A Mission To India

	(Left to Right): Ms Yasho Dhoraisingam, Ms Evelyn Phang, Mr Philip Jeyaretnam SC and Ms Jeannette Aruldoss

India became a favourite holiday destination of mine after my first visit to Goa in 2000. Since then, the pink and blue cities and majestic palaces of Rajasthan and the quiet backwaters of Kerala have beckoned me back to this exotic sub-continent.

On 2 April 2006, together with 12 other lawyers, I gathered at Terminal One of Changi International Airport to board a Jet Airways flight to experience another side of India, the roaring Asian economic giant, as part of a five-day legal mission of the Law Society to Mumbai and Delhi.

For this trip, my luggage comprised not my usual single suitcase (with that extra bag for shopping ‘goodies’) but six boxes containing literature about the Society, 150 mission brochures, the Society’s official plaques and gifts as well as my sombre blue suitcase with office clothes for a five-day working mission.

A Mission of Many Firsts

Little did I or the other members of the mission from small, medium and large law practices know, this mission marked many significant ‘firsts’ for the Law Society.

It was a first mission designed to promote the commercial law of Singapore overseas. It was a first mission planned with the assistance and support of a business federation, in this case, the Confederation of Indian Industry (‘CII’) which worked with the Society to arrange the programme (two-and-a-half days in Mumbai and two days in Delhi).

The programme was designed to ensure members were briefed by industry experts of India’s growing banking and airport sectors; and on policy issues by senior civil servants from the Ministries of Commerce and Industry and Ministry of Finance of the Government of India, and officials from the Bombay Stock Exchange and Securities and Exchange Board.

It was the first mission at which the Society was privileged to be hosted by our High Commission as the delegation met Singapore  Deputy High Commissioner to India, Ms Lee Lorling, who briefed it on the India-Singapore Free Trade Agreement signed on 29 June 2005.

It was the first mission supported by representatives of the Economic Development Board (‘EDB’), the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (‘IPOS’), the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (‘SIAC’) and Singapore Academy of Law (‘SAL’).

The promotion of Singapore law was done through two half-day seminars presented to business representatives and lawyers in Mumbai and Delhi, organised by CII, which covered the following topics:

1   ‘Singapore – Location of Choice for Internationalism’ by Mr Richard 
Tan, EDB

2   ‘Settling Disputes by Arbitration in Singapore’ by Mr Ganesh Chandru, Counsel and Assistant Registrar of the SIAC, and Mr Mohan Pillay of Wong Partnership
 

3   ‘How Singapore Law Can Help You in Your Business Venture’ by Mr Gerald Singham of SAL

4   ‘Why List Your Company on the Singapore Stock Exchange’ by Mr Bijay Nawal of Ang & Partners

5   ‘How Singapore Can Help You Enter the China Business Market’ by Mr Tan Chong Huat of KhattarWong

6   ‘Copyright and Trademark protection for Indian Business’ by Mr Wong Sheng Kwai, Assistant Director General/Legal Counsel , IPOS and Mrs Murgiana Haq, Chairperson of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Law Society of Singapore

This was not the first mission headed by the President of the Law Society and the mission was privileged to have the President Mr Philip Jeyaretnam, SC join the Delhi leg.

It was not the first mission to make contact with the Society’s counterpart in India, namely, the Indian Bar Association, and meet lawyers at their offices and learn first-hand about the practice of law in India.

A Word of Thanks

The Society must express its thanks to the Indian Bar Association, especially its President, Mr Fali Sam Nariman, and Secretary, Mr Lalit Bhasin, who arranged a visit to the Supreme Court in Delhi and hosted the delegation to dinner. Thanks also to the law practices of Armarchand Mangaldas and Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe for their warm hospitality and support for the mission in Mumbai.

This mission would not have been possible without the support of Mr P Selvadurai and the untiring efforts of Mr Mohan Pillay, both members of the International Relations Committee and International Enterprise (‘IE’) Singapore. I must also record the Society’s thanks for the excellent support and service of Jet Airways and the Taj Hotels.

Making New Friends

Finally but not least, I must thank the lawyers who travelled on this mission: Doreen Ng, Murgiana Haq, Mohan Pillay, Gerald Singham, S Thangavellu, Joyce Fernando, Evelyn Phang, Jeannette Aruldoss, Yusuff Ali, Moiz Sattiwalla, Bijay Nawal, L Penna, Tan Chong Huat, Nicholas Lazarus, Wong Seng Kwai from IPOS and Ganesh Chandru from SIAC for their most delightful company and support to both my colleague Shawn Toh and I.

Shawn and I made new friends travelling on this mission, proving again that there is one sure way to build camaraderie at the Bar – just have lawyers travel together. I will always fondly remember the mango party in the hotel room of a member of the delegation after a long day in Delhi, the lovely sight of both Evelyn and Jeanette who were inspired to be Indian maidens for the reception hosted by the Indian Bar in Delhi, and the dinner in Bombay where, amidst jovial company, Shawn discovered the mutton dish of 
Rogan Josh!

Yasho Dhoraisingam

The Law Society of Singapore