THE TEAM

Editors in Chief
PRAGYA JAIN, SALEM SIVANANDAM SHRILAKSHMI

Editor
AMISHA SHRIVASTAVA

Art, Illustrations and Design

PRAGYA JAIN, RASHMI TANDON

Image Sourcing and Photography

MOULIK SHRIVASTAVA, SHUBHAM SINGH

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 2

I
t is very likely that this handy little guide does not find you in the best state of mind.
Before we bestow upon your “main bhi law karega, Harvey banega” minds some serious
Hidayat, let’s play a fun game. Give yourself one point for every bullet that you check
off this list. Up until now, you have:

• Landed in Naya Raipur and come to the horrifying realisation that there are more cows than
people here (but on the bright side, at least the greenery and the roads are pretty fucking lit)
• Gone through the ever inspiring and extremely informative orientation by Honourable
Honourable Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Sukh Pal Singh
• Eaten in the mess at least once (kaafi gourmet, eh?)
• Questioned your life choices on seeing “Cafeteriya” (calling Cafeteriya ‘cafeteria’ is one
of the gravest mistake you can make)
• Had a tiff with your roommate (killing them in their sleep is your only option, sorry)
• Made a couple of #friends4lyfe on your first night in the hostels
• Power-cried in the sanctity of your room (with your roommate staring at you the whole
TM

time, that is)

If you have 1 to 3 points - You have somehow managed to avoid everything that makes HNLU,
HNLU (Tum kaun ho? Kahan se aye ho?). On the other hand, if you have 4 to 6 points, you
might even become the chief editor of the Hidayat magazine someday.

While we’re at it, let this be an assertion that you’re not the only one. Fun Fact: While one of
the editors checked off the entirety of the abovementioned list on her first day here, the other
power-cried™ because of the lack of WiFi. First world problems much? So, allow us to repeat
ourselves. You’re not in this alone. This feeling of belongingness is what will tide you over
when the blues hit you, so hold onto it.

As much hard a pill it is to swallow, life at HNLU from its inception is not all duck-soup. But,
fret not ye of little faith, we are here to make all of that a tad easier for you junies. We’re the
good guys, kids (not that there are any bad guys here). Help is always given at Hogw- HNLU
to those who ask for it. We got you, you’re a part of the HANLOU fam now, and we take care
of our own.

Yours sincerely

The Editorial Team

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 3

IN THIS ISSUE

THE TEAM........................................................................................................... 2

HOW TAPRI IS NOT A DHABA, & OTHER SUCH SUNDRY MATTERS .. 5

#HNLUhack to the Mess Food ............................................................................. 8

MENTOR SYSTEM ........................................................................................... 10

A FEW GOOD MEN .......................................................................................... 11

THE CAMPUS AT A GLANCE ........................................................................ 12

A QUICK GUIDE TO THE MAP ...................................................................... 13

ANECDOTES ..................................................................................................... 13

#HNLUhack How to not be Bored in Raipur .................................................... 16

#HNLUHack How to Use the Online Resources ............................................... 19

