“I remember the time when my father would come back home and talk about the cases he argued in the court for that day. Growing up in a family of lawyers, my grandfather and father have always been my role models. Looking at them fight for innocent people who were jailed for crimes they never committed, is what inspired me to do something for people of the society. But before I could dream of what I wanted to pursue, I was always reminded that I am a girl and my dreams should not go beyond becoming a teacher or a doctor.
 
Having the non-conventional thought process and seeing things differently, I have always heard my relatives say, “You are not going to get married if this is how your attitude and behavior is.”  Well, isn’t that what every ambitious girl is told? I was asked to do a job where I did not have to struggle or might as well marry a guy who is settled in the US. I always knew that I am never going to settle for something that society wants me to do. I was forced into taking BiPC but I knew the future that I planned for myself was different.
 
I convinced my family and decided to join The Gujarat National Law University. Believe me when I say, a newspaper article is what motivated me to become a lawyer. One day, I was going through the newspaper and came across a story of physically challenged children from an orphanage who were fed nothing but rice and tamarind water. This is when I realised that as humans, we have the ability to help the innocent and bring justice.
 
Stepping out of Hyderabad and living an independent life was adventurous.  Apart from great exposure, one of the most honorable experiences for me was when I got the opportunity to intern for India’s ex-finance minister Mr. Arun Jaitley Sir. Pursuing law made me realise that I am not someone who can handle a typical 9-5 job.
 
The cases that I have fought so far have been memorable and challenging. But there’s nothing like the feeling of arguing your first case once you are a lawyer. My first case was a negotiable instrument act cheque bounce case. An innocent widow was arrested for a crime she had not committed. She was forced by her relatives to sign a cheque, even after knowing that her account did not have sufficient funds and hence the cheque bounced. She did not have enough money to pay her advocate and was behind bars for two months as an undertrial prisoner. Going through her case was a voluntary decision that I took, and decided to fight her case in court. Winning my first ever case taught me that it is not about the money all the time, but the satisfaction you get in bringing justice to the innocent.

I am a corporate lawyer by profession, but fighting criminal cases has always been my passion. I do this because I believe my expertise in this field can give voice to the innocent, especially for women who face atrocities. I don’t see the monetary aspect when I fight cases for the common man. In my father’s words “We, who are part of the judiciary act like the bridge between helping the common man who deserves justice and the government”.
 
The zeal to do something for society did not stop with me just pursuing law. I started to prepare for bureaucrat exams and gave the civil services examination.  Having appeared for all the levels made me realise that it is not the hard work that matters the most but it is the smart work that counts. This experience motivated me to choose the path of an educationalist. That is how few of my colleagues and I formulated “IAS Brains” in 2016. We aim to educate and share our knowledge with the youth by guiding them and making sure they do not commit the mistakes that we have. 

I believe it is time that people realise gender does not have anything to do with the kind of profession one chooses.”