The NUJS Lexicon

Acad Block [noun] The imposing monolithic four storied structure housing classrooms, as also rooms for the teachers and the NUJS administration, important facilities like the Library, the Canteen, the Gymnasium and the Quad. The Acad Block is the nerve centre of the NUJS bureaucracy.

CA [noun] Short for Cinephiles Anonymous. An informal society, now largely defunct, that was dedicated to screening movies, ripping DVDs, publishing a shady magazine, expressing contempt for the system, and being generally obnoxious. Its demise was widely hailed to be the best thing to happen to NUJS since Abhiroop Lahiri bought himself a can of deodorant.

Cess Pool [noun] No one seems to know why it is called the cess pool, but this ubiquitous structure with its fluctuating water content and inactive fountain is located in a prime spot outside the hostels and takes up more space than it is worth. Much of the after class activities occur in and around the vicinity of the cess pool, whether it’s enjoying tea and samosas sprawled on a bench beside it or fishing out the cricket ball for the n-th time. It is also ideal for dunking over NUJS students who get jobs, win games, or just happen to be standing too close to the edge.

CGPA [noun] Short for Cumulative Grade Point Average, used to measure student performance on a scale of 0 to 7. CGPAs are pursued with great enthusiasm and aggression. Perceived by some as a reflection of a student’s intelligence, CGPAs of fellow students are the topic of many an adda session. As Metallica would put it, Nothing Else Matters.

Convenor [noun] Democratically elected leader of a Society or Committee, expected to be representative of the interests of their respective Society, and entrusted to make decisions regarding all activities of the Society in consultation with other members of the Society. The number one reason for coveting this post is that “Convenor” looks so much better on the CV, rather than mere “Member”. See also: Society

dayski [noun] Short for ‘day-scholar’. A dayski is a creature which, for reasons best known to itself, chooses to commute from home rather than reside in the hostel. If you see a non-descript student skulking around the Acad Block wondering where the water-cooler is, or turning up during Invicta and wondering how come there are so many people milling around and why there are no classes going on, you can be sure that you are in the presence of none other than a Dayski. Not to be confused with their close cousins, the localites.

extension [noun] At the beginning of every semester, the academic calendar offers a variety of deadlines – rough draft and project submission dates, project and subject vivas, end-semester exams, etc. These dates are however subject to change based on how well the SJA is able to convince the administration as to why it is absolutely completely necessary that an extension is granted. The reasons may range from genuine cases of a conjunctivitis epidemic in the Boys’ Hostel to ‘Help, there’s no way I can finish all five projects by 5 p.m. tomorrow.’

GB [noun] Short for General Body. The entire body of undergraduate students of NUJS is said to constitute the GB. See also GB Meeting.

GB Meeting [noun] According to the mandate of the SJA Constitution, the General Body is required to ordinarily meet twice a year. GB meetings are presided over by the President and in his absence, the Vice-President. Questions arising at a meeting are supposed to be decided in a coordinated, peaceful and logical manner by simple majority of votes. Yeah, right.

Invicta [noun] NUJS’s annual inter-law school sports fest. Started by the legendary SportsCom of 2006-07, Invicta has gone on to become one of the most eagerly awaited events on the Indian law school calendar. The fest sees participation on a massive scale, and is made memorable by wonderful camaraderie, sportsmanship and the sight of Divya Sarah George screaming her head off.

IP Messenger [noun] A pop up style LAN Messenger for multi platforms based on TCP/IP (UDP). It is widely used by NUJS students to chat over LAN, transfer files and annoy the hell out of others. See also: Multicast

memo [noun] Short for either Memorial or Memorandum (no one seems to be quite sure which). A document that a moot team is required to submit as a supplement to oral arguments. It contains facts, issues, arguments, authorities, prayer for relief, etc. Two groups of people typically work on the same memo: one specializing in law, and the other specializing in Microsoft Word formatting techniques. The latter is considered to be by far the most important. Perhaps an NUJS student described it best: A hundred case laws, four hundred years old / Nestle amidst headers of Monotype Bold. See also: moot court

Mess [noun] Eating hall located on the ground floor of the Boys’ Hostel. This is where hungry hordes of hostelites descend four times a day to restore their tissues and socialise. The Mess follows a weekly menu which changes according to changing seasons and preferences. The Mess is also where the frenzied crowds of sports fans descend whenever there is a football match or an F1 race on the telly.

moot court [noun] Technically, a competition where teams argue a hypothetical case in a mock court of law. However for an NUJS student, mooting means a whole lot more. It is seen as a perfect way of rising higher in the esteem of your peers and embellishing the near perfect CV. See also: memo

multicast [noun] With one click of the mouse, multicasts offer the average LAN-connected NUJS student the opportunity to beg for the latest movies or music, find out when classes begin or for that matter where the Cat is prowling at the moment. Though, more often than not the popping up of the multicast dialogue box on your screen is a source of nuisance, it has its high points for e.g. when it can be used to warn everyone about the warden’s approach or spread the word when free food is available in someone’s room. Hate it or love it, you can’t ignore it. At most, you can sign out. See also: IP Messenger

Outlawed [noun] The annual Inter College Fest of NUJS. Outlawed is renowned for the Battle of the Bands contest, notable for large-scale participation and ear-splitting noise. Clearly identifiable by swarms of volunteers working 24/7, people wearing college T-shirts, the Quad air vibrating with live music, and a couple of dayskis huddled in a corner wondering what the hell is going on.