A HEALTHY DOSE OF OPIUM… SORRY, OPTIMISM .............................. 20

IMPORTANT CONTACTS ............................................................................... 22

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 4

HOW TAPRI IS NOT
A DHABA,
& OTHER SUCH
SUNDRY MATTERS
Amisha Shrivastava
Approximately a year of preparation, a
whole lot of technical glitches, a (near
hysterical) month of waiting for the results,
a couple of petitions to the Supreme Court,
lots of cursing at the organizers of CLAT
later, you’re here. In HNLU. And this is
exactly what I reiterate throughout this
article, ad nauseum. Don’t take HNLU for
granted, for it has come with a cost. At least
get the full value for your money, yeah?
Before reading my relatively unimportant
ramblings on hopes, dreams and such; let
me first impart to you, in advance, the moral
of this story: Do not visit Tapri with your
parents. It is likely you believe the Tapri is
a dhaba, especially if one of your equally-
new-to-HNLU friends convinced you and
your parents that it’s a dhaba. It most
definitely is not. In fact, it’s barely legal
(ask a Senior™ near you today, for more
information!)
If it’s not already happened to you, then
within a week or so, it is likely that someone
will approach you and casually suggest that
you retake CLAT. It’s also safe to assume
that you’ve already heard the ancient adage
“light lo!” by now. Not counting the
horrifying ‘welcoming orientation’ given to
you by the VC, this will be the most
common advice you hear from anybody
during the first few months of college. Do
keep in mind that your decision on the
CLAT‘19 front should be based on careful
weighing of the pros and cons of each side,
and not because you blindly followed the
seniors’ suggestion.
Just my opinion: as much as other people
will try to convince you that HNLU will
never change, this is untrue. While I am
aware that this is inconsequential to the
point of being obtuse; I present to you - the
example of the vada. My senior once told
me that when she first came to college, her
metal spoon got bent out of shape before
she could cut her vada with it. Sure, the oily
and unhealthy vada is still served as
breakfast and the chutney is sometimes
indistinguishable from water, but does your
spoon warp out of shape by the end of the
meal? No? Then congrats! You have found
proof of change. This change, my friends,
has come through several years of
continuously petitioning the mess
committee (via Facebook of course. What
do you mean that isn’t a legit forum for
serious discussions?), complaining to the
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 5
administration, and on the rare occasion -
directly confronting (read: yelling at) the
head-bhaiyya who is in charge of
supervising the food.
Other changes include, and I kid you not,
the construction of a main gate, removing
cows from inside the campus, the advent of
moderately clean drinking water and
freedom regarding the dress-code. Hey,
when we’ve gotten this far, why can’t we
overcome the rest?
Now that we have gotten the “to be at
HNLU or not to be at HNLU” question out
of the way, let’s come to the main topic I
wish to discuss: CLAT 2019 or not, you are
here for at least one year, and there’s no
reason you shouldn’t make the best of it. If
you spend all your time studying for, or
rather, thinking about getting into another
University - how do you participate in the
activities of your current University? How
do you give yourself the opportunity to love
it?
This brings us to a major problem that
plagues HNLU– the severe under-
utilization of resources. In this piece, I
majorly discuss the library, but the problem
extends to other resources such as the IT
Lab, the online resources, the few good
teachers, the various clubs, the gym, the
sports fields etc. etc. etc. The one almost
universally accepted truth in HNLU is that
we have good infrastructure, some of it
even unneeded (*cough* The PG Hostel
*cough*). But, another sad truth (perhaps,
not so universally accepted) is that we don’t
use this infrastructure to its full potential.
We often indulge in whining and lamenting,
all the while doing little to improve the state
of affairs. Criticizing and discouraging any
person who takes initiatives has become a
norm, and “light lo” is taken too seriously.
While HNLU has its drawbacks, it also has
a lot to offer. Only you can choose whether
to accept this offer or not (just make sure
it’s not only an invitation to offer, first.
HAHA contracts joke!)
Our library is a three-storied structure,
theoretically making up 25% of the Old
cademic Block. The topmost floor however
(in my humble opinion) should not be
counted as the part of the library.
Geographical specifications aside, it has a
large number of books on a variety of
subjects, most of which are hardly ever
used. It contains close to 16,000 books and
7,700 journals, and has the subscription to
several magazines (don’t get your hopes up
too high- we don’t subscribe to ‘Vogue’). It
is practically impossible to fully explore the
place in the five years that we have in
HNLU, especially as there are a lot more
activities to do in the campus. However, all
I’m saying is that entering the library even
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 6
on days other than the week of the exams
won’t hurt too much.
On the right side, as one enters the library,
there’s a section in the library containing
about 1200 books from Justice
Hidayatullah’s personal collection. It even
has first editions of great classics. Judging
by the surprise on the librarian’s face when
I asked for one of those books, few people
seem to know or care about this section.
However, these books are a treat for book
enthusiasts like me. Instead of citing Indian
Kanoon in projects and memos (which, for
the record, you should never do), why don’t
you guys try going through the hardbound
SCC journals that are kept in the library? (of
course, if you aren’t completely
technologically challenged, using the
online database would more than suffice).
Near the shelves containing the bare acts
and the law reports, sits a stack of dust
covered copies of old issues of our own –
HNLU Journal of Law & Social Sciences.
The layer of dust may explain the “again”
in make-HNLU-great-againTM.
Most books are not only informative, but
also quite fun to read. In these, Zia Mody’s
10 Judgments That Changed India is
highly recommended. Most of the cases it
explains are also in the curriculum so it’s an
added bonus. If any of you can’t think of a
topic for a paper; rest assured that browsing
through the last few racks in the library
(miscellaneous section) should give you a
few ideas to ponder on. As the syllabus for
the first semester is quantitatively the
smallest, and you won’t be involved in
moots (unless you guys ace the intras
*fingers crossed*), it is the ideal time to
explore all the resources HNLU has to
offer.
Be it research for your moot or paper,
preparation for exams, light reading
(remember Hermione Granger?), or any
other purpose you need a book for, HNLU
has it all. Just manage to reach the library
and you will find a book for most of your
needs. An Excel sheet listing all the titles in
the library is available online.

The left side contains the books related to

law and arts subjects. And if you read the
first-year course work regularly (yes, that
involves more than ten days of work), you
will find a lot of interesting material in the
first two shelves. This applies to every shelf
and every year. The literature section isn’t
large but contains good pieces of literature.

