At Saveetha School of Law, students didn’t just learn to argue a case—they were challenged to architect a city’s future.
Because every now and then, a lecture transcends the textbook.
Every now and then, a classroom stops being four walls and starts becoming the frontline of change.
That’s exactly what happened on May 3, 2025, when the Department of Intellectual Property Rights at Saveetha School of Law (SSL), part of Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), hosted V. R. Hari Balaji, Senior Manager – Communications at Urbaser Sumeet, for an eye-opening session on Sustainable Solid Waste Management for a Circular Economy—a session not just inspired by global best practices but rooted deeply in Chennai’s very own civic transformation.
The University: Where Technology Meets Responsibility
Ranked among the top universities in India, SIMATS stands as a national leader in intellectual property (IP) education, research, and real-world innovation. With a NAAC A++ accreditation and a Top 10 NIRF rank in 2024, SIMATS is more than an academic institution—it is a movement that bridges technological advancement with social impact.
SIMATS equips students with hands-on industry exposure, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a culture of practical problem-solving. From patent filings to tech-transfer platforms, the university empowers future innovators to not just invent, but to protect, commercialize, and scale their solutions for societal good.
Saveetha School of Law: Where Legal Theory Meets Civic Action
SSL isn’t your typical law school. Housing dedicated IP and Entrepreneurship Development Cells, SSL trains students not just to understand the law, but to apply it in solving some of society’s most urgent challenges. Its Institutional Innovation Cell ignites student-led problem-solving, making law a vehicle for innovation.
SSL ranks among the top law institutions in Tamil Nadu, known for producing lawyers who are as skilled in advocacy as they are in civic leadership.
The Conference: A Call to Action on E-Waste and Circularity
The International Conference on Global Challenges and Local Solutions: Advancing Sustainable Solid Waste Management for a Circular Economy wasn’t just an academic event—it was a strategic intervention in how India rethinks waste.
Held at the Moot Court Hall, Saveetha School of Law, the conference convened experts from government, industry, civil society, and academia to explore sustainable, inclusive, and localized solutions. With Chennai as the anchor case study, discussions explored regulatory frameworks, technological innovations, EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility), citizen engagement, and circular economy principles.
From Theory to Civic Reality: Hari Balaji’s Session Redefines Legal Learning
Hari Balaji didn’t step in with polished slides.
He stepped in with raw civic realities.
Drawing from his frontline experience leading one of India’s largest urban waste revolutions, he invited students to rethink waste—not as garbage, but as misplaced value.
His session, “The Chennai Civic Playbook,” brought stories of conservancy warriors, ward-level segregation models, and how cities quietly reprogram themselves from within. But what happened next wasn’t in any agenda.
Students were divided into groups to solve:
• Plastic pollution
• Water scarcity
• E-waste management
• Urban waste behavior
No hypotheticals. No mock cases. Just real-world chaos.
They mapped stakeholder journeys, designed civic campaigns, proposed behavior change nudges, and prototyped waste governance models.
This was legal education reinvented.
From Future Lawyers to Civic Architects
“These students didn’t just discuss the law; they were practicing governance in real time,” Hari Balaji observed. “They didn’t wait to be hired as city planners—they became them.”
SSL’s Moot Court transformed into a decision-making war room. Students didn’t just defend justice—they designed it. Where waste once meant negligence, they saw civic opportunity.
No Selfies, No Trophies—Just Impact
No staged applause, no hashtags. Just a silence—heavy with realization.
Because some sessions don’t end—they plant a new beginning.
When these students walk into courtrooms tomorrow, they won’t just defend the law.
They’ll shape how justice looks in everyday life.
Event Details
International Conference on Global Challenges, Local Solutions: Advancing Sustainable Solid Waste Management for a Circular Economy
Organized by:
Department of Intellectual Property Rights
Saveetha School of Law
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS)
Date:
May 03, 2025
Venue:
Moot Court Hall, Saveetha School of Law, Chennai
Panel of Speakers
• Mr. Jai Kiran Sugumar
General Manager, Urbaser Sumeet
• Mr. V. R. Hari Balaji
Senior Manager – Communications, Urbaser Sumeet
• Mr. M. Pradeep Babu
Social Activist & Rashtrapati (President) Scout Awardee
• Ms. Ann Anra
Founder & Trustee, Wasted 360 Solutions
Convenors
Chief Convenor:
Prof. Dr. Asha Sundaram, Principal, Saveetha School of Law
Co-Convenors:
• Prof. Dr. Anju Mohan,
Professor & Head,
Department of IPR
• Dr. Murugan Ramu,
* Associate Professor & Head, Department of Management Studies
Organizers
• Faculty Organizer:
Ms. Raveena R. Nair,
Assistant Professor,
Saveetha School of Law
• Student Organizers:
Ms. Varsha K.S,
PhD Scholar,
Saveetha School of Law
• Student Coordinators:
Mr. Jagadeesan M
About the Speaker – V. R. Hari Balaji
V. R. Hari Balaji is not just a communicator—he is a seasoned humanitarian strategist. He has served at the pan-India level across prestigious assignments for both government and non-government organizations.
Highlights of Service:
• Coordinated NDMA’s Emergency Management Exercises in Chennai (2011) and Guwahati (2012)
• Master Trainer, UNFPA-Sphere India on MISP & SGBV disaster modules in Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal & Tamil Nadu
• Conducted “Strengthening Emergency Response Systems in Hospitals” across all Tamil Nadu districts (2015)
• State Team Lead – Chennai Flood Response & Recovery (2015), Sphere India
• State Team Lead – Inter Agency Coordination (2018), Sphere India
• State Team Lead – Kerala Flood Response & Recovery (2019), CARE India
• Public Health Emergency Specialist – UNICEF, Chennai during COVID-19 (2019–2020)
