Aarif hails from one of Kashmir’s worst militant-hit zones, Pattan, a small town in Baramullah district of Jammu and Kashmir. He lives in a joint family. His father is a farmer by occupation who earned a salary of INR 4,000 per month, and his mother is a homemaker. Being the eldest of the three siblings, he always had a sense of responsibility. Despite not having a strong financial background, Aarif never stopped chasing his dreams and never settled for anything but the best!
Aarif was introduced to law and IDIA by his cousin Musharaf, also an IDIA scholar at NUJS, Kolkata. So determined was he to study law that he travelled all the way to Delhi from Pattan to train with the IDIA Delhi Chapter.
The preparation year was tough on Aarif – language barriers and the pressure of entrance examinations tested his mettle. Not one to lose sight of his goal, Aarif worked extremely hard and with the help of IDIA’s affiliate partners, IMS and LST, performed extremely well in CLAT and AILET, the two leading law entrance examinations in the country!
When asked what he expects from life at an NLU, Aarif confidently stated in his first year: “I have learnt so much in this year and I am still learning. Throughout the year I have learnt from books and now I will learn from my life experiences. Finally, I am getting a platform where I can form my own opinions and influence the society. Hoping to have a long and fruitful journey ahead.”
Aarif aspires to become an asset to society, an inspiration to his younger siblings and friends from Pattan, and wishes to contribute towards the development of society. Aarif is currently studying at NLU Delhi. He enjoys reading and playing cricket, badminton and volleyball. Aarif is active on campus and volunteers in the organization of numerous college events. He has also interned at many diverse places including with Centre for Innovation, Intellectual Property and Competition, National Law University, Delhi; Sinha & Co., Law Firm, Kolkata; Hon’ble Justice Gita Mittal, Chief Justice, Jammu & Kashmir High Court and Chhabra Legal Advisors, New Delhi.