Old Lanes Revisited

Today, I went to my uncle's home in Ranchi. He is not alive anymore. It has been three years. Since then, it is my first visit to the home where only my aunt lives now.

Let me clarify. He was not a blood relation. He was my father's friend. But anyway, he has been very close since the day I came to Ranchi for IIT-JEE preparation. A lot of things happened in between. I have a job now and will be graduating soon.

One thing that moved me was how the place has changed after my uncle's death. He has been a small businessman. After his untimely passing, his wife and son(who is in college) has been left with no income source. Therefore, his home has been transformed to provide accommodation for girls. The income source is humbly modest.

My aunt has to live alone now. She was telling how hard it is for her to do all the chores like shopping, paying taxes etc. She has no one to talk to. She passes her time by going to relatives, watching TV or reading religious books.

My uncle has been a jolly person. Extremely friendly and easy-going. The house was full of energy when he was there. Now, it seems dark and cold.

After the visit, I roamed through streets which I used as a senior high school student. It was nostalgic. Shops which were frequently visited by me and my friends still functioned the same way. But today, I was alone in a vast sea of people.

How time makes so little and yet so large a difference?

Feelings

People ask me to tell things about her. Tell how she is. How could one describe a person? I think I know her. But words don't make much sense as I begin to speak. It seems as if she is a experience. Bounded to a time and a place. And to a memory.

I was in a barren land. Frigid. Nothing grew there. And then. One day. It was a surprise. I felt a touch on my shoulder. A warm one. I looked up after a decade. There she was.

Her smile. Her scent. Things that I can never forget. The other details, I have long forgotten. As I looked around, my world was not barren anymore. Flowers were blooming. Birds were chirping. Streams flowed.

My life has never been the same anymore.

Suppressing Ego

I have been a fortunate person all through my life. I have had decent education, didn't face financial problems and have great parents. I am at a better position than lot many.

But, it has a side-effect. I have felt my ego increase with every step I took in my life. I get offended easily and judge people too often(I judge myself too).

Therefore, I have thought of a plan to control my sense of self-importance - learn things outside of my comfort zone. So that I feel humbled. Often.

The first step I took was to complete an online course on Cosmology. It is actually the last of four courses being offered by Australian National University on our Universe. It is being taught by Brian Schmidt, a Nobel laureate and Paul Francis, a distinguished educator.

Reasons for choosing cosmology are straightforward:

• The CS courses I took had very little to do with physics. So how I think is not in sync with how physicists think. Therefore I would be pushed a lot harder. And I was. It was one of the hardest courses I have been through. It was unbelievably fun too.
• Universe is beautiful. Period. As much is out there, astrophysicists and observational astronomers use "indirect" techniques to learn about things. I was curious about what these techniques were.
• You don't get many chances to learn from distinguished people.

That was it. I am still to complete the final exam(but have faired quite well on the Homework problems). It is much work and I can't spare my time as I would like to. But I will do so soon.

Next step? Learn another thing! I have procrastinated a lot on learning Neuroscience. Hopefully, now I will. Wish me luck!

As Good As Heaven!

Some experiences are unforgettable. Today, I visited Moti Mahal. Not a "palace of pearls" as the name suggests. More like of tandoor(sort of Indian barbecue but not really).

Growing up in India, I never got treated well for the money I paid. This fact changed today.  The duration I spent in the place was full of royalty, fragrance and awesome food. I never thought of seeing Rogan Josh in a menu while at Ranchi. This changed today as well.

Cooking is an art.  From actually making the dish to how you serve it, everything matters. The dining I experienced today, pushed the definition farther towards the sky.

I don't even words for praising the food that was served. As a non-expert, I will try to do justice in a best possible way. Chicken that melts in your mouth, finely chopped mutton that brings up childhood memories, vegetables mixed in thick creamy sauce which makes you smile; you will find everything. Served right from coal-ovens.

And, the music that made it all fall into place.

If you are looking to spend a fine evening with your friends or loved ones, I highly recommend this place.

P.S: I was grateful to meet the Chef too. He was deeply touched by our feedback.

Alvida Dr. Kalam!

