Gurve is deeply personal to me. It is a reflection of my own journey, which began in 2014 when I entered law school at NUJS.

Law was never a part of my plan. As a teenager who had chosen Commerce in Class XI, my dream was to study at Shri Ram College of Commerce and eventually pursue an MBA. When CLAT happened, however, I chose law instead.

On my very first day on campus, I felt truly lost. The July rains in Kolkata (NUJS) only made everything seem more uncertain. I felt out of place—neither my clothes, nor my command of English, nor my accent, nor my habit of sleeping early seemed to fit into the environment around me. Many of my classmates appeared more resourceful and extraordinarily hardworking.

I was ready to work hard, yet I soon realised that hard work alone was not enough. The real challenge was not to excel, but to decide what to excel at, what to prioritise, and how to stay true to my own circumstances without feeling embarrassed or left behind.

It was during this phase that I found my guide—my father, my guru. Our compatibility was so natural that it often felt as though he had been waiting for years to mentor me through law school and beyond, while I had been waiting for someone who truly understood me.

Together, we walked the entire journey—from not knowing what a Bare Act was on my first day of law school to graduating as the University Gold Medallist; from several unsuccessful PPO interviews to securing multiple campus placements; from worrying about application costs to studying at Oxford with scholarships and sponsorship; from believing I was meant for a law firm to eventually choosing academia; from watching many of my peers build their lives abroad to consciously building my career in India; and now, from being a corporate law academic to building Gurve.

Looking back, I realise that I did not choose differently for the sake of being different. I chose differently because my mentor gave me the confidence to stay true to my values instead of deriving my goals entirely from peer pressure and other elements of my external environment.

As it is written at the entrance of the Sanchi Stupa:

"Whoever travels without a guide needs two hundred years for a four days' journey."

My own life has been a reflection of that wisdom.

I know I am not the only one who has felt this way. There are countless students and young professionals who need continuous, comprehensive, high-quality and honest mentorship. That guidance becomes even more meaningful when it comes from someone who has walked different paths and can offer both first-hand experience and a holistic understanding of the legal profession.

While I was fortunate to have my father as my guru, I hope you will find Gurve to be yours.