Indian Mediation Week

Is Mediation new to India? From Lord Krishna mediating between Kauravas and Pandavas in the Mahabharata, to family elders resolving domestic issues, to panchayats providing community mediation, there exists a strong culture of mediation in India. There was a time when going to court was considered a blot on one's reputation, effectively ensuring a zero litigation policy. But after the introductio

n of the Anglo-Saxon legal system, modern day India has become more adversarial and less collaborative. The backlog of 3.2 crore cases is not just a statistic; it reflects the unfortunate adversarial mindset we have developed where justice is all about winning a legal battle, whatever the associated social costs. There is a need for change and mediation is not a new method of dispute resolution which we need to embrace. We simply need to get back to where we belong. The sole objective of Indian Mediation Week is to grow awareness, knowledge and use of mediation across different parts of India. Mediation has proved to be a successful and cost-effective alternative to going to Court around the world. It saves time, money and important relationships. Mediators do not make decisions or judgments, instead they quickly and expertly help people in conflict to reach their own agreement together. The biggest challenge mediation faces in India, is that people are unaware of its existence or, in the alternative, misunderstand it's concept. A mediation week will bring together all the major stakeholders of the mediation community on a common platform and highlight the benefits of this highly effective process to the general public. It is not just a 7 day event, but the beginning of a journey of taking India back to its original method of dispute resolution: Suljhao, Magar Pyar Se.