First exchange student from India law school enriches life at Queen’s

Photo by Aimee Burtch Neelam Singh, the first exchange student at Queen's from Jindal Global Law School, outside Macdonald Hall in March 2011.

Since beginning her term on exchange at Queen’s Law in January, Neelam Singh has enriched both the classroom and broader learning environment with her unique cultural perspective. Neelam, a student from the newly established Jindal Global Law School in the National Capital Region of Delhi, is attending Queen’s as the first recipient of an award established by Andrew Best, Law ’81.

Neelam could not be more enthusiastic. “Studying at Queen’s has given me the opportunity to study with some of the best professors in the world,” she says. “My time at Queen’s has been a life-time learning experience.”

 In most of the subjects she is studying at Queen’s, Neelam finds a direct relevance to the Indian and international legal systems she has been studying at Jindal. Canadian constitutional law has been of particular interest to her since she finds many similarities between the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Indian Constitution. In the Alternative Dispute Resolution course, she is learning skills that are frequently used to resolve issues on family law, her main area of interest.

In pursuing this field, Neelam describes the focus on current international issues in the Advanced Family Law class as “very interesting and educative.” As she works on a paper on same-sex relationships in India, comparing its legal system to that in Canada, she observes: “The Canadian legal system is very advanced in the area of family law. Though the movement for the rights of LGBT persons has started In India, there is a long way to go before these people get their due rights.”

As is always hoped for in an academic exchange, her contributions often shed a new light on matters being discussed in class. “She brings to the Advanced Family Law class an invaluable comparative perspective,” says Professor Martha Bailey, the course instructor. “She introduces the class to the very different system in India, where different family and succession laws apply to each religious group.”

Outside the classroom, Neelam has given Queen’s Law students the opportunity to learn more about her school and country. Amrita Singh, Law ’12, who will be one of five students from Queen’s going to Jindal in 2011-12, was initially interested in the exchange program so that she could study in a part of the world that is experiencing exceptional growth.

To find out what it’s really like to be a student at Jindal, Amrita, President of the South Asian Law Students' Association, invited Neelam to an event to meet students. She discussed with them everything from class sizes and the environment to types of food to expect, and also offered to take them on a tour when they arrive. “We are incredibly lucky to have Neelam here,” says Amrita, “and we'll be even more lucky to have her show us around next year at Jindal!”

Later this term, Neelam will be joining all outgoing Jindal exchange students from Queen’s Law for dinner to give them further insights, as well as helpful tips on travelling around India. “She is an excellent ambassador for Jindal,” Amrita says. “I can only hope to be as excellent an ambassador for Queen's.”

While she initially experienced some adjustment problems in her first time travelling abroad, Neelam soon found many students and staff at the Law School, Queen’s International Centre, and elsewhere on campus helping her adapt to the new environment. “Everybody at Queen’s tried their best to make my stay here comfortable and memorable.”

One of those persons has been her assigned host buddy, Brianna Butchart, Law ’12, LSS President. And the affection is mutual. “Having Neelam at Queen's this semester has been a wonderful benefit for the students here,” Brianna says. “Besides her cheery disposition, she has also been very generous with her time and knowledge, telling students about what it is like to live and study law in India. She has even offered to teach me how to tie a sari!”

Neelam, whose stay in residence at Harkness International Hall has given her a chance “to interact and make friends from different cultures and various parts of the world,” also says she has found that the many events at Queen’s, which help people to socialize and learn, have helped her to grow as a person.

Neelam’s studies at Queen’s are supported by the Robert Wallace Best Exchange Award, of which she is the first recipient. With a significant donation of $130,000 in honour of his father (a Sc ’50 graduate), Andrew Best, Law ’81, endowed the annual award to enable law students from India and South Africa to study at Queen’s Law.

Photo by Brianna Butchart

Exchange award donor Andrew Best (middle), Law '81, and his wife Dr. Maithili Wilson, Sc '81, meet Neelam Singh in Kingston on April 9, 2011.

Throughout his business and personal travels, Andrew Best, Managing Director of Interward Asset Management Limited, has always found the cultures of the two emerging countries to be “tremendously fascinating and stimulating.” He hopes the award ends up changing the dynamic and character of the student body in a small way, enhancing the exchange of ideas, and encouraging Queen’s Law students to pursue an exchange with Jindal or the University of Cape Town.

“I got a lot out of my time at Queen’s Law-- the courses, professors and students -- and then from fellow alumni I’ve kept in touch with, so I wanted to give something back,” he adds.

“It was all because of Dean Flanagan’s efforts and Mr. Best’s generosity that I am here today,” Neelam says. “Without this award it would not have been possible for me to come to Queen’s on exchange and I would have always regretted missing this opportunity.”

And so would Queen’s Law students. “If students weren't excited about the opportunity to study at Jindal before, they are now,” Brianna says. “It's great having students from all around the world come to Queen's."