The second edition of The Nalanda on 31 October 2018 saw a distinguished, retired judge of the Supreme Court of India, Ms Ruma Pal. The first woman Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, she has thought extensively about issues of constitutional justice, the position of women and other minorities, religion and law, all through her career and beyond. An alumnus of Viswa Bharati University, Nagpur University, and Oxford University, she has been one of the first few female participants in a largely male-dominated area of legal practice in India then.  At present, she is the Chancellor at Sikkim University and is a President on the Managing Committee of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission in Gangarampur.

In a conversation with Professor Aparajith Basu of the School of Arts and Sciences Ms Ruma Pal shared interesting personal anecdotes about her personal journey from being a law student to a judge of the Supreme Court, as well as some important moments of your career. She also discussed the recent surge of legal reforms in the Supreme Court and her own position on some of the current issues debated and raging across the Nation. The thought-provoking and inspirational conversation motivated students to participate enthusiastically in a discussion that followed.