|
| Padmashree N.R.Madhava Menon, Thiruvananthapuram |
|
|
|
Download Database of featured talents. (Excel file) |
Renowned jurist and teacher of law, Padmashree N.R.Madhava Menon hadnot thought of law as a career. And in fact during his school days during 1940s, getting something to appease the hunger was itself an achievement. The sacrifices of his mother and sisters had paved the foundation for what he is today.
In 1953 he joined L.L.B course and became a dear student of Dr.A.T.Markose, Professor of Law. After completing the course he took up a job in Central Government Service at Delhi. That was the beginning of his world travels and world renown.
He completed M.A from Punjab University and later became a faculty at Aligarh Muslim University. From there he obtained L.L.M with distinction in all the subjects and then went on to complete his Ph.D.
He consulted Professor Markose, who was then Director of Indian Law Institute, and joined as reader in Delhi University. And at 33 he became the youngest professor of law in India. Under the fellowship of Ford Foundation, he studied for 1 year at Columbia University and visited Harvard, Yale and Michigan Universities. After this exposure he blossomed as a teacher of law.
Discarding the lecture method of teaching, he took up the case study method followed in USA. He started the moot courts and was the 1st editor of Indian Bar Review for 12 years. He was a member of the Law Commission also. After 4 years of deputation as Principal of Law College, Pondicherry, he took up the post of Vice Chancellor of University of Juridical Science, Kolkatta at the behest of Jyothi Basu, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal.
At the age of 68, when he looks back, he has no attachment to jurisprudence. “But I am fully satisfied as a teacher. If I have another life, I would prefer to be a teacher then also. Man-making, creating talented students, is my joy”, he says. And among his famous students, 2 are Kapil Sibil and Arun Jaitley.
Courtesy: P.Kishore (text), B.Jayachandran (photo), Sree, Malayala Manorama, March 3, 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