PC [noun] Neither the personal computer, nor the Privy Council. In NUJS, the PC stands for the Power Corridor. Named aptly so, since residing in the rooms along this fifth floor corridor are those vested with the power to rule the world… ok, so, not the world, but NUJS, certainly! Home to the ex President (Ashish Arun a.k.a. Bappa) and the President (Aditya Kapoor a.k.a. Mambo) of the SJA, not to forget the Treasurers and the Administrative Secretary; power itself lives behind these doors.

Pillar of Justice [noun] A grand pillar standing tall at the main entrance to the Acad Block. It is a deep brick red, cylindrical and tiled at the bottom. Rumour has it that they didn’t have enough tiles to go all the way up… Other than cutting an impressive figure, the Pillar of Justice is the site that witnesses many solemn occasions, from lighting candles in solidarity after the Mumbai Blasts, to flag hoisting on 26th January.

Pink Lady [noun] The name given to a supernatural being which has been spotted doing the rounds in the NUJS Boys’ Hostel. Named for the distinctive color of her dress (bed sheet?), the Pink Lady has struck terror in the hearts of some, while the skeptics continue to scoff.

Project [noun] These 5,000-word documents are a testimony to the ingenuity and dedication of law students. Often spending weeks, days and even hours to produce innovative and thoughtful research papers, these final versions of the Rough Draft are proof that academic research is of great importance in the law school experience.

Quad [noun] This erroneously named open green space (it’s actually an irregular octagon) lies at the heart of the Academic Block. The quad plays host to a range of activities such as the Battle of Bands during the College fest Outlawed, open classes on winter days when the sun is out, as also floodlit matches of volleyball with our neighbouring college NIFT.

Rec Room [noun] Located on the ground floor of the Girls’ Hostel, the Recreation Room is the room meant for recreation. It used to be the source of a lot of screechy guitar noises and drumming till the JAM room was created near it that is now wholly devoted to musical instruments. Now the room is dominated by the TT table and frenzied shouts of “Seven-love. Your serve.” By night though, there is a greater chance of finding there a few mooters with books spread out and laptops on, engaged in an animated discussion regarding International Trade Law or Human Rights.

Shacks [noun] The Shacks near NUJS are where the students meet after class, between class and during class. Ideal for a quick chai and ciggie break, these shacks also feed the hungry hordes when the stuff at the Mess is of a particularly unpalatable nature. Shacks also serve as a social networking point, where groups of students sit and talk and watch the world go by.

SJA [noun] Short for Student Juridical Association. Every undergraduate student enrolled with the University automatically becomes a member of the SJA.The principal office-bearers (the President and the Vice-President) are voted into power by the General Body at the beginning of every academic year. See also: SJA Constitution

SJA Constitution [noun] Recognising the need to develop the varied talents of the Student Body of the NUJS; appreciating the relevance of corporate life on campus; understanding the need of a formalised structure for building character, personality and respect for one another; and for providing the maximum opportunities for every member of the NUJS family achieve excellence in academic and co-curricular activities, we the members of the Student Juridical Association of NUJS adopted, enacted and gave to ourselves a Constitution. This noble document, embodiment of all that we hold sacred, is now mostly used by students who get into trouble, thereby proving that if nothing else, law school teaches you how to use obscure technicalities to subvert justice, equity and even common sense. See also: SJA

Society [noun] A formal group formed under the aegis of the SJA for the purpose of organising events and activities. In Noojieland, two may be company, and three might possibly be a crowd, but five is definitely a Society. The composition of the typical Noojie Society is almost formulaic. There is the CV-hungry Fifth-year Convenor and the power-hungry Fourth Year Co-convenor, the heir-in-waiting. You then have the proforma-hungry third year, the idealistic, soon-to-be-disillusioned second year, and the popularity-hungry fresher, designated beasts of burden for sadistic seniors. Then there are the Associate Members, but of course they don’t have voting rights. There are two kinds of Societies: the Academic Societies, and those which actually do some work. Also known as: Committee

Turdinator [noun] Possible sub-specie of homo sapiens which resides in the Boys’ Hostel, known for the massive size of its excreta which leave toilets clogged for days on end. Marked by great stealth, random selection of stalls and the inability to flush, the Turdinator is living proof that size does matter.

Writer’s Block [noun] The College rag is an (almost) periodical of varying lengths produced by the Magazine Committee. Meant to showcase the literary talents of the students at NUJS, and furnish under-the-desk entertainment for bored students. Contains campus news, contributions from the GB and pointless polls.