A transition to understand

The altitude one scales in life is propelled by aptitude and sustained by attitude. Aspiration, desire and commitment are easy to say, but difficult to practice, as it requires tremendous amount of self-discipline. I have been observing that children, in general, have this remarkable character of being disciplined, and can learn things at a faster rate than adults. In recent days, two things have caught my attention in the context of the above discussion:

1) The SUPER30 organization in Patna, which hunts for 30 meritorious talents from among the economically backward sections of the society and shapes them for India's most hyped-up examination of IIT-JEE. In the last seven years, it seems it has produced hundreds of IITians from extremely poor background. Hats off to Anand Kumar who is running this organization, and hats off to the students from poor background who are cracking the JEE. Although, I don’t endorse these rat-race examinations, I admire people who take up the challenge to write this examination and get through it successfully. It’s a hard task, I must admit. If you observe many students coming out of this organization, they are extremely hard working with a sustained frame of mind to achieve a goal. Indeed, they inspire me.

2) The other thing in the same context is the reality-shows on television that showcases talent of Indian children. Some children do remarkable things (including dance, singing etc.). Probably, parents' encouragement is vital in this, but children put up a show with an air of enthusiasm, confidence and commitment, which one can hardly see in the grownups.

I have not yet found an answer to the following questions:

Is it difficult to learn something new as you grow older or is it just a matter of attitude?What is really happening to the attitude when there is a transition from adolescence to adulthood?

Just think about a situation when adults start working as well as they would have done during their childhood, that can make a lot of difference. maybe it is time for us to grow our minds younger, perhaps, like the intellectual case of Benjamin Button.

On the slower lane…

To learn we need information. Our thinking is vastly influenced by what we are informed of, and when we are fed with a large pool of information, gaining accurate knowledge is not trivial. Since last decade or so, communication and information retrieval have been revolutionized by internet. Now we are in situation where there is an excess of information, and the major task is how to find the required knowledge from a large pool of information. There may be more and more accurate search engines which can filter and narrow down your query, but the major question is how does your mind differentiate between accurate information from the inaccurate one?

Perhaps, the answer lies in spending more time on the information we acquire, and here lies the major problem. There is a conflict in our mind, where our thinking has to be adapted to the rate at which the information flows in. As a result of this, we need to think faster, learn faster and decide faster to keep up the pace. This implies that the average time on thinking, learning and decision making is now proportional to the rate of information flow. But from previous experience and history, we very well know that accuracy in thinking, learning and decision making critically depends on the amount of time we spend on it. It is as simple as this: longer the time we spend with data, more information can be retrieved out of it. But now, we are in a situation where we need to hasten the processing time. So, the problem is: how does one acquire accurate knowledge by keeping pace with the rate of input of information?

May be, to improve our ability to judge and prioritize, we need to slow down our lives. Yes, SLOOOOW DOWN…. Rushing through may be a requirement of our environment, but going on a slower lane gives us opportunity to foresee a mistake which we may make by going faster. A deeper and longer thought on this issue is required URGENTLY!

Pavan2.0

It’s been quite a while since I have written a blog. Married life and a new job @ new place are good excuses for that.

Life in Pune has been decent; it’s a new environment for me and we are slowly adapting to it. The city is very hilly, fairly industrialized, flooded with students, and people are friendly. The cost of living is high, but a variety of food is available, and weather is warmer than west Lafayette, Barcelona and Bengaluru, but the nights are very similar to Bengaluru. The local city transport (bus and auto) is bad, which gives you a good reason to buy a vehicle (now I have a cycle but may graduate to a motor!)

Job-wise, the transformation from a post-doc to an assistant prof. has been really exciting. Now that I am in an institute where the emphasis is not only on research, but also on teaching, the prospects for innovation and creativity are high. Come this August, I will be part of biophysics course, which is essentially an interdisciplinary subject (reflecting our institute's agenda). I would also lecture in an advanced laboratory course of physics/physical chemistry. Since the semester has not yet begun, I haven’t interacted much with the students, but whomsoever I have spoken to are excited to be part of science, and this is indeed a pleasant thing. Most of the faculties are young, knowledgeable and dynamic, and all of them believe that they can make a difference by incorporating research with teaching into their work. This is a new experiment in Indian science, and we are really excited to be part of this. More in coming weeks…..

