If Sadhika Gulati had been told five years ago that she would be honoured with a few gold medals on her convocation, she’d have laughed. But rewarded she was, and with not just a medal or two, but 15 gold medals in all! During the university’s 17th Annual convocation, which was held on Saturday, the 22-year-old law student was awarded the 15 gold medals for her outstanding academic accomplishments demonstrated over her five-year course at the NALSAR University of Law. “I am truly overwhelmed! I never expected it coming and wasn’t prepared for it. I was only enjoying what I was doing and grabbed every opportunity that came my way. But I am not getting carried away with this success,” says Sadhika with a chuckle.
The medallist
Sadhika bagged gold medals in three categories — ‘Overall Performance’, ‘Best Orator’ and ‘Extra-Curricular Activities and Subject Matter’. Sadhika spends her time watching TV shows and reading comic strips when she’s not hoarding gold medals, feels that the medals are validation for doing things the right way.
So what drove her to law, we wonder. “My public-speaking ability was one trait from my childhood that always made me want to pursue law and laid the foundation for me to take it up seriously as a career. I was also simply fascinated with the logic of law,” reveals Sadhika, who goes on to credit college peer groups and family support systems for her success.
Finding her feet
Sadhika took up the five-year law course in NALSAR Hyderabad after she completed her ‘Plus 12’ in Delhi. But relocating from Delhi to Hyderabad, staying away from the family and everything she knew, had left the law student pretty homesick. “It affected my performance badly in the first semester. But I started understating the dynamics and the significance of being flexible. The transformation from a college-goer to being a professional was challenging. It took me some time to get used to the conditions,” Sadhika reflects. Slowly but steadily, spending five years in NALSAR, even though away from home, started having a positive effect on Sadhika. “The course broadened my horizons. I started looking at things in society a bit differently, and in their totality. I learned to employ a holistic approach towards several aspects of life,” explains Sadhika.
The second start
Sadhika considers Hyderabad her second home now. She works with a law firm in Delhi called, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, which she’d got through the university’s campus placements. “Although I haven’t been able to explore the city as much as I would have liked to, Hyderabad is part of my life. I have been to various heritage sites in the city, and my time there will always be fondly etched in my memories.” What about the city which she likes the most, we’d like to know. “The first and the best thing about this city are its people and their warmth. Although I cannot speak Telugu, I can strike conservations with the people here. I have managed to catch up on some Telugu films, too,” explains Sadhika.
