Major Guneet Chaudhary joins us with an air of wisdom and experience, his presence commands respect and admiration.
What this session covered
This session, the second in NISSMAT's series on veterans who have prospered in second careers, took the form of a one-to-one interview between the host and a single guest: a former Indian Army armoured-corps officer who left the service comparatively early, qualified in law, built an international legal practice and later became an honorary consul of the Czech Republic for northern India. The conversation traced that journey chronologically, from the circumstances of his joining the Army through commissioning via the Officers Training Academy, to his decision to leave in pursuit of a profession without a retirement age.
Much of the discussion dwelt on what military service transfers to civilian professions. The speaker identified discipline, dedication, communication, negotiation, adaptability, multi-tasking, punctuality, integrity, patience and empathy as qualities instilled by the Army that he continues to draw on as a lawyer and diplomat. He was candid about the difficulty of the transition: studying law as a regular student alongside classmates many years younger, enduring lean early years at the bar, and eventually finding his niche in alternative dispute resolution and international arbitration. He described appearing before a United Nations human-rights forum in Geneva on behalf of an American national resisting return to the United States, and conducting arbitrations both for and against the Government of India. He also outlined his firm's pro bono work for ex-servicemen of all ranks and free internships offered to students of the Army Institute of Law.
The final portion covered his diplomatic role. He recounted a selection process stretching over several years, involving the sending state's foreign ministry, India's Ministry of External Affairs and presidential approval, and noted resistance to the appointment of an officer of relatively junior retired rank. His consular work has included assisting Czech citizens stranded in India during the Covid-19 lockdown and promoting Czech commercial collaboration with northern India in the context of the Make in India policy. His advice to veterans: younger leavers can afford career risks, later retirees should be more selective, law rewards only gradual growth, and officers considering legal practice should look to the Armed Forces Tribunal, where their service knowledge is directly relevant. He further argued that army officers are well suited to diplomatic appointments.
Key points raised
- The speaker credited discipline, communication, adaptability, patience and integrity instilled by Army service as the foundation of his later success in law and diplomacy.
- He described the move into law as slow and initially unremunerative, advising veterans to expect gradual growth and to have patience and faith in themselves rather than anticipate quick success.
- He recommended that senior officers entering the legal profession consider the Armed Forces Tribunal, where familiarity with courts of inquiry and service procedure gives them a natural advantage.
- His firm provides pro bono legal representation to ex-servicemen across ranks and free internships to students of the Army Institute of Law.
- As honorary consul of the Czech Republic for northern India, he described assisting stranded Czech citizens during the Covid-19 lockdown and working to attract Czech companies to the region under Make in India.
- He argued that army officers possess the qualities required of diplomats and suggested they deserve greater consideration for such appointments.