Mahatma and the Valentine

Anger is an enemy within. This is one part of human nature we can happily mutate. In the backdrop of the recent mishap in Pune, I see the relevance of Gandhiji’s principle of peace growing. Most of the people feel that Gandhism is no more relevant in the present day context. I myself have been conflicting with this conception over the years, but now I have no doubt that Gandhiji idea was an eternal thought of superior quality. The reason why Gandhiji’s peace model ‘seems to be’ out-of-date is because of its difficulty to implement. The idea was seen as irrelevant even during Gandhiji’s contemporary days, just because it needed a huge change in the mindset of human thought. And any change to explore the ‘out-of-comfort’ zone is repelled by us. To reach a level of maturity that the Mahatma attained, it needs sheer commitment, patience, intelligence and above all tremendous amount of inner strength, which are uncommon combinations today. The relevance of a peace model should not only be judged on the difficulty of implementation, but also on the fruitful solution it can bring in, over a long period of time. The greatest way to win over the mind of an opponent is not by seeding a thought of conflict, but by enlightening them by the sheer magnitude of resolve to sustain thought of peace, not just outside, but also within. This idea consumes time, but is and always will be the permanent way to reach equilibrium.

As I write this blog, most of the world is celebrating Valentine’s Day. I welcome any thought which binds people together, and the concept of the day has a positive impact, especially on youth. However, there are now extreme schools of thoughts either opposing or supporting this day. At one end, this day has been well utilized by the corporate world to cash-in on human emotions by hyping this day. On the other end, it has been rejected as un-cultured. The reality is somewhere in between. My thought is the following: Yes, by all means celebrate love, not by restoring to the materialistic rewards of pleasantries, but by ensuring that you not only love your loved ones more, but also love those people whom you hate. After all, this is the bottom line of Mahatma’s thought.

click to read - 1

15 lessons of research I learnt

1. Honesty is the best policy. Respectful science comes from ethical research.



2. If you like something, you will spend your maximum time on it.

3.Never accept anything without questioning. Asking questions to yourself and others is the

foundation of research. Once you ask a question (trivial or otherwise), knowing the answer

should be your responsibility.

4.Action speaks more than words, and every action begins with a thought. Spending time

on focussed thinking is WORTH EVERY SECOND.



5.Writing : research :: water : earth. Next to IDEAS, COMMUNICATION is the most

important weapon for a scientist. Think clear, talk clear, write clear.



6. Stay organized. I realized that it makes your life easier, and in the long-run will lead to

greater productivity. It is always better to have a to-do list. Do not allow your ideas to

drift away from yourself, make a note of them.



7.Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. To begin with, all scientific projects seems to

be laaaaarge and time consuming. So, take things one at a time, work through it with

great attention and no haste. As Aesop said little by little does the trick.



8. Keep your mind open. This is easier said than done. Read across scientific disciplines.

Discuss with people from other scientific backgrounds. Explain concepts to yourself and

others.



9.Set sensible short term goals which are in phase with your long term goals. Dedicate

greater time for focussed work.



10.Go to the masters. If you need to understand some concept, study the related work from

the person who originally did it. You will get a clear picture.



11. Never stop studying books. Research is not just studying papers.

12. As a part of your research, do some work for your own amusement. Some great discoveries

have happened this way, and many people have made careers this way !



13.If somebody does not agree with your thought, know the logic behind the disagreement. If

it is sensible and scientific, accept and incorporate it. If not, make a note of it, and forget

it.

 14. Relying on intelligence alone to pull things off at the last minute may work for a while,

but, generally speaking, at research level, it does not. Most of the times, hard workers

OUT-THINK intelligent people, by their constant effort.



15. Rehearse, revise, re-think and REJOICE your work. These are building blocks of confidence.

Ponder

Every thought is born in a quest,

a delightful pursuit to understand;

every thought is a peaceful conquest,

guided by the reason’s command.

How I ponder day in and day out,

and try to unveil the nature ?

How I fight this elevated bout,

to construct a thoughtful future ?

Every quest is a clouded mist

where mind penetrates to scatter back;

a mighty thought is a Pascal of fist

entering the fight with a subtle attack.

A great sailing thought has its great equal:

and we adore this as the ‘ocean of labour’;

Latter is the process, former its sequel,

meeting each other at an intellectual harbour.

SKY

Eleven at night,

I look at the heavens;

glitter fills my sight

with angles and demons.

I ask a star,

what’s your kind ?

it twinkles beyond par,

asking me to find.

I sight the Betelgeuse,

the glowing red gaint;

it’s resting at peace

like an elevated saint.

