The former Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande (Retd) PVSM AVSM VSM ADC, on Wednesday, reiterated the adoption of ethos of the Indian Army into legal fraternity and mainly, in the future lawyers of the country. “The culture, self-discipline and commitment to the country are the main pillars of the Indian Army. The young lawyers should inculcate these values to serve clients better,” said General Pande while delivering a keynote address at High Court Auditorium in Civil Lines, on Wednesday. General Pande was delivering a lecture on ‘Leadership Imperatives and Lessons from Indian Army’ conducted by High Court Bar Association (HCBA) in association with Late Shri Vinod Bobde Senior Advocate Memorial High Court Bar Association Study Circle. General Pande said that, both professions were noble. “Lawyers play a crucial role.

 

They represent and protect individuals and entities and ensure social justice.” While talking about Indian Army as an institution, General Pande said that Indian Army is the microcosm of values which a citizen looks up to. General Pande delved into ‘Naam’, ‘Namak’ and ‘Nishan’, an integral ideology of the Indian Army. “Naam means identity, Namak is the loyalty and indebtedness; and Nishaan is the respect for the insignia. Indian Army stands for service before self, and protecting the pride of the tricolour motivates the soldiers to bear the rigors of the tough military life,” said the retired Army Chief. According to General Pande, both law and military have identical demands from its officers character, conduct, competence and confidence. He urged that lawyers must imbibe the spirit of teamwork and nurture ability to blend in a team. “Adversities are not insurmountable barriers but stepping stones to success,” said General Pande. He advised the lawyers present to build camaraderie, spirit, collective pride and moral solidarity amongst peers. He encouraged budding lawyers to explore it as a profession.

 

“You will get to serve the nation, see combat, save lives, and relish many adventures,” General Pande added. The keynote speaker also interacted with students and lawyers during the programme and replied to their questions. Sitting Bombay High Court Judge, Justice Anil L Pansare was the chief guest of the programme. Justice Pansare appreciated the one religion philosophy of the Indian Army which is ‘selfless service’. He expressed his admiration for the unmatched discipline and round the clock alertness of the Army officers, very difficult to emulate by a common man. He acknowledged the respect commanded by soldiers in uniform and correlated it to the respect commanded by an advocate who also dons a black and white uniform. General Pande and Justice Pansare were feted by Adv Atul Pande, President, HCBA and Sr Adv Firdos Mirza, Convenor respectively. Adv Atul Pande; Adv Amol Jaltare, Secretary; and Adv Firdos Mirza also shared the dais. Adv Palakh Agrawal compered the event. Adv Jaltare proposed a vote of thanks.