Remembering Him

This is what Sohan Lal Dwivedi said about him (an excerpt):

Online interface of ITRANS is acknowledged for writing text in Devanaagari.

Celebrations far away

Yesterday was so special to me. I was surrounded by so many Indians away from home. I happened to take part in the flag hoisting ceremony on Republic Day. The programme was colourful, so were the sarees around! It was the first time when I saluted the flag across the miles and I do not know exactly why, but Jana Gana Mana echoed very differently inside. Then, there were Samosas, Gulab Jamuns and Chaay to follow!

May God continue showering His blessings on our nation.

These forty steps

Exactly forty years ago, on January 23 1966 the time was frozen when the person who made India realise her dream of excelling into pure sciences, stepped out of his office. The very next day, he was dead and the pages on his desk calendar were never flipped again.

Bhabha was much ahead of his time. He was probably the first Indian who realised the importance of basic sciences in an era, when most fertile brains of the world were engaged in making bombs. Anyone could have questioned his intentions that time, but luckily no one did and the things went well.

Following years were of exponential growth in TIFR, but suddenly, he left everyone and those who remained had a challenging task of giving a more concrete shape to his dreams. In deed, they did their best.

"Why TIFR could not collect a single Nobel in last 60 years"? A very valid question, though at the first glance only, often raised (mostly by journalist type people, who have been caught saying that Stephen Hawking is a string theorist! Thank God, they are less aware of Fields Medal). I agree, medals do bring the prestige to the country, and to the lucky scientist in whose lab, people work hard to achieve, intentionally or unintentionally something which others find useful for the mankind. I am sure, medals do not judge the true intellect of the scientists and no one gives medals for nation building. Nation building is not merely an empty word, it has something inside and TIFR has achieved that.

Who would have expected 60 years ago from an institute of pure sciences to come up with the first indigenous computer TIFRAC? Later on, in late sixties when no one knew the meaning of a software, TIFR scientists and administrators initiated the idea of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and played a key role in its genesis. The first e-mail from India was sent from TIFR and establishments like NCST (now C-DAC) and SAMEER were side products of the institute's activities. GMRT was another show carried out by Indians under the guidance of the man who saw its dream. Medals can not count the value of these things. I do not think that it brings less pride to the "otherwise poor" country (as they would say), when they request us to let them use GMRT. Now even in Science Education and Olympiad activities, HBCSE has become hub of the country, and has even hosted two - Maths (1996) and Chemistry (2001) international olympiads.

I am not here to write an essay on 101 achievement of TIFR, but want to justify that the institute founded to carry out pure research, has contributed substantially to the nation's growth even after Bhabha's departure forty years ago.

That desk calendar still stays frozen in the auditorium named after him, which he could never see. The date of his last visit to the institute comes every year, and is an occasion for the institute to tell her creator that the show is still going on.

Identity Crisis

"Are you a student"?

Not really. Actually, I am a post-doc here in the University.

"Meaning what"?

I am doing what one is supposed to do after PhD.

"Oh, so you teach there... but how can you teach, you do not know French"!

Well, I do not teach either.

"Then what do you do? What are you paid for"?

I do research.

"But just now you told that you have come here after doing your research".

That's right, you know, but I mean.......

And the common man stares suspiciously with thousands of unanswered questions in his eyes.

Outside the institute, I am badly suffering from an identity crisis. God, why didn't You make me a Software Engineer?

After an unsuccessful attempt to pick-up French from streets by overhearing this common man, I decided to enroll for a proper French course. It was the fourth time in my life, when I was about to take French lessons! I went to the School of Languages run by the University. They were happy to welcome me and asked if I have student's card. I failed to produce it. Then they asked for an staff card, and again I was blank. I showed them a poor card which I have, and they did not recognise it! I was told that I have to pay a huge sum for attending the classes, because I do not belong to the University.

I was angry, though very polite, and told them that I'll think again about joining the course. In the mean time, I came to know that there is another private institute near by, where I can try.

I decided to register in this institute. Getting a clue from my e-mail ID, that charming lady on the registration desk asked me if I am from the University. I said, "yes", though I was little scared this time. I also showed her the same poor card. "That's great! We offer you 10% discount because you belong to the University"!

Breaking the walls

Usually, before reading the headlines on the front page of ToI, I keep nails ready to hit in my head. But today it was a different story and I was moved by the main headline "If I can reach finishing line, anyone can" - the coverage of yesterday's Mumbai Marathon.

This reminded me of Wilma Rudolph (@ESPN, @Wiki), a prematurely born brave lady who after suffering from polio in her childhood and being told by the doctors that she will never be able to walk, went onto breaking all Olympic records, including the one in 100 meters! Not only did she face physical challenges, but social ones too, like racism, poverty and gender-bias, and overcame all of them.

Hats off to her, and to those who finished yesterday's Marathon, despite all odds.

Looking back in time

I remember myself feeling amazed when I came to know in my school that an object, when launched in the space with a velocity more than the escape velocity, leaves the earth! I was also told that this velocity is same for ALL objects, and that was another beautiful part. Months later, when our teacher asked us to calculate it and I could calculate the quantity 11.2 km/sec, matching with what I had read earlier, it was truly a remarkable feeling with plenty of joy. After all, The Nature had unfolded one of her secrets to me! I did not care if that was already a "well known" fact.