I look out for Sirius,

the queen of white dwarfs;

her looks are mysterious

with electrons as her scarfs.

Now, I search the invisible,

I search the event horizon,

I fail to sight the incredible,

to realize Einstein’s reason.

Should I thank my eye,

for this spectacular show ?

or should I thank the sky

for her ever lasting glow ?

The Rain Dance

I view the water beyond a picket fence,

waiting for the lovely rain to commence;

grayish clouds slowly emerge,

bidding adieu for the sun to submerge.

The river I see is a silky flow,

her surface reflects a silver glow;

trickling rain drops begin the dance,

by writing a poetry on nature’s romance.

Every drop bounces on its back,

as an elliptic pearl with a transparent sac;

gravity pulls the bouncing drop,

to enter the river’s heart right from the top.

Until the clouds and silky river exist,

dance of the rain will continue to persist;

I am a mere spectator of this wonder called ‘rain’,

it awes me to view it time and again.

India vs Europe vs USA

My personal views on research in 3 countries/continents –

DISCLAIMER: the list is by no means a comprehensive one

India

Pros:

1) Open source learning, good interaction among students

2) Urge to perform, understand and good awareness

3) People with good theoretical understanding

4) Low cost methods to do high-end research – enriches creativity

Cons:

1) Time consuming, not highly focused

2) Lack of good education in experiments

3) Not many get opportunity to do research

4) Not many are interested in research – ‘software company: big buck’ attitude

Europe

Pros:

1) Desire to understand a problem in depth, significant time spent on a problem

2) Research in groups, sharing of knowledge and resources, big projects

3) Technically superior than US and India, especially in high end instrumentation

4) Emphasis on conferences and proceeding

Cons:

1) Sometimes lack of drive and urgency - 9 to 5 attitude

2) Multiple languages

3) Pro-European preferences in positions

4) Hierarchy, high taxes

USA

Pros:

1) Magnificent drive among students and Profs

2) Group meetings – task driven meeting, deadlines etc.

3) Result oriented – ‘come what may we need to do’ attitude, thrust on applications

4) Competition – ‘do it before someone does’ attitude, if you are good, you thrive…

Cons:

1) Money, money, money – it’s a rat race for funding

2) anti open source – capitalistic view point

3) Indian and Chinese students used as cheap labor

4) ‘Black box’ attitude towards instruments

Book

He opens a leaf in the book of his mind

to read the words with a new insight;

soothing colours strike and unbind

creating a thought of new delight.

Chapters begin in a new page

to enriches the content of thought,

it opens the doors of a minding sage

inviting knowledge to be sought.

Every word is poetry in itself

making the reader spellbound;

phone of harmony crawls to engulf

in the music of creative sound.

Lines begin in words,

words begin in letters;

flowing as water towards

the ocean of thoughtful jitters.

Every word has a meaning,

meaning which dives deep;

it rejuvenates in the morning

after a breathless mystic sleep.

Oh ! ‘light’

I seem to breathe a fresh breath of air,

as the ‘light’ enlightens my thought;

my thoughts are devoid of any despair,

as the ‘light’ rejuvenates my heart.

I feel the ‘light’ with glowing warmth,

the warmth brightening my candle mind;

it slowly melts my feeling froth,

to bring a thought of different kind.

Oh ! ‘light’ I see you even in darkness,

in the abyss of my neural sea;

I see you in the caring kindness,

unveiling my pigeon-mind free.

I am flying, flying high

to reach the ever-glowing ‘light’;

I see the invisible in your eye,

making every look a worthy sight.

Lady Gandhi

During my M.Sc., I had the pleasure of meeting a Burmese researcher in the Physics department of Bangalore University who was then working towards her Ph.D. Her name was Dr. Yee Yee Oo. Apart from being a fun loving person who researched with great dedication, she was also deeply worried about the current affairs of her country. When ever we used to have an informal discussion about non-scientific issues, she always talked about the struggle of people against military rule. She described how women had to take extra effort to pursue their careers, and how the support they obtained were minimal. But always she showed a positive attitude towards life, and she was deeply influenced and inspired by her country woman Aung San Suu Kyi. She loved India very much, and always told me that we are one of the most fortunate people on earth. I always thought this as an exaggeration, but now I realize that it is not.

