, authentic Kerala style paintings, old world charm and the spellbinding architecture of a traditional, Kerala style nallukettu, this is a place to unwind and relax. You won't find marble or granite floors sparkling here. You won't find brilliantly lit chandeliers and sparkling silver cutlery. Natural elements lend this place its best features. You can feel the breeze throughout the day and evening while you relax. The rains are sheer bliss as they fall through the open area of the nallukettu, becoming a visual delight. The light and air make it very airy to the extent that you don't need any other forms of light.
This is a place where you can find simplicity and elegance at one go. Best of all, the food is delicious, whether you are a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian.
We reached there past 11 pm and the photos we took hardly do justice to the grandeur of the place but do check these out. This is the traditional temple lamp that occupies a place of pride in the lush green lawns of the hotel.
This picture shows the entrance that leads into the hotel.
The following picture has three of us - Dr.C.R.Raghu, Adi and yes, that's me. The VIP in the picture is the golden bull. It is beautifully crafted and looks like an artistic masterpiece when you see it for real.
The painting shown below is just one of the many beautiful paintings that decorate the walls of the hotel's dining hall. Each painting comes with a clear title which helps us understand what the painting is trying to portray to the viewer.
Visit the Travancore Palace on a clear day and you will know what I mean when I say this place has old warm charm and lush greenery. You can spend time walking through the property, which is so beautifully maintained. If you are tempted to stay, do that. The rooms are very traditionally furnished and well kept with traditional artefacts. Whatever you decide, give this place a peek, it's worth it.
A trip to Kerala is never complete without a traditional sadhya, that is served on a banana leaf. Kochi's BTH (Bharat Tourist Home) has a restaurant which offers the traditional sadhya on Sundays for guests. Naturally, people flock to this restaurant on Sundays to enjoy the traditonal meal which is priced very reasonably.
Despite the long queue of families and the noisy canteen atmosphere, a visit to BTH is worth it if you are visiting Kochi.
Back from a hectic holiday in my home state, Kerala, and now trying to get back to routine. It's tough to do that but nevertheless, nothing beats the thrill of working on a new case, handling communication with clients and holding discussions with them to make sure that their interests are protected in the best possible way. In different ways, that is what we all try to do at work, isn't it? We grow ourselves and others around us, not just to make money, but to feel happy and good from within.
The festival of colors is back again! There seems to be excitement in the air, particularly with kids. Funny enough, I have never been drawn to this festival and I still am trying hard to conform with the fun factor it seems to represent.
The difficulties are that there are more crimes committed in the name of Holi celebrations which makes it difficult for me to believe in it. Many girls are raped by mobs and women, whether married or not, are not safe traveling or being outdoors in public on the day of Holi. For the police, it is not possible to control huge mobs that are celebrating a festival. That is exactly why many rapists go scot-free on this day because it is not possible to identify them as well. Due to these dismal but perfectly valid reasons, the fun filled, colorful festival fails to inspire me. Forgive my honesty but that's just the way I am. I can't pretend to like something that I don't believe in.
However, my personal thoughts do not prevent me from wishing you all a very happy, joyous and fun filled Holi. Stay safe, avoid mobs, drive carefully and take greater care of the girls and womenfolk in the family while outdoors.
I was tagged by Lazy Pineapple and here we go with some fun questions:
1. What is your current obsession?
Cricket 24X7.
2. What are you wearing today?
White shirt, black pants - always the dress code for practising lawyers.
3. What's for dinner today?
Rice, sambhar and thoran.
4. What's the last thing you bought?
Chocolates for my kid.
5. What are you listening to right now?
Shah Rukh in an interview on NDTV with Barkha Dutt. News is now entertainment, isn't it?
6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
I think she is a fantastic blogger.
7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? In Kochi - my hometown
8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
T-shirts, cargoes, jeans and a bottle of water.
9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? My hometown - Kochi.
10. Which language do you want to learn?
Not decided yet.
11. What’s your favourite quote? If you desire for something with all your heart, the whole universe will conspire to make it happen.
12. Who do you want to meet right now? My parents.
13. What is your favourite colour? Blue.
14. Give us 3 styling tips that work for you.
1. The right scent.
2. The right watch.
3. The right shoes.
15. What is your dream job? To be a cricketer.
16. What’s your favorite magazine? Reader's Digest.
17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
Chocolates.
18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Shoes and belt that don't go well with what you are wearing.
19. Who according to you is the most over-rated style icon? Aishwarya Rai
20. What kind of haircut do you prefer? Short, military style.
21. What are you going to do after this? Watch TV
22. What are your favorite movies? Leon the Professional, Scent of a Woman, Gladiator, Notting Hill.
23. What inspires you? Thinking about my father - Justice T.V.Ramakrishnan.
24. What do your friends call you most commonly? Sanu.
25. Would you prefer coffee or tea? Black tea.
26. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Silent brooding.
27. What makes you go wild? Backstabbers, liars and pompous know-it-alls.
28. Which other blogs do you love visiting?
Many blogs, can't think of just one.
29. Favorite Dessert/Sweet? Chocolate dessert.
30. How many tabs are turned on in ur browser right now?
two.
31. Favorite Season?
Winter.
32. If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?
Omelet.
33. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you?
Ignore them.
34. What are you afraid of the most? My son getting badly hurt.
35. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
God, I've put on weight!
36. What brings a smile on your face instantly?
My son.
37. A word that you say a lot? Money, money, money!
38. When was the last time you did something nice?
Lawyers? Nice? Are you kidding?
39. What would you do if you were made President of India for one day?
Reduce the number of holidays in this country and encourage people to work harder.
40. Do you Know who Master SHIFU is? No idea!
I would like to thank Lazy Pineapple for tagging me. I wish to tag the following bloggers with the same questions:
Mridula Tarun Mitra SG
