Uncomfortably Numb: 2014 & 2015

In 2015, and the last year 2014, I haven't written a lot. You may find a brief analysis of the reasons in this blog. One can agree that life gives us lemons, but one has to find the opportunity to make a lemonade out of it. However, opportunities presented themselves from time to time, and I hope I made the best of it. 

Before I get into the nitty gritties of the description of the events, I would like to personally thank Anand Hingway, Dr. Bharat Lohani and Pragya Kirti to sort of push me to write again. 

2014 began with a bang. Two of my papers, found acceptance in the international community. The joy of finding the name of the college in the area of Geoinformatics, and that too in an international arena was immense. Almost at the same time, Dr. Chinmaya Das, a colleague from IIT Kanpur, joined the MGM Campus. While we were discussing on the various aspects of collaboration, I found interest in the colourful 3-dimensional visualizations through a software called PyMol. While at school, I had found Biology to be a repulsive subject mainly owing to the gory dissections and the videos of surgeries that I saw, but this was another facet of Biology before me, after the Landscape Characterization Project, where I had worked with Dr. P. S. Roy (Oct 2000 - Jan 2003). 

On a very positive side, one of the best points of 2014, was Dr. Bharat Lohani visiting our college and giving presentations to the college audience. I watched with curiousity how people were overwhelmed with the pure simplicity with which an IIT Kanpur professor conducted himself and delivered his lectures. 

January 2014 also saw the entry of a certain negative character, let us name him Gurughantal, along with his life partner in our campus. For the lack of complete documentation* with me, I cannot reveal the name of this person, but in the next six months or so, this person along with his wife, destroyed the beautiful and congenial environment that was at the campus. Their behaviour included placing false allegations on people, especially misusing the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. They were the alumni of a very reputed institute of India, and did everything to put their alma mater to shame. This included blackmailing students who were not in their good books, harassing female staff members who would not comply with their misgivings by sending emails to them at the oddest of hours, forging laboratory records, pushing the supporting staff to destroy the laboratory glassware and taking credits for what other people had done and contributed. Fortunately, following parallel investigations from their previous workplaces, and pattern observations on social network feeds, enough data was found to eject / terminate Gurughantal's services from the campus. Even while Gurughantal left the campus, his wife vitiated the atmosphere with wrong pieces of information amongst the students, while playing a victim's card and resigning herself. On later conversations with the students, it was revealed that the recruitment of Gurughantal and his wife had miserably backfired, for no academic commitments had been fulfilled / completed. Students reported massive shortcomings in the practicals conducted and faculties found several shortcomings in the newly "prescribed" syllabuses. 

2014 ended on a rather gloomy note. While Gurughantal was dismissed from the campus, Dr. Chinmaya Das was to take his position. In the early evening of December 31, Dr. Das was attacked by some drunk robbers. He was hit on the head by a bottle. The local administration downplayed the incident by calling it an isolated incident of petty robbery, but I have reasons to believe that Gurughantal and his evil allies were behind the matter. 

2014 also told me in as many clear words that status quo shall remain. Paulo Coelho's Alchemist mentions that if a particular incident happens twice, it would happen for the third time as well. It did! Evidences and parallel events communicated that too. It became clear how matters like the length of socks, half pants and aloo parathas with lightweight butter were matters of World Tragedy, and the status quo wasn't. It also became clear how eating Aloo Parathas would get me killed, but drinking unfiltered water won't (sarcasm). Willingness, expression, reason and rationality all became mutually independent vectors in 2014, as far as I was concerned (Immanuel Kant was already confusing enough). 

2015 welcomed me with a visit to IIT Kanpur, and the first thing I did on reaching the campus was to visit the guy selling peanuts in the campus. On several past occassions, he had many stories to tell, and I was eager to listen to him again. I was amused, being currently placed in Maharashtra, as how he called the simple BHEL as BHELPURI, and how he excused himself by saying that the PURI often turned soggy in the winters. The two mornings I witnessed there, were full of joyful jumping on the streets. I comprehended why the Alumni used to be so excited when they visited the campus. 

In April 2015, I was on the field, on a survey project for the student, when suddenly my brother called me up and said that mother might have to go for a major operation. Understandably stressed and worried, I had to leave the campus for Chennai, completing the syllabus in a hurry. Dr. V. S. Pradhan and Dr. S. B. Shinde were kind enough to let me off, during this period, while they took some burden off my shoulders during this time. 

Mother was taken in for surgery at the Apollo Speciality Hospital, and with the good wishes pouring in from all sides, she came out hale and hearty from the operation theater. Rakesh was at my brother's side as earlier (in 2008). At the same time, there were a lot of good wishes pouring into my "wall" of the social network. Many messages that said "Tell me if you need any help" were specially heart warming and consoling. Dr. S. D. Deshmukh, thank you for remembering me in these hours. 

