Why me!

It was raining, and I decided to open my umbrella; a brand new that I bought only a few weeks ago. It had served me well a couple of times earlier. However as I pushed it out to open, some quirk of fate incited the top part including the rib to just fly away, and I was left with the handle in my hands. One of my profs decided to make an entrance just then, and made her presence felt by the squeal of laughter at my antics. I have seldom felt more foolish as I did that day chasing the flying rib with the handle in my hands. The fact that the prof in question was a beautiful lady was not helping at all.

My morning had not started beautifully either. Last two days had be very warm (after Chennai, hot seems like an overrated adjective here). So I decided to embrace the prevalent cool summer style comprising of shorts, cotton tees and sunglasses. After a last touch to my hair and a few seconds of narcissism in front of the mirror, I stepped out of the house to catch the bus.
It suddenly hit me that I couldn't see anything. It didn't take long to realize that it was due to the overcast sky and it was going to be a cold and wet day. The bus was already at the stop, so I had no time to go back and change. Though I tried to put up a brave face, I shivered the whole day. The only consolation I had was wondering what an inspiration I would have been to the girls** here.

**The hot pant hypothesis: At any spatial point inside the OSU campus, at any point of time, it is possible to spot at least one girl wearing shorts(hot pants) within a time span delta t, where delta t<=5 min. The above statement is valid for all weather and all seasons.

A few days ago, it was like this

But now, its like this:


And I am doing this

Whats in a name!

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Grub are there!

After being used to mom-cooked delicious food at home for over 15 years and mess food at IITM which though of dubious taste and origin is at least served regularly, grad student life hits you hard initially when one has to cook for oneself. With the measly pay, you can't expect us to buy food everyday!

So, it is with considerable eagerness that I look forward to the Friday after seminar coffee and cookies and the occasional grad-prof tea-coffee. In fact free food draws grad students like the opposite ends of a magnet. In fact, after a few days one attains a level of proficiency such that there isn't even a need to scourge noticeboards for the next free coffee hour. Assisted by your nostrils, you just home in to the correct room.

A few weeks ago, as I was walking back from the administrative building, my nostrils caught a faint whiff of warm bagels and muffins in the vicinity. Within seconds, I was able to locate the target inside our fitness center and proceeded thence without delay. There were a few people around looking at pictures and posters displayed around a center table. I smiled my way to the table without paying much attention to what was going on around. Just as I was about to take a plate, someone said "Hi!"

I won't go into the details of what happened next; suffice it to say that it was a health workshop for homosexuals. As I looked around, the posters and pictures started making sense and I optimized my way to the shortest exit with a fake smile pasted on my face.

The only thing I regret is that I forgot the plate of muffins and bagels that I had so assiduously assembled.

The phone call

My thoughts drifted towards him gradually.
I was waiting for the simulation to end. The flying molecules on the screen reminded me of stars and wistful thoughts about the last 23 years of my life swarmed in my head. Glimpses of time spent with family and friends flooded my thoughts which gradually homed in towards my school days and finally settled on that one face which I saw almost everyday for 12 years.

We weren't the best of friends to begin with. If I had known the definition of a "geek" back then, I might have described him so, but in retrospect the ravages of time have muddled the clarity of his image. He never saw a 2nd (or higher) rank on his report card, and his idea of fun was to sit with a geography book in the games field while I was engaged in a fruitless chase of a football somewhere in the vicinity. I used to rank somewhere in 30's and 40's in a class of 50, and soccer was my primary motivation in life back then.

It all changed when I ended up sharing the same table with him in class 7. I was simply awed by his personality and his academic abilities and as the year went by, I forged a new friendship and realized that he was more human than I had taken for granted, and like me he had his likes (BJP, environment, Agatha Christie.....) and dislikes (drawing class, biology, girls? .....).