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 7

 #HNLUhack
to the Mess Food
From time immemorial, it has been said and
proven that,“Good food is the way to one’s
heart.” So, either it’s that our dearly
beloved Sardarji (the proud supplier of our
mess food) doesn’t really fancy having a
trip down to any of our hearts anytime soon
or…Well, there is no ‘or’, I’m afraid. All of
us have desperately thrown “Notice me
Senpai!” at the administration regarding the
food - but, alas! Food here has been a long
standing (some might even say as long as
the Honorable Honorable Vice Chancellor
Sir) issue. Trust us when we say that there
has been improvement.
So while we urge you to join the proverbial
army and take this battle further, here are
some hacks in the meanwhile, to the
gourmet meals being served in the mess:
1. Portioning: Now this is something that
the mess workers and their (completely
amazing, absolutely amicable)
supervisors enforce sometimes. Well,
know your rights kids - They can only
enforce limits if any prescribed on the
menu. The charge of updating the mess
menu for both the hostels, rests with the
Mess Committee, and the same is
posted on the Mess Committee group
on Facebook. So don’t miss out on the
delish Bun Maskas because the mess
worker says that there is a restriction
when the menu says otherwise, they
will be rude but for the bun maska’s
sake, fight them, you’re in Law School
for fuck’s sake!!.
2. Canteen: If you want your grub-sack to
mildly agree with the food, this is your
best shot in the campus. They make a
mean masala fry maggi, the sandwiches
are good and the coffee does its job to
some extent. The best part is that they
offer the service of frying up stuff! You
can be as experimental with your rice as
you want to be, get it jazzed up and what
not! Here’s a few tips (the cost may vary
according to Sardarji’s mood)-
a. Egg Fried Rice / Fried Rice
Cost - Rs. 10/- (for frying) + approx. Rs.
8/- (warning: cost of an egg may
fluctuate with change in mood of the
Sardarji)
Here’s what you can ask them to do to
your rice- add eggs and fry it up with the
daal or anything else that’s on the menu
that day. Tip: If you don’t want it too
spicy, you have to tell them to take it
easy on those chillies, because damn.
b. Dal Fry, Cost - Rs 10/-
This is a personal favourite, because it
makes the Dal a little thicker and the
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 8
 taste is enhanced by the spices they
add
c. Sev-Tamatar ki Sabzi or Ratlami Fry
Cost - Rs. 10/- (for frying) + Rs. 10/- for
a packet of sev
This is what most of the populace lives
on, they fry up some “Ratlami Sev” and
well, the results are mostly pleasing.
Tip: You can even ask the Canteen guy to
put you “on the register” after you get to
know him a little better. This means that
he’ll write the cost of your order near your
name every time and you can pay him at the
end of the month instead of carrying cash
around all the time.
Warning: Once you don’t see yourself
spending hard cash, you tend to go all out.
This system is the reason half of HNLU is
in debt. Commit to this at your own risk.
3. Cafeteriya: No, the spelling is not an
editorial error (our editors never make
mistakes). Try the fusion pizzas and the
cheese masala uttapam for some respite
from the mess food. If you’re sick, you
could get a plain egg omelette from here or
some soup/porridge that will be easy to
digest!
4. Sector 27: Take the Red Bus (about
a ten-minute ride) to Sector 27 and you’ll
see that there’s an entire street of food there.
The chicken kebabs there are great, by the
way. Also, there’s a store where you can
purchase fruits and fruit-juice. There are so
many golgappa carts that a chaat-lover
would probably be in paradise here. The
hygiene is a little questionable though.
Personally, I can attest to Gwalior Chaats
(they’ve not paid us) and the fruit store.
5. The Tapris: A very fun and very
unhealthy alternative to mess food are the
two Tapris that are available just outside
college. There are samosas and there are
Maggis. Golu’s Tapri is open from 6 AM
onwards, but the other Tapri provides
chilled soft drinks and a larger amount of
Maggi for the same amount (gotta love
capitalism)
6. That friend with a Kettle: Have that
friend or be that friend with a kettle. Binge
on Maggi with your friends in the dorms
and bond over the experience. Be sure to
stock up your Maggi supply from the
market that is a 45-minute bus ride away or
take a walk (or cycle!) to the quaint little
village of Uparwara (check out our map, for
this) and purchase some from one of the
general stores there. Be sure to try the
“gupchups” from the several vendors there
while you’re at it!
Tip: After writing a letter to the warden,
you could even keep a cycle with you in the
hostel. Again, Uparwara provides all cycle
related services.
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 9
 MENTOR SYSTEM
assured, they’ll try their best to solve your
problem. Not only this, but at the risk of
sounding like an overly optimistic Mary
Or the Law School version of the Buddy
Poppins on coke, I tell you this- these
System from pre-school.
mentors are also your friends. If you ever
feel down, or if you’re feeling homesick,
If there’s one thing that can be said shoot them a text anyway. I’m sure they’ve
definitely - it’s that the seniors at HNLU are faced the same problems as you do, and
helpful people. It’s not like the admin got have a few remedies up their sleeve :)
your back, so the seniors do all that they can
to help out. The mentor system was started
just an year ago, to help the freshers
transition smoothly (read: with only two
panic attacks, instead of ten) into the
routine of everyday, University life.