I had a similar feeling when I came to know that it is possible to add infinitely many numbers and still get a finite number! As a school-kid, I used to feel on the top of the world after knowing and realising such simple, yet amazing truths.

Time passed by, and I decided to pursue research. I just used to imagine the amount of joy, which I would have when God/The Nature would select me as the first person on this earth till date, to reveal one of her secrets!

Alas! Now it's a kind of routine work. I come across so many beautiful statements and facts so frequently, but where is that innocent joy which I had when I calculated escape velocity? Does coming across so many beautiful things in life so frequently, transfers your "beauty sensors" from your heart to your brain?

He made a poem alive

This post is about two things. First - a poem, and second - a person who gave it a meaning.

The poem "Kyonki sapna hai abhi bhi", composed by my favourite, Dharmavir Bharti on his birthday in 1980, came to my mind after a long span of time yesterday. Starting lines are:

"kyonki sapna hai abhi bhi
isliye, talvaar tooti, ashwa ghaayal
kohare doobi dishaayein
kaun dushman, kaun apne log sab kuchh dhundh dhoomil
kintu kaayam yuddha ka sankalp apna hai abhi bhi
...... kyonki sapna hai abhi bhi"

The poem goes on and the striking lines come.....

"vida bela, yahi sapna bhaal par tumne
tilak ki tarah aankha tha
(ek yug ke baad ab, tumko kahaan yah yaad hoga)
kintu mujhko to isi ke liye jeena aur ladna
hai dhadhakti aag mein tapna abhi bhi
...... kyonki sapna hai abhi bhi"

and the poem continues......

This was all about the poem, and now about the person. He is Patrick, who was a cleaner in TIFR, now aged 65 plus and retired, still comes and works. When he was employed at TIFR, golden lifts near A - Block Reception looked as is they are really made of gold - without exaggeration not even an scratch! While at cleaning those lifts daily in the evening, if you make any remark and say something like "aap to lift ko bahut achchhe se rakhte ho", he would turn back and say "haan, Bhabha saab ne bola hai na achchha rakhne ko"! And thus Bharti's lines

"vida bela, yahi sapna bhaal par tumne
tilak ki tarah aankha tha
(ek yug ke baad ab, tumko kahaan yah yaad hoga)
kintu mujhko to isi ke liye jeena aur ladna
hai dhadhakti aag mein tapna abhi bhi
...... kyonki sapna hai abhi bhi"

come alive!

There is an interesting trivia about Patrick. In TIFR Hostel Quiz 2000, when the Quiz was over, the Quiz-master (it was Arvind Nair, I guess) asked an open question - "Who is the most hard working person in TIFR"? Without taking any time, 4-5 people among audience shouted - Patrick! In deed, it was the right answer!

I could do it!

No surprise that I am a very bad cook. I won't blame myself for that. I was never forced by the circumstances to learn cooking. But now, when I have no choice, I have realised the possibility of a good cook within me!

Yesterday, a very strong urge to eat Desi khaana forced me to do googling and download recipes to cook mast spicy Bhaaji. I decided to try my hands on Aaloo-Gobhi Masala and collected all the ingredients from super-market. This being the first time, I decided to remain faithful to the downloaded instructions and not to apply my innovative ideas. Outcome was great! I had never imagined that I can make such tasty things. It was perhaps the most satisfying meal of my life!

When I was a kid, I used to wonder why all ladies wait with a pen and a paper for cook shows on TV. I always changed the Channel when I saw some big chef giving instructions to make things called Pasta Hot Pot or Mushroom Yum Yum. And now only, after so many years I am realising the importance of these cook shows. Truly said, "apni karni ka fal sabko milta hai".

Foie Gras: Revisited

Last month I wrote a post Foie Gras: A Cruel Food. While roaming around the streets of Antwerp last week, I came across this sign-board:

The caption Voer voor sadisten (Dutch) translates to Food for sadists. I am happy that there is an organisation GAIA (Global Action in the Interest of Animals) working against cruelty on animals.

"Why are you a vegetarian"? This is a Frequently Asked Question here. Difficult to answer! When I say, "This is the way I have been brought up", they find it surprising, or even funny! Now I have found an even funnier answer. I'll tell them that I am vegetarian because I am a die-heart fan of Kate Winslet, who is a vegetarian.

One should never make a serious attempt to answer the questions of the form "Why are you the way you are"?

A great week

What will you do in Christmas Holidays? People asked me few weeks back and I said I don't know. I was thinking of passing holidays like just other working days with monitor in the front and black-board in the back. When I came to know that the heating system of the institute will be shut down during this period, and it will be practically impossible for me to sit inside my office room, I decided to do something.

Planned to visit Paris, but the plan failed. Then I decided to move around the whole of Belgium in one week with some friends. In this one week, I could see almost every part of this small country - from Bruges to Namur and from Antwerp to Brussels. The best part of Brussels was the trip of Mini-Europe, a fun park where they have kept miniature of all major sites in Europe. Another major attraction was the Old England Music Museum, where all kinds of Musical instruments from all parts of world are kept. Best thing is that you can listen the sound of the instruments you are watching with a microphone. Here is a view of the city from fifth floor of Old England building.

and here is the beautiful clock at Antwerp station.

The week was great and I am back to work from tomorrow. I'll try to put photos on the net soon.