I would specially like to mention the names of Dr. Dattatray Regulwar and Dr. Sanjay Jamkar who readily visited my college on a single request and presented their work in a workshop meant for people interested in the domain of patenting. Both the professors handle so much of work, that I guess, I have to observe them for a month to learn time management skills. 

I was invited by the Government College of Engineering Jalgaon for conducting a five day workshop in LaTeX. This was one of the things which I didn't do earlier, and this told me that I can sustain six hours of lab sessions at a stretch, for five continuous days. The reactions were generally positive, and I got some more feedback on how to do it better the next time. Dr. Mohan Nerkar who appeared to me as a big foodie, make special attempts to give me the taste of Jalgaon food. In this connection, Shri Dnyanesh Gaikwad tolerated my evil and not so evil jokes till late night while dropping me back at the Guest House after dinner! 

My maternal grandfather Shri Sameer Basu, whom I fondly called "Dadu", passed away quietly one one morning, after several months of being unwell. It wasn't clear how he suddenly developed a lung infection and then left this world. Very strangely I couldn't be there physically, while the last rites were being performed. As one of my cousin brothers put it, it was the end of an "era". 

2015 ended with cups of tea, pretty charming smiles and a gloomy, lonely evening. It was as Baudelaire said "Le ciel est triste et beau comme un grand reposoir; Le soleil s'est noyé dans son sang qui se fige".

 Few days later Dr. Bharat Lohani reminded me start writing again. I'd told you sir, "I always need someone to give me a kick to start up". You did it again, positively. I wish that, for all the readers of my blog, this year be full of productive work and positiveness. I wish that, you get the discretion to identify the Gurughantals and immediately lock them in their places where they should belong. I wish that you be welcomed with smiles and warmth to wherever you go. I wish you a Happy New Year.

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*It is brought to notice that all documentation regarding the bad activities of Gurughantal are available with the campus administration. Requests for making them available online, have been received as well. 

Milestones 2012

Last year, it was all about silence. This year, I would be talking about milestones. Milestones that have left indelible impressions on my mind.

This year, the months of June and December would be known as the milestone months for me. The fruit of eight years came out in the form of a 166 page document with a fair amount of pictures and YouTube videos. A presentation version of this document was screened in December thus receiving generally positive comments. This fruit took too long to ripen and yet, on the last day of this year, my mother called up and asked me if I was well. The contents of the conversation were sufficient to tell me that she was still proud of me. On the day of the presentation and after, I missed my father again and again, because he appears in my dreams every now and then, perhaps to wish me well and convey good luck for my studies and life in general. I would also take this opportunity to thank Professor Onkar Dikshit and Dr. Nandini Nilakantan who took most of my worries away by listening to me when I had to crib! Dr. Bharat Lohani, thank you for all you have done for me.

My friend Nilanjana had a baby boy this year. She named him “Rig” after the Rig Veda (oldest book on Hindu scriptures). Sarika, a common good friend, whom I met at Delhi (after 10 years) during a conference, perhaps appeared more excited about describing the baby than the mother herself.

Constructive criticism and politics for the welfare of the junta totally went missing from the Hall 4. The person, who had sacrificed 40 years of his family life for serving Hall 4 was shown the door. The demeanour meted out to him by the Chieftain of the ship was demeaning, hurtful and in bad taste. Shri S. N. Pradhan, lovingly known as Narayan dada, had to leave the Hall premises in “10 minutes” with tearful eyes. He was shifted by the administration to Hall 9. I am told that within a span of two months of his departure from Hall 4, the Dean of Students' Affairs of IIT Kanpur, met him personally and congratulated him for establishing a good accounting and recording system in Hall 9. This was also the first time when, an aspiring politician of Hall 4 remarked, “Sir, you are very idealistic. If you move away from your ideals, you could achieve a lot!” I thank the Almighty, if he exists, for giving me parents and teachers who taught me to stand my ground in the most adverse of circumstances.

The Bhagavad Gita inspires us to be bold and believe in actions without craving for the result to “benefit” the self. It is in the “Karma” we should believe in and there is where the excitement lies. I was never a great fan of new year resolutions. Sometimes we avoid things, thinking of the consequences. The teachings of the Bhagavad Gita have inspired me to change this characteristic. The Bhagavad Gita also teaches us about “skins” the soul wears from one life to another. One could easily extend this logic to memories from one phase to another. Memories should be let gone, for good, for shifting from one phase to another.

On that note, as I gear up for the life forward from this point, I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

2011: The year of silence

The reader might be puzzled owing to the title of the article. Each year, there is an experiment that I run on myself, regarding the terms that I would maintain with the people around. The ideas for these experiments often come from the experienced people. Some practices are successful and some, owing to the "human being" I am, fail.

The experiment this year was silence. There weren't many blogs this year, nor the despair and agony. Whims and egos were mostly responded through silence. Even some enquiries... Each year in my notes, I have been vocal about my achievements. This year, I choose to be silent about them. I will instead touch upon some of the remarkable incidents that happened this year.

