Navya Jain and Rohith M. Subramoniam were being interviewed by EBC/ SCC Online Student Ambassador Ananya Gangwar on publishing a book with EBC titled “International Commercial Arbitration – An Introduction”.
- Tell us something about yourself.
Navya Jain:Thank you for the interview. I am a final year law student at Symbiosis Law School, NOIDA. I am a very ecological person. I am always looking out for ways to give back to mother nature. Having said that, I am keenly interested in Environmental Law, Anti- Trust and ADR.
Apart from academic interest, I adore reading fiction and sketching. You will often find me looking out for something fascinating to paint/sketch in my art file.
Rohith M. Subramoniam: At the outset, many thanks for the interview. Well, I am a small town guy who is currently enjoying my life at the NCR – except for the pollution! I am someone who is very honest and passionate about whatever I do. Currently, I am pursuing BBA. LLB. (5th Year) at the Symbiosis Law School, NOIDA. My interest in the field lies in Commercial Dispute Resolution and Food Safety Laws. I am a science enthusiast too!
Apart from this, I enjoy following politics and debates, especially, South Indian politics. To be precise, I enjoy following Tamil Nadu politics (the ‘Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli’ concept) and also admire the works of Mr. SrinivasaIyer Ramaswamy @ Cho Ramaswamy.
- Tell us about your book!
Navya Jain: Our book is designed keeping in mind, the interest of inquisitive beginners’. We discuss the basics and foundation of domestic and international Arbitration along with a sneak-peak into the practical application as well. At the time of writing the book, NDIAC Bill was talk of the industry. So, we lucidly discussed the same as an update for the reader.
Rohith M. Subramoniam: Our book deals with the subject of arbitration and its international perspectives. Apart from theory, the book also features several procedural documents. It links theory with practice and explains to the reader, the various aspects of this field.
- How do you feel after being an author of a book titled “International Commercial Arbitration- An Introduction” published by Eastern Book Company?
Navya Jain:It gives me immense pleasure to write. I strongly believe that “writing” is a very beautiful mode of conveying your thoughts, personal and academic, both. If executed well, it is capable of leaving an indelible impression on the reader. Notwithstanding this, I always wanted to write a book of my own since my childhood. I am very happy that I have accomplished my dream.
Rohith M. Subramoniam: To be truthful, I feel quite relived, tension free and happy. Tension free, as I have finally got a break from the never-ending research and manuscript preparation, and happy as I have gladly completed it. Writing a book can be a strange emotional experience. After preparing for this book, the commercial world has become less complex for me to understand. In short, it was a learning experience!
- What made you think of writing a book?
Navya Jain:The idea of writing this book surfaced from the struggle we faced while preparing for our first arbitration moot court competition. While going through voluminous authorities, we realized the need to have a beginner friendly book which would discuss the concepts profoundly but in handful of pages. Throughout the journey, our Law School, Professors and Mentors were kind enough to keep us motivated.
Rohith M. Subramoniam: Destiny!Our college library & frequent interactions with the practitioners. Symbiosis Law School, NOIDA and our director Prof. Dr. C.J. Rawandale have a big role to play. The thought of writing this book would have never crossed our mind, but for the guest lectures and infrastructure that our college has provided us with. Moreover, as my co-author Ms. Navya has already stated, we felt that there was a need for a possible ‘easy’ reference book for this field.
We decided on finally writing this book on 8th May 2016 at 8:00 P.M. after a brief inspiring discussion with Late Mr. Ram Jethmalani at 2, Akbar Road. Sadly, we don’t have him with us anymore. I wholeheartedly thank Ram Sir for touching my life.
- How long did it take to write a book? What are the efforts one need to put in to write a book?
Navya Jain: It took us a considerable part of our law school life to come up with this book. Nevertheless, it was a delightful journey.
Needless to say, determination and perseverance backed by interest in the subject, is the most important thing. However, you always need somebody to concentrate your efforts in the right direction. We were lucky enough to have Prof. Dr. C.J. Rawandale and Prof. Dr. Neeti Shikha to pave our path. Their presence made this journey a lot easier and enlightening.
Rohith M. Subramoniam: It took us almost 3.5 years for the complete process. If one has the interest to do something, that itself is the biggest or rather the only ‘skill’ necessary. I would also want to specify that one must have enough patience and clarity of thought to come up with a book that would be of real help to others. Considering the field/career we are in, patience is quite naturally present in our genes.
Secondly, considering the subject being commercial law, it required us to keep a constant touch between the academia community and also the practitioners. To be frank, our college made this task quite easy.
- Are you looking forward to write any other book?
Navya Jain: As of now, I am looking forward to shape my career in the legal profession. But if destiny tosses another opportunity for authoring a book, I will definitely grab it instantly.
Rohith M. Subramoniam: Oh Yes! I would love to write, but, at the instant moment, I am having a very tight schedule of performing well at my prospective office and also equipping myself with the practical skills required for the field. For the same reason, I had been abstaining myself from authoring any book. However, I would really like to author another one, sometime soon.
- What advice would you give to the other law students?
Navya Jain:Whatever you choose to do with your life, make sure you do it whole-heartedly. No matter how many times you fall, do not hesitate to get up again and try. Even as a child when you were learning how to walk, you must have fallen about a hundred times, but you never thought to yourself that ‘Maybe this isn’t for me’, then why think that now? “Try”, that’s the key to every door of success.
Rohith M. Subramoniam: I don’t think I am in any position to give an advice. Nevertheless, ‘keep trying’ is something that I would want to tell my friends. Lead a disciplined student life and focus on even the silliest things. Don’t complicate your law school life and please don’t get into a rat race. Keep it simple and disciplined.