Dipti Srivastava was becoming quite a phenomenon in the tennis world. The young girl from Kolkata was rising up the national and international juniors’ tennis circuits. Yet when persistent injuries cut short her flourishing tennis streak, Dipti embodied the sporting spirit and unflinchingly diverted her attention to a different kind of court. A successful corporate lawyer today, the JGU alumna’s story is an inspiring one—it shows how you can deal with disappointment and battle all odds to become a winner, wherever you put your mind.
“I was a sportsperson all my life. My life revolved around sports while in secondary and higher secondary school,” says Dipti without a hint of regret about how things may have turned out. As a sportsperson, her passion was her purpose at the time. Eight hours of training on the tennis court was part of her rigorous daily routine. For the rising tennis star, academics was but a fallback option. But it became her only option after the spate of injuries. Armed with a B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata and a winning attitude, she decided to focus her attention on courts of a different kind.
Dipti admits that becoming a lawyer was not on her mind, but being on the O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) campus offered a whole new perspective. Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) gave her the opportunity to groom herself into a professional with a promising future while pursuing her passion for sports. “Not a day goes by without me cherishing the decision to become a student of JGU,” she shares. The learning environment helped Dipti transition smoothly from practice courts to the world of legal practice. Mentorship by the faculty was similar to the devoted coaching she was familiar with on the tennis court: personal, and suited to her playing style.
Only now, Dipti was bringing her A-game to the study of law. Once she found her rhythm, there was no looking back. She immersed herself into the campus life, becoming an active member of several societies and participating in sports festivals. Every experience nourished her talents and gave her the confidence to ace any challenge that came her way. Before you could say ‘Time’, Dipti had served notice of legal talent and even co-authored a paper on ‘GST – Law Reform or Law Restatement’. “JGLS made me a student of law and, more importantly, a “good” student of law,” shares Dipti.
From then on, her movement on the new courts was flawless. The same passion, dedication and determination that saw her through sports now coursed through her legal training and thereafter, an upstanding legal career. Internships with Mathur and Associates, Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co., Khaitan & Co., and Nishith Desai Associates proved perfect training grounds for her professional debut. During those stints, Dipti gained firsthand exposure and conducted research on a wide range of topics: from Mining Laws and Labour Laws to women’s rights. Attending summer school at Sommerville College, Oxford University, she could gain insights into International Law and Global Governance.
Dipti was now well and truly ready to put her best foot forward on the courts of law. She chose to go back to her roots in Kolkata after having been away from home for long. “But there are fewer opportunities in the state. Thankfully the skills and abilities that I developed at JGU helped me bag a job as a legal consultant with a leading firm,” she says proudly. After working with HSA Advocates as an Associate for three years, she joined Citadel Law Chambers. “The story is not over guys; there’s more to come in the next few years!” declares Dipti. And only then will it be game, set, and match.
