IMW (Indian Mediation Week) — “Suljhao, Magar Pyaar Se”

I made a sama instagram page officially only for this drive and we had reached currently 308 viewers in 2 days only ! and no is increasing currently! my creative thought is connecting diwali msg with sama via emotional intelligence.

I talked to a resturant cook ! he told me his money is stuck in sahara ! He event went to office multiple times but his money did not refund ! He deposited less than 50k rupees from 2016 to 2020. But did not get a single rupees til now. Bank is vijya laxmi bank in jaipur.

Citizens were not aware of mediation and were hesitant to talk and click pictures

My team was spread across different locations in Bangalore. So we did our weekly challenge at multiple places at various times during this week and we managed to reach out to people in the following locations- 1. Jayanagar 2. Yeshwanthapur 3. Chikkalasandra 4. Sanjaynagar 5. Sampangi Rama Nagar My team and I had almost a whole awakening about how our profession is perceived. Most people did not believe in justice and felt that, more often than not, only the rich end up being favoured. Several people were hesitant to even speak to us because they thought it might attract unnecessary problems. It really shows how intimidating courts seem to the common person, which defeats the very purpose of having them. It is ironic that a place meant to help people deal with problems they cannot resolve themselves is often seen as one of the most unapproachable places. However, after we got talking, several people expressed hope that with more young people entering the profession, things could change. They asked us to be more diligent in our duties and, more importantly, humble. A few even asked us to be better people before being better lawyers. I think that was something our entire team took back with us. Another thing that stood out was the nature of the disputes people were dealing with. Almost three-fourths of the disputes we came across were property-related, with most of them being within families. There were also a few divorce and other family court matters. It was interesting to see how property disputes could stretch across generations, sometimes remaining unresolved for years. It made us realise that these disputes are not always just about legal rights but also involve strained relationships, mistrust and a lack of communication. It also made us question whether every dispute necessarily needs to end with one party winning and the other losing. In our conversations about mediation and ODR , many initially associated mediation with out of court settlements, assuming they were expensive, unofficial or even illegal. Some were surprised to learn that mediation is legally recognised under a separate legislation, while others thought it was restricted to family court matters. Once we explained the process and its wider applicability, they were genuinely intrigued. Opinions on ODR were more divided. While some found it practical because of the time and travel it could save, others were apprehensive of its effectiveness, particularly given the lack of technological awareness among certain sections of society. A few also pointed out that online proceedings depend heavily on the willingness of both parties to participate, recalling how people found excuses to avoid attending proceedings during COVID. What surprised us most was that several people had never even been offered these alternatives by lawyers they had previously approached. It made us wonder whether the problem is not just the lack of awareness among the public but also how little these alternatives are communicated to them by the very people (lawyers) who are expected to guide them. Overall, the experience reminded us that access to justice is not just about having laws and courts in place. It is also about making people feel comfortable approaching them and ensuring they know the alternatives available. We understood that our responsibility is not just to know the law but to make it more accessible to the people who need it.