Norma Alvares - Session 02, 2020-06-15

(00:00:00) Inside the Courtroom When asked to describe a typical courtroom, Alvares talked about her experience working in the Bombay High Court. She described the courtroom as being ‘large,’ with a separate space where the public could sit in during hearings. There was a table and a lectern for the lawyers. The judges always sat on a raised platform, she added. The court master would handle the files and paper work. Usually lawyers were supposed to address the judge as ‘My Lord,’ but feeling that this was too archaic, Alvares said that she had always addressed judges as ‘Sirs,’ and ‘Madams.’ She talked about her experience working under senior lawyer Indira Jaising. When she finally did cases on her own, she never had any assistants helping her. She had to learn to stand her ground in court. Alvares talked about the importance of having a loud voice in court. Often, Alvares appeared in court to fight a case against very senior council members. It was often very intimidating for her to fight against government representatives and senior council members. She recalled the time she appeared in court with lawyer Ram Jethmalani and how she had to fight to get her views heard over her fellow colleague. (00:11:43) Fish Curry and Rice When asked to talk about The Other India Book Store’s publication, Fish Curry and Rice, Alvares pointed out how the book was named after Goa’s staple diet- fish curry and rice. This publication covered many of the environmental issues that the Goa Foundation took up in court. The publication had chapters about Goa’s tourism industry, the building of the Konkan railways, sand mining activities in the State and the depletion of fishes in the coastal areas. Fish Curry and Rice was read not just by a general audience, but an academic one, too, Alvares said. Largely, the book was very critical of the Goa government, she added. (00:19:05) Legal Frameworks When asked whether the Goa Foundation worked in the area of wildlife conservation, Alvares said that the Foundation’s work was mostly informed by the Environment Protection Act of 1986 and the Forest Conservation Act of 1980. The Goa Foundation tried to ensure that development projects did not encroach on Goa’s forest lands. (00:24:34) Animal Rights Activism When asked to talk about her animal rights activism, Alvares said that environmentalist and politician Maneka Gandhi was the first person to have advised her to begin an animal welfare organization. Alvares set up the People for Animals in 1996. Alvares talked about this organization’s role in banning bull-fighting in Goa. Alvares explained that bull fighting was largely done by Catholic communities in the State. Similarly, the shooting of stray dogs was also a common practise amongst many Goanese. The People for Animals organization helped lobby against this practise, too. Alvares talked about setting up shelters and initiating birth control programs to manage Goa’s stray animal population. Alvares also talked about her role as an amicus curiae to the Bombay High Court in a case pertaining to the banning of fishing activities during monsoons in India’s coastal areas. (00:37:33) Women in Court When asked about her own experiences of being a female lawyer, Alvares said that the court was heavily male dominated and often women only appeared as junior lawyers to senior councilmen. She also felt that women in court were too afraid to speak up in front of their senior colleagues and that most women lawyers didn’t pursue their law careers post marriage. Alavares said that by and large, she never faced any discrimination in court. However, she recounted an incident when a judge very blatantly mocked her during a hearing. She found the judge’s remarks very disrespectful. Alvares said that she took court matters very seriously and did not engage in such humour or mockery when she was at a professional workplace. (00:46:15) Receiving Awards for Her Work When asked to talk about receiving the Padma Shri, Alvares said that she had never heard of this award before and was very surprised to hear she was going to receive it. Alvares explained that it was Maneka Gandhi who had put forward Alvares’s name for this award. She felt this award was not just recognizing her work, but was also recognizing the work that environmentalists and activists were doing across India. This award was presented to Alvares in 2002 by a Bharatiya Janata Party led government. Alvares mentioned that even though the BJP had been criticized for its role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, she decided to accept this award because it honoured activists who were fighting for change, fighting the system and were in many ways challenging the government. When she travelled to Delhi to receive this award, she remembered being particularly impressed by the government’s hospitality towards her and her family. (00:53:36) Religious Views When asked to comment on her religious views, Alvares pointed out that she had always been a practising Catholic. However, she was not ritualistic at all. She said she has immense respect for other religions, although having grown up in a Christian household, she related to the figures of Jesus and Mother Mary, more than she did with Gods in the Hindu pantheon for instance. She did go to church, but only to meet people, she said. (00:57:18) Teaching Finally, when asked if she continued her teaching career, given that she had mentioned before about wanting to be a teacher, Alvares said that she had done a fair bit of teaching, although she never went back to University. She taught courses at the National Law School in Bangalore. She even taught at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun in the 1990s and 2000s. At that time, she was one of very few environmental lawyers in the country because environment conservation as a field had not developed as yet, she said. Alvares also took a few civil services classes in Pune.