Professor Kala, a personality full of zeal and principles, took the plunge to pursue law in times when no women thought of doing so and since then she has never looked back.

Professor Kala Munet is extremely proud of her achievements having done her Bachelors, Masters and PhD in Law and being the first woman to do so back in 1989. In times when women didn’t even think of higher studies, Professor Kala was already into teaching as an Associate Professor, an opportunity she got just after eight days of joining Masters in Law at Mohanlal Sukhadia University. Currently, she is serving as a Dean at Shramjeevi College, Department of Law.

Prof Kala belongs to a time when our society was highly patriarchal and women empowerment unlike today was a thing of the past. In such times, an audacious Kala took the plunge to pursue law since she had always wished to provide justice to the common people with her power of words and societal interventions. However, the day she stepped into the court of law, she didn’t feel quite welcomed since there were hardly any women during those times who were seen in the courts. Then she decided to take up teaching to make a difference she has always wanted to make and found it to be the best choice.

Her journey as an Associate Professor won her accolades since she was not just teaching but held notable and important designations at the University. She has not only won the hearts of her students but was also responsible for the commencement of a 5-year law course at the college.

Kala shares that though she was supported by her family, she did not receive much support from society. However, when society witnessed her successful initiatives and the name she has earned for herself, they started appreciating her efforts.

The onset of COVID as she mentions was difficult for the students and teachers owing to slow internet speed during online sessions. On the other hand, she surprisingly experienced good times during covid in terms of health and spending time with family which gave her an opportunity to better understand one another.

Prof Kala feels that professional education is most important for girls especially if they want to work and be independent. Kala, who chose not to get married, says that marriage is a part of our culture and she encourages and respects it. She believes that reservation for women doesn’t allow them to express themselves well and women who reach heights without reservation benefits speak a different story in the eyes of others.

Sharing her thoughts on the qualities of a good lawyer, she says that a lawyer ought to be honest in order to be successful. They should have the ability to understand their client’s expectations and assure them of the justice they deserve, says Kala. If a person has committed a mistake, she says, he/she should be provided with an opportunity to rehabilitate again in society.

Kala urges aspiring students to not just study law but learn from it. She enlightens us that law as a profession opens up a diversity of options when compared to other fields. In a time when students want to study through online sources, Prof Kala suggests studying from books since they are our best friends.

“If you know the law, no one can fool you”, she says, substantiating it with examples that reflect the importance of law, like knowing our fundamental rights in order to utilize them.

Talking about her inspirations, she considers her father as her role model and reiterates his role in supporting her education and that of her siblings who are highly qualified today. Another source of her inspiration is her Guruji who always motivated her to study and reach heights in her career.

Prof Kala, who has always wanted to contribute to a better future of society, loves to teach Hindu law and has also opened a counselling centre where she gives advice to women on how to deal with household-related issues. This way she has settled many cases out of court which is truly inspiring.

Prof Kala’s childhood was quite pleasant and it was the time when she started coaching students at home. If she were to fly in a time machine, she would like to relive those happy childhood moments.

Sharing her viewpoint on leadership, Prof Kala says that a leader should be polite and know how to command and possess the decision making and convincing power for people to believe in them. Today’s generation, she says, don’t accept their mistakes due to which they can neither learn nor become a good leader.

Sharing a few of her principles in life, Prof Kala says that people should not be engaged in professions where other people are at a loss and tread the path of truth and honesty. “Even if you don’t possess knowledge of the law, rules are still applicable to you”, she quotes.

In her free time, Prof Kala likes to read books, take counselling sessions and indulge herself in social services for which she has adopted a government school from where she gained her primary education and aides them in the time-to-time necessities of the children.