19 till I die

A Responsible Scientist To the vast majority of of the Indian Public (maybe others as well), the person in a white coat pouring a lustrous green clear fluid from one raised test tube to another raised test tube containing a bright scarlet fluid, is a scientist! In rural areas where literacy equals education, the concept of a scientist might be a little alien. In urban centres, where in some select schools and colleges, select Science educators work passionately, the notion of science and and a scientist is a little clearer. What makes a scientist a responsible one? The view of a practising scientist or student is likely to differ from what the society thinks. It should be rewarding to examine both perspectives. A web dictionary search for the word 'scientist' yields definitions like "an expert in science, esp. one of the physical or natural sciences". The layman's picture of a scientist is critical. It determines the aspirations of the next generation of kids taki...

Been here a year now! I’m writing this upon someone’s request. Not that I didn’t want to earlier but I officially have a reason now. The request was ‘tell me about the “I-have-been-in-TIFR-experience”’. I have but a year behind me in this monument that India maintains to honour and perpetuate Science. The experience may just have been like any other to a hardened researcher (other than from Physics and maths; the biologists and chemists understand each others grievances better). But for someone fresh out of a BSc and fairly naive in the ways of research, it has been a roller coaster ride! A lot of people feel they have achieved something big when they come into TIFR. Most of the time it reflects in their confidence, at times to a point of arrogance. I felt differently (at least from my point of view). From the outside, one perceived it a different world altogether. One expects brainy minds zipping back and forth, discussing weighty issues of scientific truth in its ungarbed, realistic ...

Irony I awaited a local At Andheri of all stations A nagging feeling Testing my patience Mumbai's funny thought I Where shit and gold together lie The best groomed people Their overfed pets The sad plagued people Envying those pets Afore me a sick man lay Harbouring as many worms As straw in hay Blistered skin with infected wounds He was pain personified What more do I say? To his right was a mutt A broken leg, it had no hair Fungal eczema everywhere Ticks at its eyes blinding it Its suffering too gave you a scare The sick man saw the mutt He got up, his temper amuck He couldn't move much Very little energy as such But upset he visibly was He seemingly liked not dogs A diseased body shooed another Drove it in someother direction Both in hunger and in pain The sufferings of both were just the same Both were stray, both were sad Yet an arrogance one of them had And then, what happened next was sadder stil There came a dog, not at all ill. A pomeranian on a leash Its clean white c...

Company 3rd September 2004 This cool dusk post monsoon, I wish for company, really soon I can't sit still and watch the moon For lonliness lays me a loon. Every evening this does happen My concentration does slacken Saturation with books reflects on my looks My nose alert to what elsewhere cooks. Yet my conscience it presses Due to various sorts of stress es Work I must in excesses For acaedemic grade muscle flexes. But Company I crave Be it a Saint or a knave I do not rant and rave Why must this evening be grave? I might fancy a lover Be it Preity or another Spending time is all the matter But let it be meaningful It makes the interest fatter. Still, there is literature Way appealing than viral nomenclature Though its quality could a be fixture Books provide company I believe Alas! The sort I wish to leave It had best be a friend Conversation with whom would have no end For him, my schedule I'm willing to bend Or better still, time suspend For the while my pen sufficed Kept me...

Published in the IIS Newsletter Jan 2006 A Graduate’s anguish As the nation marches towards vision 2020, the scientific community in India is impeding its own progress. The Intelligentsia of India bears the sacred task of furthering knowledge and learning. A better job can be made of it is a prevalent feeling. The situation is likened to a racer who just can’t utilize the abundant fuel available to it. The student component of an educational institution is as important as any other. Being among students here, one easily realizes the tremendous potential that lies in our human resources. The fact that Indian students contribute majorly to the world economy speaks volumes about our potential. Unfortunately, these diamonds in the rough aren’t quite being polished. It must be acknowledged that primary and secondary education in India can do a lot better than it is doing now. However, the importance of higher education can’t be neglected. Denying training to virtuous students can be quite a...