Freedom is one of the most important aspects of human life. With freedom comes responsibility, and hence a way of thoughtful expression. If this expression of mind is subdued, then basic human instincts are perturbed, and may lead to ‘man made’ catastrophes. There are few countries around the world where common freedom, which is oblivious in most of the democratic countries, is under severe threat. One such country is Burma, which shares its border with India, and one person in that country who is leading a non-violent struggle against the military rule is Madam Aung San Suu Kyi. Her story of struggle is truly astonishing, and she continues to fight for democratic freedom against an all pervasive Burmese military. She remains separated from her children who presently stay in UK, and it was sad that the Burmese military did not even allow her to meet Michael Aris, her husband who died due to cancer in 1999. She remains under house arrest in Burma, and lately has been charged by the Burmese military which has extended her confinement. It is rare in history to come across a person like Aung San Suu Kyi, as she has sacrificed her personal life to uplift her people. Though she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her non-violent democratic movement in Burma, she has not received the complete support of the world, which is unfortunate. Her struggle continues even today, and it is indeed amazing how this lady is taking mammoth efforts to fight for peace and freedom. I salute her courage.

According to me, she is the Lady Gandhi of the present world, and has inspired many people including me to cherish and respect the freedom we enjoy. Now I quietly sit back and think how important it was for Dr. Yee Yee Oo, when she said freedom is priceless, but to obtain it we have to pay a large price….I hope Burma will attain peace and freedom.

Flowing pearl

Gleaming innocence whispers a call

to brighten its future on a benighted path;

those eyes speak with a furtive haul

unveiling the grief at the aftermath.

Sorrow turns into a flowing pearl

undulating towards the abstruse sea;

it seeks affection with a motherly curl

to reach the depth of lasting glee.

This journey is lonely in its nascence,

but shall not continue all the way;

it may outlast moments and perseverance,

but shall always yield to a creative play.

A thought on ‘the thought’

Albert Einstein mentioned somewhere that ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge’. I think communicating ones imagination effectively is as much important as the imagination itself. The job is only half done if either of the aforementioned is neglected. One of the most important thing which give rise to the birth of an idea is the ability to wonder. Wonder, according to some philosophers, is a logical outcome of ignorance, and it is purely up to an individual to construct a thought through ‘a wonder’ and further venture into it at various depths. This venturing again depends on interests, and interest further depends on how your thoughts have been influenced before. As you may observe, the process of wonder and thought is cyclic in nature. But thinking, according to me, is a non-linear process. Most of the times, thinking is like constructing a building with in your mind, where its bricks are piled from different sources within the mind itself. So if you are trying to understand something, it is never that you grasp a point without taking a round about path; and many a times, you realize the shortest path to an idea only after you have seen the complete evolution of an idea itself. Another important aspect is that the birth of a thought need not always arise from silent pondering, but also can emerge from an argument over an issue with an external source; here I presume the source to be a human being, a book, an image, or any of the information which can be detected via the five senses. Surprisingly, new ideas do evolve as and when we communicate a thought. When I say ‘communicate’, I mean, not only I put forth a thought to the outer world, but also I should be grasping an idea into my mind from an external resource, and this communication can be duplex, i.e., it can occur simultaneously. My personal experience is that every time when I communicate a thought, my understanding of it improves, no matter whether I have done this before or not. This also provides me an opportunity to get a feedback from the source with which I argue up on the same thought. So this brings me to the concept of ‘argument’. Now, imagine a world where every human being agreed with each other on everything. That would be a dull one, isn’t it? The essence of communication is to effectively exchange thoughts between two minds. When this exchange occurs, the thought might interfere either constructively or otherwise. The highest level of attainment in thinking is to agree to disagree. This is a mechanism where you grasp an idea, and when you realize that it destructively interferes with your pre-conceived notion on the same concept, then you create a different space in your mind, where you store the though of the external source. This, in a sense, is like enlarging your memory space on the computer hard disk, where you still maintain your old data, but you create new space for the new data, no matter whether you use the new data or not. Why should a mind agree to disagree ? This is like asking why a coin should have two faces. In most of the arguments which a mind involves itself, it comes across a new concept. At that moment, it immediately compares it with its own database, and if the new concept is in phase with the old one, it constructively interferes and ‘yields’ to make a belief stronger, where as, if it is out of phase, instead of destructively interfering, it takes in the thought and stores it. This storage is what we see as tolerance, control, resistance of mind etc., and is a more complicated process than yielding to a thought.

     In this blog, I have just tried to highlight the complications in understanding the process of thought. Countless philosophers are pondering about it, so it is worthwhile for us to give a thought on ‘the thought’….after all everybody is a philosopher in their own sense….