BENGALURU: Talk to Akshat Baldwa, a five-year integrated undergraduate BA, LL.B. (Hons) degree graduate, 100 per cent visually impaired, and you will find yourself reeking confidence. “Be it visual or any other form, firstly, you have to recognize to accept that you have some weaknesses and just try to work around them. For me, it was transition from Hindi medium to English at a top law college NLSIU. First I used Google Translate, then my friends to navigate language,” he said. Having his mother come from Indore to Bengaluru and be his biggest champion, living just 200 metres from the campus, and running a home-food service, was his biggest support as he dreams to eventually take up civil services.At the 33rd annual convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) on Sunday, Baldwa’s journey stood out among stories of perseverance and achievement that drew applause from fellow graduates and faculty alike.For Baldwa, who studied in a Hindi-medium government school in Indore, arriving at NLSIU meant stepping into a world where every reading list seemed insurmountable. “In my first year, I would confuse words and spellings. Even my assignments had errors that looked silly to others. It was embarrassing, but I didn’t stop,” he recalled. With patience and persistence, he leaned on friends for corrections and gradually built fluency, later turning to AI tools to refine his academic writing.One of his defining experiences was securing a seat in a joint NLSIU–Harvard Law School elective on comparative copyright law. “Only ten students were chosen. Being part of that class gave me the confidence that I could hold my own in any setting,” he said.Behind the scenes, his mother’s presence was transformative. Moving from Indore, she began cooking meals for nearly 20 students while also caring for her son. “Her food service kept her close to campus and kept me grounded. Every day I knew there was someone rooting for me,” Baldwa said. His father, a construction company supervisor, also joined the family in celebrating his convocation.Adapting to the rigour of NLSIU meant making peace with imperfections, a mantra he wanted to share with others on similar journeys. “You may not be able to wake up at five, and that’s okay. You just find another way—study late into the night if you must. The point is to accept your limitations and still move forward,” he said.As he looks ahead to government service with a focus on diplomacy, Baldwa carries lessons in resilience. “I want my work to connect law with public service. What NLSIU has taught me is not just law, but how to persevere.”