This system basically splits the student

body of the newest batch into random
groups of 10-15 people and assigns to them
a senior or a group of seniors who have
volunteered to be mentors. At this point, it
would be prudent to point out, that while the
seniors do try to be there for you, they’re
also pretty damn busy people. So, while the
mentors themselves do try to reach out on
several occasions to help you out (such as
sending across online study material etc.),
if you want to make the most out of this
mentorship program, the onus is on you to
reach out to the mentors first.

Law school never sleeps and this is the

truth. Shoot your mentors a text with any
problem, at any time of the day and rest

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 10

 A FEW GOOD MEN
ADSC: The neighbourhood superheroes.
The Anti-Discrimination and Sensitization
Cell (ADSC) was set up in April of 2017 by
a few spirited souls who have, of late,
graduated. They wanted to get rid of the
pervasive discrimination on lines of gender,
caste, sexual orientation, etc. that they saw
on campus. The first pit-stop was to get the
University Administration ("Admin") to
establish an Internal Complaints
Committee (ICC) to deal with instances of
sexual harassment, as mandated by the
UGC guidelines. The Admin had naturally
been sitting on the letter that the UGC had
shot off to them. They were woken from
their slumber when they received a letter
from the SBA laying out in gory detail the
fate that awaits colleges which ignore said
letter. Lo and behold! An ICC was
conjured. After some back and forth, a
NGO member was found for the ICC. Long
story short: when the ICC was tested in
real-life conditions, it was found wanting.
This rekindled the idea that the ICC needed
training. The Admin gave the go-ahead for
a training session for the ICC, and a general
orientation for the student community.
twin structures - ICC deals with sexual
harassment and Grievance Redressal
Committee deals with all other forms of
harassment under the guidelines. We will
strive to make sure that these committees
work well. As for the ICC, complaints have
to be addressed to a member and can't be
anonymous.
What are the short-term goals of ADSC?
For starters, we look forward to getting
somebody over to train the ICC. Secondly,
we plan to organise guest lectures in
collaboration with the Lecture Series
Committee on issues of gender and caste -
and both branch out and intersect in ways
that are baffling to all of us. Thirdly, we
plan to organise informal chats on these
issues for the student community.
What is the long-term goal? We want to
make future lawyers aware that just because
an argument can be made, does not mean
that a responsible lawyer should ever make
it. How are we going to do that? We'll plant
some saplings here and there and hope for a
forest long after we're gone.

The orientation went by just fine but the

training was shelved at the proverbial
eleventh hour for reasons unknown. It
might be pertinent to mention that this was
preceded by the Chair of the ICC walking
out on an auditorium full of students who
were clapping when the resource person
suggested that the hostel in-timing was
perfectly nonsensical.

The ADSC aims to morph into the role of a Find them at

facilitator in cases of harassment. There are https://www.facebook.com/ADSCommittee

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 11

 THE CAMPUS AT A GLANCE

Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. This is exactly what happened with the
map, we spent ages making sure that the map was geographically accurate and kudos to Rashmi
Tandon (Batch XVII) for drawing it! However, technology has not advanced so far as to capture the
beauty of our map aka we know the photo is shit. Moving on, you can DM us at the Hidayat Page for
more info on how to get around the campus.

