The Journalists: The Shri Vaishnav Institute of Law E-Journal

The Journalists is a deeper look at the journals published by law schools around the country. In this edition, Campus Ambassador Kajal Jain interviews, Prof. (Dr.) Binayak Patnaik, Director of the Shri Vaishnav Institute of Law and the Chief Editor of the SVIL E-Journal.

What was your view while entering into this law field?

After completion of my master degree in English literature along with my PhD in library and information science, I entered into law profession as a teacher assuming that law is an all-embracing profession, ever thriving profession, ever changing profession and evergreen profession and what I perceived that time found correct today, after completing more than 27 years of teaching in legal profession.

While the media plays a vital role in shaping minds as well as influencing the opinion of people, can you give any suggestions on how to take a stand and form your own opinion?

Nowadays, we are talking about media judiciary, actually media can never replace judiciary. Secondly, the media undoubtedly ventilates public opinion.

Public opinion in India is always mixed therefore the media should also give that mixed opinion. For every community the media should always try to portray those things that will serve the public interest of the country and should not go against the unity and integrity of the nation.

What media should play and as such portrayal of news in the media should always take due care in bringing sustainability i.e. a compromise between positive portrayal and negative portrayal because always giving a negative or positive portrayal is also not good. There should be balance.

In addition to that, the media should never be biased. It should always be true and honest and this is media ethics. Ethics are for all.

What was the turning point of your life?

Turning point in my life is when I entered into the legal profession because after completing my master degree in 2 majors and PhD. I was in English literature as well as in the information science profession as a teacher and when I think of days when I entered into the legal profession, I realise that was the turning point.

Today, being director of Shree Vaishnav institute of law, I’m thinking that this legal profession has brought me here. I belong originally from Orissa but I could be here because the legal profession is an embracing profession, it is a dynamic profession.

The sky is the limit for the person belonging to the legal profession.

Are there any criteria of editing journals? if yes, then what is yours?

I am chief editor of one of journal i.e. SVIL E-journal. We publish it half yearly and it is acknowledged by ISSN.

As an editor I found that the format of the article is very important for publication in a journal. First you have to put the abstract, then a basic heading, sub heading and reference at the end because an article without reference is of no use.

You have to give footnotes also for every article. The subject matter of the article must be relevant to the topic. It must be in the context of the topic that you have chosen for the article. In addition to that there must be an integration. Integration means beginning is within the end and there must be conclusion as well as suggestion.

You must conclude what you’re going to say. You must suggest what is your viewpoint regarding the subject which would facilitate the other researcher to publish an article on the basis of your article because suggestions are very important.

Any life learning experience you would like to share with us?

From the childhood days till date it is not that I was born with the golden spoon in my mouth. I belong to a lower middle class family. My education in childhood days was very difficult because while I was in 4^th I was to go to another village because at my village there is no 4^th class it was upto 3^rd standard only.

So I had to go to another village by crossing a river namely rushikulya, but even though I was passing through that particular turmoil and trouble, I still accepted it.

I accept everything in my life and I feel that accepting every situation that comes in our way in life with pleasure is essential. Acceptance is the only way by which you can make your life pleasurable and not miserable because when you do that you would definitely be happy in your life.

First accept everything and then try to change it. Don’t just sleep after accepting but try to overcome it.