Nirmali and Vivek decided to tie the knot this year and I seized the chance to travel to my home state Madhya Pradesh (not to the home town sadly). It was satisfying to taste the water and the food there. One could easily say "back to my mother's lap." It was also an opportunity for me to boast about the home state to friends who hailed from Bihar and Kerala, whom I had accompanied! Vivek, finally delivered his open seminar in the month of December and has left for his home town. Hope he will be reaching Tezpur pretty soon. May he find his "ideal industry" in 2012.

My friend and colleague Susham Biswas, finally defended his thesis. Finally relaxed, wasn't he? He left me with a question ... "When are you defending?"

The last bit of 2011 was a sad in the history of IIT Kanpur. People in the position of responsibility were blamed of being indulgent in their demanour, and some were found taking sides with their common sense gone for grazing the grass. People in the position of responsibility were found saying "I don't care what your feelings are!" I am reminded of Michael Jackson's song "They don't really care about us!" 2011 was a year, in which IIT Kanpur saw people threatening poor workers shivering with cold, that they would lose their jobs if they took broken twigs to warm up their homes.  

2011 taught that being angry and whimsical doesn't really help everytime, a suggestion that I recall to have given to one of my relatives, a year or two earlier. It also taught that criticism isn't the most welcome move for some people in this world, inspite of the fact that culturally, our country has earned its accolades and knowledge from being sceptical and curious. Often, in the absence of genuine arguments and logic, attributes like "Ghajni" and "Fatty" are easily earned.

The eve of the New Year was rainy ... and so was the first day of January. The celebrations of the New Year were dampened therefore. As this day passes, I hope wisdom, heath, health, happiness and sunshine spreads, in IIT Kanpur, India and the World in general.

Learning from 'X' Generation

X is a representative of the number 10, an allegory for Generation X, also an emblem for danger and a symbol for dissatisfaction. The manifold effect that 'X' can generate can either increase or diminish an entity, it could push someone up the skies or thrust someone into sheer oblivion. It could also actually inspire somebody to rest in peace, for ever.

X gave me books. From those about Michel Angelo and the Sistine chapel, to those about the philosophies of the East and the West, were the good things that I found again. Dr. Nandini Nilakantan, thank you for rejuvenating my interest in books as well as in Algebraic Topology. I could relive the days when I was “intelligent”, while I audited your course. Thank you as well for giving me a patient hearing on my research area and problems associated with geometry. I also made friends with Dr. Naren Naik, from the Department of Electrical Engineering, and we had a brief tête-a- tête on our research areas.

X, in the midway, came up with the SPIC-MACAY's national convention organised at IIT Kanpur. Learning “Naad Yoga” from Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar sahab from Four to Seven o'clock in the morning, for three days, is one of the proud and privileged memories that I would cherish for my life. The sitar by Ustad Shahid Parvez, Koodiyattam by Shri Margi Madhu, Mohan Veena by Pandita Vishwa Mohan Bhatt were mesmerising. Apart from that coming close to people like Nilesh Khaitan, Vivek Agarwal, Gunjan, Hemangini, Surbhi, Sarayu, Chandana and Tavishi was a wonderful experience.

X saw Srinath defend his thesis and Bhavna happily graduate from this institute. The sheer happiness that bore in their faces were lights of hope that I might just have in the future.

X helped me reunite with a few schoolmates of mine on the happier note, while on the other hand and on the sorrowful side a dear schoolmate and class fellow Nigel Eric Wills passed away in Australia. He was a genuinely good soul and he would surely be missed by our classmates and all his friends. A similar unfortunate incident at IIT Kanpur rocked the student community during the examinations.

X should be really thanked in the end. I couldn't be doing justice without mentioning it. It reminded me of the famous John McEnroe outburst “You can't be serious!” Over the last six years, I hadn't seen myself with so much of bitter emotions compared to that of the last few months. The lab which hustled and bustled with laughter and gaiety two years earlier, now wears a deserted look today, because people had to walk out of the lab and work in the library to pacify their exasperation.

X wasn't represented as a thesis in this document. It's merely a perspective on how 'X' treated me over the last 12 months. On the last day of the year, I am wondering as to whether I should mull over the good things that happened or the “evil-that-men-do” sorts. This could be also on how lessons were learned from events and occurrences, those which I am so naïve to ignore every time. I wonder how it is back to square one for me again and each time, where “square one” represents the principles and ethics that my parents chose to inculcate in me. This isn't a thesis on “square one” either, because it seems to effortlessly vanish in thin air once we talk about it, because the sheer mention of it brings scornful looks, contempt and disappointment. This isn't a thesis on “make-your-presence-felt”, because over the past few months it was felt that this phrase meant asking repetitive foolhardy questions that people CAN answer and not asking questions that make people think. This document is a reminder to people that I do not copy or lift, but write in my own words.

Wish you a happy new year.