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 12

A QUICK GUIDE TO
THE MAP
Here’s is a quick rundown of some of the
places in the campus note,
1. Main Gate: Be informed about the
out timings in practice and not on
paper (Maybe guys do have all the
fun).
2. Women's Facility Centre: We've
not even bothered to include this in
the map, much like our
administration who didn't bother to
make it functional.
3. Cafeteriya: Be informed fresher,
you've been spelling it wrong all
your life.
4. Lake: While the lake side is one of
the best spots for Couples, for
those who are Single (More on this
in the Anecdotes) the best thing
about the lake is that there is a
Tapri called Shanti on the other
side.
5. Lake Side Stairs aka LSS: Literally
everything happens here.
6. Auditorium: Comfy. Chairs.
7. IT Lab: A little bit of solitude and
lots of good internet.
8. Library: Casually slipping in the
three-storeyed library whenever
you're talking to anyone about
college is like a rite of passage.
9. Places marked with a “*” in the
map: fun times guys, fun. NSFW.
10. Cricket Field, Football Field,
Volleyball Court, Basketball
Courts and Tennis Court: As you
can see, our Administration cares a
great deal about sports, so might as
well make some use of it. PS: If
you need a basketball etc., just
write an application and give it
to the Assistant Warden of the
Boys’ Hostel.
ANECDOTES
HNLU is home to many, so when we say
that you’ll grow to love this place, this is
what we mean:
S.S. Shri Lakshmi, Batch XVII, The
Cricket Field
While HNLU, located in Naya Raipur,
might not have the comforts of being
located in a large city, there is one thing that
helps to make up for this inconvenience.
The sunsets are mind blowing and the starry
nights, even more so. One day, when my
best friend was at the verge of breaking up
(don’t worry, this happens every four days
or so), the onus fell on me to do something
to make her feel better. We walked to the
Cafeteriya, purchased the cheapest ice-
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 13
creams that were available, played He comes back and says: "Hans sakte ho,
Coldplay on full volume, and lay down on joke tha."
the grass in the cricket field. I think the
Gaurav Chourasia, Batch XVII, The
floodlights were switched off that day
Green Area: It's the most underrated place
(probably a ‘field day’ for all the couples in
of this university. As I am fond of nature, I
campus, if you catch my drift) so, when we
discovered this clandestine spot when I was
looked up at the sky it was breath-taking. At
playing football. As the football went
that moment, maybe, just maybe, HNLU
behind the bushes I noticed the tall trees and
felt like home.
wondered whether this place is inside our
Achyut Tewari, Batch XVI, Boys’ Mess: campus. I have been accompanied by my
This was right after we had entered college. nature freak friends and they really liked
A few days into it. I and a few of my mates this place; amidst the man-made structures
had gone for dinner to the mess. We moved the lap of Nature is refreshing. As correctly
in packs so as to prevent unwanted "positive quoted by the maestro novelist Paulo
interactions". We had just finished dinner Coelho,"God made desert so that man can
when we were confronted by a faculty know the essence and importance of
member. The person is known for his gruff greenwood". Nature is always the greatest
voice and is a distinctive feature of HNLU. philosopher only if one observes it.
The following conversation took place:
Bhavna Khatwani, Batch XVI, Library:
Faculty: Had dinner?
While the students of other colleges fear
Student: Yes sir.
exams, here my friends and I wait for the
F: What did you have?
time before exams, not to study but to enjoy
S: Sir, Aloo Bhindi.
the moments we cherish in our library,
F: Good, but aloo bhindi or bhindi aloo?
which has lots of memories as we go there
S: *speechless, no answer.
to study (seriously :P) but end up giggling,
F: Look if there's a greater quantity of aloo
flirting and spending the best time. The best
then it's aloo bhindi and if there's a greater
thing about being there is that I study
quantity of bhindi it's bhindi aloo.
without stress because I my stupid friends
S: Awestruck and trying to digest this
are around me to help me out. It might
beautiful piece of knowledge.
sound strange, but yes, HNLU converted
He turned around and went to have water,
the most boring place to the most special
we were still standing there in the blinding
one.
light of knowledge.

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 14

Vartika Tickoo, Batch XVII, GHS Road: nightfall as if watching that lake taking the
The path in front of GHS that leads to the sun into its arms adds up to my bundle of
gate of Girl's Hostel is one of my favorite beautiful memories in HNLU
places to be at when darkness engulfs the
Kirti Gupta, Batch XVII: HNLU holi was
sky. I have always had the hobby of looking
my first legit holi, with splashes of mud
at stars and trying to make out different
mixed with low quality gulal. Majorly, it
constellations. Back at home, my favorite
was the thrill of the first bhang that engulfed
(because it is the easiest to see)
me and it was that superbly annoying drink
constellation was Orion and of course
that made my day. Losing my footwear in
Sirius (*coughs* Potterhead *coughs*) was
the bhang fuelled haze, running with
my favorite star. Being away from home, I
friends in broad daylight shouting "rasta
developed a weird fondness for them. You
khatam nahi ho raha hai", feet clad in
can see Orion and Sirius from almost
newspaper, and chasing everyone for hide
anywhere in India. So, after walking around
and seek were the highlights of the day.
a bit I would always go to the path and sit
Trust me the concoction of gulal, mud and
there and look up at them. It always brought
bhang turned out to be the best compliment
a sense of safety and homeliness with itself.
for making Holi a HNLU Holi and giving
Orion and Sirius for me are like anchors
me tit-bits of craziness to add in my life.
bringing stability and strength. I hope that
juniors find their own anchors here.