It was a fine day at school. Unfortunately, I have forgotten which class it was. Our teacher wrote the following on the blackboard.

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam

Missile Man of India

 That's how I came to know about a man who shaped so much of my aspirations and dreams. Who I wanted to become in life. From playing with seashells on the beaches of Rameshwaram to building missiles for India, his life touched millions. And will continue to do so.

I remember a time, when there was a rumor of him visiting my hometown. We were all excited. I spent hours interacting with my father about the questions I would ask him. I was so desperate that I kept pleading my father to arrange any means possible. But as most of the rumors go, it turned out to be false. That day, I experienced my first heartbreak. I matured a little that night - thinking about the cruel joke, fate played on me.

The same feeling is rushing into me as I write about him. Magnified. I will never meet him anymore. Yet another dream engulfed by the tides of time.

The only solace I have now is the fact that time itself couldn't defeat such men. 

They have the Wings of Fire afterall!

Dude, science?

My mother loves plants. She has quite a wide array of plants in the modest space of my home. 

Lately, she has been troubled by an increasing pest problem. An insect called Mealybug has infected trees of hibiscus, mango and guava resulting in heavy defoliation(loss of leaves). She has used many spraying insecticides to no avail(mealybug develops a waxy coating which doesn't let the poison sip in).

After quite a lot of thinking and administering the sprays myself, I decided that there must be some array of chemicals which can be administered from within the plants. The chemicals go with water at the root, the insects ingest it along with the sap and then, die. Quite obviously, the chemicals shouldn't disturb the metabolism of plants.

A single search query gave me the answer. Systemicides. One of them is called imidicholoropid. Shortly afterwards, I took my bicycle and reached the nearest agro shop. I began to describe what I wanted. Here is a snippet of the conversation with the shop attendant S.

Me: Do you have an insecticide which can be administered to the roots?

S: Huh? There is nothing such as that. Describe me your problem.

Me: <Description given>

S: Oh, you take this pesticide. Spray it all over the plants. It is enough.

Me: No, it isn't. It has already been tried.

S: Tell me again what you exactly want.

Me: Have you heard of imidicholoropid? It works by getting into plants along with the water. The insect dies after ingesting the sap.

S: (smiling mockingly) Is it even possible?

Me: Yes. It is science. You use internet? There are pages and pages on the agricultural websites.

S: Dude, I am a practical person. I am in this business for 22 years. Science has not yet developed enough. What will fancy degrees do? I know more stuff than a person at an agricultural institute. (he then went on to describe his success at various farms and how he taught various degree holders 'things')

I left the shop feeling weird. A man who runs his living by selling things made possible by science(fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified seeds) believes that science is a joke. What do you think is the condition at the level of farmers?

I don't know why science has such an outlook among the general public. Or why people tend to believe in religion or fantasies more often and far strongly than science. Forget those who never went to school - I have seen many educated people falling into the trap too. It is deeply troublesome that this question has not been sufficiently asked - what is the essential thing missing from science education?

I don't know the answers yet. But, I do know one thing as far as the human society is concerned.

Bullshit baffles brains.

One question

After coming through Storypicks from a TED talk, I decided to ask questions from my elders whenever I find time. The result has been amazing. I know more about my place, my parents and the arrow of life.

Yesterday, I went out with my father. In earlier days, there happened not many grocery shops in the town. As prosperity increases, so does the number of shops - I have seen it while I grew up. Naturally, it is going to be more evident in case of my father. So, I asked him: from where did he bought groceries back in his childhood?

He told me to tag along. He will show me the shop. I followed. It was quite a long walk. We entered a small shop facing the road. It was old - wooden doors, low banked doorway and consisted of two rooms. Luckily for me, there sat an old man. He recognized my father. After coming to know that I was his son, his joy knew no bounds. He told me how my grandfather, after getting his monthly salary, carried my father to the shop. How they had to have a short laugh. After a while, I bought two small copper plates. Before we left, he told me to keep visiting him and his shop.

It is an amazing feeling to hear about your father as a child. Hear about your grandfather - whom unfortunately I have never seen. All from someone living.

The wonderful experience originated from something very simple.

A single question.