Nishita Bais, Batch XVII, Lake Side: The AND WE’VE SAVED THE BEST FOR

ethereal beauty of the lake behind the THE LAST

Cafeteriya never fails to bring about a wave

of peace in my soul. I remember watching
Praveen Ware, Batch XVI, Cafeteriya
my favourite movies and singing my
favourite songs with that serene view right “Kabhi akela na jana waha. Bohot bura
in front of my eyes. Sitting beside that lake lagega khud pe. Kitne akele ho jaoge yaha
with earphones plugged in along with my aake ye tum Cafeteria main dekhna.”
favourite ice-cream is definitely an escape
(Meanwhile, Team Hidayat: who hurt you
route to all the chaos in my mind. And yes,
man?)
it never feels like you're alone when you
have a bunch of pups playing around you.
Listening to my favourite songs during the

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 15

 #HNLUhack
How to not be
Bored in Raipur
Syed Shadan
“What were you thinking 10 minutes before
reaching Raipur?”
“I was sure that jeeps loaded with armed
guards would be standing at the airport.
Then we’d make our way through dense
forests, while trying to fight our way
through Naxalites.”
Sounds ridiculous right? It is. But what if I
told you that I did not make that
conversation up? One of my dear friends,
whose reputation I don’t want to ruin by
saying any names, (*cough* it was Sarthak
*cough*) was of the opinion that Raipur
was a boiling war zone of Naxals and he
was probably making a bad decision by
joining a college in a “backward” state.
Things changed over the course of one year
and now he knows that Raipur isn’t even
half as bad as he thought.
Raipur. The almost 18-year-old capital city,
is a like a teenager. It is full of aspirations
and inner rebellion. Just like every other
teenager, it is growing up like a beast too. I
was born and brought up in this city, so I
have seen it grow first hand. From the way
the people of Raipur have changed to how
a big open drain has now (quite
unfortunately) become Marine Drive, I
have seen it all. So, trust me when I say this,
there’s tons to Raipur than what the people
of CLAT Gyaan or anguished HNLUites
have told you.
Let me start of by letting you guys know of
some nice places to eat. You may not be
really happy with mess food, but here are
some of the cool places/localities you can
check out when the “delicious” lobia
masala is served for lunch.
CAFÉS
1. Café Junoon – Situated at Katora
Talab, this is one of the best cafes in
Raipur. Caveat: this cafe is closed
on mondays. Would recommend–
Cold Coffee and Genie Dosa. Not
more 2.5 kms from Ghadi Chowk
(the last stop of the college bus),
you can take a cab/auto for around
50/60 bucks.
2. Gooseburps – Situated at
Telibandha. This is one such café in
Raipur which has an amazing range
of different cuisines. From
American pancakes to Chinese
prawns, this café has it all. As it’s
located opposite to the Telibandha
talab, you can get there by taking
just the college bus.
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 16
3. Central Perk – Situated at Ambuja
Mall, Vidhan Sabha Road. Do I
even have to tell you why this place
should be on your list of cafés to go
to? I have heard they have some
nice steak there and the coffee is
nice too. It’s quite a hustle to get to
Ambuja mall so I’d recommend you
to go there over the weekend when
time is of no issue.
4. It’s Me – Located at Telibandha,
this place has live stand up
comedy/music acts every weekend,
so it’s all nice spot to chill out at. It
also has the best Nutella shake I
have ever had.
5. The Music Café – Located at
Ambuja Mall. Another really nice
café in Ambuja Mall. Stand up
comics like Abhishek Upamanyu
and Nishant Tanwar have had
performed here!
6. Shake’s Adda - Located at
Shankar Nagar, this is a really chill
place to be at if you are into shakes
and fries. They have tons of
varieties too. You can get to
Shankar Nagar via Ghadi Chowk by
taking a cab/auto for under a 100
bucks.
FOOD STREETS
1. Telibandha Chowpatty: From
momos to shwaramas to
sandwiches, it has everything,
2. Chotta para: Around 1.5 kms from
Ghadi chowk. Definitely
recommended if you are in for some
biryani or any mughlai delicacy.
3. Road Chowpatty: A couple of
kilometers from Ghadi Chowk. This
place is as Indian as it gets. From
baraf golas to paav bhaaji, this place
will not fail you if you want to have
some nice indian street food.
4. Shankar Nagar Chowpatty:
Another great chowpatty that offers
gol gappes, dabelis etc.
TRADITIONAL
CHHATTISGARHIYA FOOD
1. Gadh Kalewa – Ever heard of a red
ant chutney? Like, a chatni made up
of red ants? This place serves the
delicious ‘cheenti ki chatni’ and
other traditional Chhattisgarhiya
food which you’ll have to order a
day before your visit to this place.
The food here is prepared by letting
the food ferment overnight. It’s
right at Ghadi Chowk so you can get
there directly via the college bus.
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 17
 EVENTS (Nucleya was here last year too!)
There are many more that take place
1. The Local’s Flea Market – One of
every now and then, the information
the most happening events of
regarding which will surely be on
Raipur organized by a group called
your batch groups.
“The Local”. This flea market
which is held every year in October
has some great shops put up by
So chill out, because there’s loads to do!
young hip entrepreneurs and has
live music going on in the middle in
a bonfire type setting. Generally
held at Shamrock Greens, you can
easily access this fair via the college
bus, just ask the driver to stop as
soon as you get out of Naya Raipur.

2. Stand Up Comedy – Raipur has a

very bustling stand up comedy
scene right now. We have been
hosts to Zakir Khan, Abhishek
Upanmanyu, Kunal Kamra, Biswa
Kalyan Rath, Anirban Dasgupta,
Aditi Mittal, Atul Khatri, Sahil Shah
etc. For information on any
upcoming stand up shows, stay
hooked to your batch WhatsApp
groups (HNLU students get
discounts!) or check out this page
called “Crazy about comedy” on
social media.

3. Concerts – Raipur has a lot of

musical events every year. We have
had Diljit Dosanjh and Guru
Randhawa with us this year alone

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 18

 #HNLUHack
How to Use the
Online Resources
Guys, listen up. Our official website
(www.hnlu.ac.in) might look super shady at
first glance, but it’s actually helpful when
you learn a few tricks.
The main benefit within our website, lies
under the heading of “library and pub.-->
other links” where you can find our various
subscriptions to online resources such as
SCC, Jstor and HeinOnline. If you guys are
lucky, there should be an orientation on
how to use these websites, within the first
month of your joining college; if not, fear
not - the online guides on how to use SCC
and Manupatra are easily available to you
with just a simple Google search. These
guides are pretty detailed and first-time
user-friendly, so you’re good to go!
Caveat: While I’m unsure about what
exactly the reason is; SCC stops accepting
new registrations after a certain point in the
semester (also, it’s super expensive to buy
an account of your own). So, remember to
sign into your account ASAP so that you
have SCC at hand whenever you need it!
When going for moots, a TruePrint™ of the
case from SCC is the most preferred for the
making of the compendium. However, for
the purpose of research (as in, when you
want to find a specific case), I would
recommend using the ‘case-map’ option in
Manupatra.
• Find case laws related to your topic,
by first reading a research paper that
pertains to your topic
• Keep browsing Lawctopus and
LiveLaw to see if there are any
events coming up
• Keep track of the LnD notifications
page for any debating events that
are coming up
• DM Hidayat FB page with any
queries that you might have (subtly
slipped it in there, see? Like us on
the page- Hidayat :P)
• Keep reading articles from
Economical and Political Weekly
(we subscribe to the online sites of
these subscriptions too!)
• For practicing your newly learnt
knowledge about Manupatra/SCC,
go through the following cases in
detail (a few of these are going to be
in your syllabus in the first semester
and a few of them are just for
general #lawyergyaan. I won’t tell
you which is which haha. But all of
these cases are interesting)
1. Kesavananda Bharati v. State of
Kerala (and its corresponding
appeal)
2. Mohori Bibee v. Dharmodas
Ghose
3. The privacy judgement (AKA
Puttaswamy v. UOI)
4. Hussainara Khatoon v. Home
Secretary
5. The sexual-harassment-at-the-
workplace case (AKA Vishaka
v. State of Rajasthan)
6. Hadley v. Baxendale
7. Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre v. New
Garage & Motor
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 19
 A HEALTHY DOSE
OF OPIUM…
SORRY, OPTIMISM
Vartika Tickoo
I have carefully changed the font to Times
New Roman, font size- 12, justified
alignment and yes, line spacing- 1.5. This is
going to be handy, trust me. You may even
call it a spoiler to your life ahead for 5
years!
The name ‘Hidayatullah National Law
University’ sounds great, doesn’t it?
Named after the famous former Chief
Justice of India and all. When I first came
to the college for admission, I was
overwhelmed by the beauty of the campus.
My joy only increased ten-fold when I
realised that, while every other first year
would be getting a double-occupancy room,
I would be getting a single room all to
myself (lucky me!).
However, once I started to talk to the people
around me, I started feeling that this place
is a negative, energy-consuming shithole.
People talked of how this place robbed
them of their dreams and their will to work
hard. Not to forget, there was the boastful
bandwagon of ‘light le’. HNLU became a
sleepy and tiring place. And needless to say,
I did waste a lot of precious time in the first
semester because I kept thinking- “this-is-
not-working-out” So guess what? It didn’t
work out at all (Sorry, John Green fans,
couldn’t resist myself).
The second semester in HNLU made me
realise how nice this place actually is. I fell
in love with being in the library, the walks
around the academic block, the rains, the
unexpected but relieving free classes and
slowly, even the thick books. I guess the
negative talk had brainwashed me. At least,
it felt that way. 2nd semester changed a lot
of things for me. I gained a new perspective
and it was only uphill from there.
We were in this new place, in a new city,
and we were obviously looking forward to
an exciting college life. In my opinion, the
way some people told us to take most things
lightly, was quite outrageous. And then
there was all that depressing crap about
HNLU, how it raided you of your talents
and everything. But honestly, HNLU with
its trees, it's almost always awesome
weather and its lakes, is the best place to
find oneself and one's outgrown hobbies.
Feel free to explore the campus and places
outside it. At the end of the day, you can
either focus on what’s tearing you apart or
what’s holding you together.
You will notice some of your seniors using
the majestic phrase ‘light le’ (*coughs*).
Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 20
Not that I am against it, but I think that one
needs to understand the huge difference
between preparing for important things
without worrying and giving up on those
things altogether. So let’s not take ‘light le’
too seriously, eh?
Ask the other students about the lakes, the
cafes, the shopping complexes and the
movie theaters. There is ‘Tapri: The
Official Maggi Adda’ right outside the
campus. You will fall in love with the
Cafeteriya too. Don’t let your curiosity die
about this place. You will be new here and
obviously you will take your own time to
adapt here but that doesn’t mean that this
place is bad. Give it a chance.
The gravest issue of all is the mess food.
There will be days when you will just hate
mess food. But listen, you can experiment
with your rice as much as you want! Ooh!
You can try ‘sev ki sabzi’! I didn’t even
know that such a thing existed before I
came to HNLU and you guys have no idea
how insanely benefitted I am by this gain of
knowledge.
Lastly, I would suggest that you guys
should make a schedule. I have this
unwanted and frankly, quite disturbing
realization that I sound like my father right
now. You don’t waste your time doing
nothing and you feel like you have a
purpose. Coming to the college, studying
and living in a new manner, is quite
confusing. A schedule really helps.
College is going to be a very important part
of your life ahead. Start it on a positive note.
Don’t dwell too much on the negativity
about this place. Live it for yourself. I
promise that you will end up falling in love
with HNLU. This place is full of
opportunities, grab them. HNLU doesn’t
only offer you 5 years of law education but
also unforgettable freedom and peace.
All the best!
(P.S. This is for the girls - If two of you find
a room on the 1st floor with a lot of crappy
lyrics written on the walls, I am sorry)

Please understand that not all seniors are

predators waiting for you. We are nice
people! Talk to us about anything, ask us
about everything, and keep nagging us. If
we tell you not to call us sir or ma’am, then
don’t. Just come and talk to us, okay? We
are as excited as you are!

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 21

IMPORTANT CONTACTS
Name /
SNO. Contact No. Email/ other info
Purpose
Asif Bhaiyya
(For booking
Autos and air-
cooler
+91
1 installations +
9981311715
any other work
that you need
done for your
room)
R. K. He’s available in the utility center from 4-6 pm. If
Shrivastava, you’re unable to contact him/find him, please do
2
Campus get in touch with your respective wardens
Doctor regarding the same.
Momos Adda,
Telibandha
Talab (Opinion +91
3
alert: Hands 7745961119
down the best
Momos in city)
Mrs.
Balwinder
Kaur (Warden,
+91
Girls’ Hostel -
4 9691697076 balwinderkaur@hnlu.ac.in
call her
whenever you
need an
ambulance)
Dr. Kiran Kori
+ 91 warden-gh@hnlu.ac.in
(Assistant
5 9329714863 OR
Warden, Girls’
kiran@hnlu.ac.in
Hostel)
Rina Didi
(caretaker,
girls hostel-
contact her
when you’re
facing any +91
6 discomfort at 9165793161
the girl’s
hostel, She’s a
direct channel
of
communication
between

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 22

 residents of the
Girls’ Hostels
and the
Wardens)
Dr. Y. Papa
+91
Rao (Boys’
7 9575661589 dr.yamala@hnlu.ac.in
Hostel
Warden)
Dr. Rana
Navneet Roy +91
8
(Boys’ Hostel 9303758630
Warden)
Dr. Ayan
Hazra
(Registrar I/C)
(make sure to
get his
signature on
9 registrar@hnlu.ac.in
every
document that
requires proof
of you being a
student of
HNLU)
Academic
Section
(Where you
10 email all of academic@hnlu.ac.in
your projects
for
submissions)
Anti-Ragging More info:
11
Squad http://www.hnlu.ac.in/2018/Reg/scan12%20Copy.pdf
Gurukripa
+91
Dhaba (Call
12 9425208575
for Food
Delivery)
Mohan Dhaba
+91
13 (Call for Food
9425205375
Delivery)
Asquare Cafe
(Watchout for
their frequent
14 FB page: https://www.facebook.com/asquarecafe/
notifications in
the HNLU
Bazaar)

Make HNLU Great AgainTM | 23