We used to read story books together, and by the time I read 5 lines, he would be at the end of the page and wait for me patiently to finish the page before turning. But slowly, I tried to catch up and within a few months I found my reading speed substantially enhanced. This is just one of the many things in my life that changed for the better since then. That year I ranked 3rd.

Coming back to the present, I suddenly felt a strong urge to talk to him. I suddenly wanted to know what he was doing, what did he eat today and where did he go.

I flipped out my mobile, only to realize that I didn't have any of the numbers from India stored there. A search through my gmail resulted in zilch, nor was he online then. I rummaged through old pocked diaries old phone diaries and finally came up with 3 different numbers associated with his name from three different places.

"The Vodafone number you are calling is no reachable." was the response I got from the first number. The second try also resulted in a similar disappointment.

The familiar ringing sound pumped up my spirits a bit as I dialled the third and final number. After a few minutes of ringing, it stopped. "Maybe he is away from his phone," I thought and tried again. I redialled a few more times during the next half an hour, but without any response. Finally, as I was about to succumb to the futility of my endeavor, a voice answered at the other end.

But it wasn't his voice, nor was it in a language familiar to me. It sounded like Tamil. I said sorry to the guy at the other end and hung up. My simulation had ended by now, and once again I was back to chasing molecules.

P.S. I finally talked to him a day later, but I wish I could reach (at least talk/chat) anyone anytime, or rather some people who stir up emotions buried deep in my heart.

The football match

was definitely the highest point of the day. The superbowl is the biggest game of the year, and it was a unique experience to watch it with so many people. An American friend had invited me over to watch the game and it was fun to watch it with his friends. It was at a house with many kids around too, and that lent a very homely atmosphere to the whole experience.
The commercials were no less interesting than the game and I hear that many people watch this game just for the crazy commercials!

Today the weather went crazy again! It was about 3 deg above zero today and it felt like spring! But I am sure it'll be back to freezing tomorrow with lots of ice everywhere :(

Tomorrow I have a morning class at 8:30, and that right after a weekend makes it worse. My resolution for the coming week: More badminton!

Journal entry for 31st January 2008

What I cooked for dinner: Karela (bittergourd) and french omlette(with beans tomatoes and spinach) with rice and dal.

Today morning was spent in the company of about 30 other Indians celebrating Saraswati Puja. That was followed by a lavish(by grad student standards) lunch cooked by my labmates and various other friends. It felt almost like back home and was fun.
The weather turned out to be treacherous. The morning started at -16 deg C and by a late afternoon it was close to -2. The melting ice lead to slippery roads and I narrowly escaped landing on my back more than once. Scarier were the icicles hanging from every nook and corner (see picture).

With not many assignments lined up for next week, I am going to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

In retrospect

Cliched it shall be, but its difficult to let this year go by without savouring a chosen few moments gone by. After all, this was the year when more things happened than in any other year of my life; maybe.

There were were some happy moments. Placements had almost got over by January and thankfully most of my wingmates were placed. So the first quarter of the year was spent in treats, more so because it was our final semester at IIT and for many in Chennai too, but most importantly because it was the last few months with friends who were as integral a part of my life as my family before I came to IIT-M. Saarang was also a good time, especially with no classes (not that there were much in the final semester anyway). Then there was Holi and like every year, we tore each other's clothes.

I got an MS admit and an RAship too within a few days and this was one of the biggest events of my life since I got through JEE. Surprisingly, I wasn't that elated even though studying abroad was one of my childhood dreams. My first flight was no letdown nor were the first few days in US. A new country, new culture, new people and a completely independent life were nothing short of a thrill to my dreamy mind.

However, the enormous change that this year has witnessed, it also left behind some ugly scars. Leaving IIT was one of the most difficult events in my life. I was one of the last one's to leave (fact that my girlfriend was interning in Chennai might have had something to do with it) and to see the hostel become empty like a deserted banquet hall after a party did bring a lump to my throat more than once.

My cousin got married and it was a happy occasion for our family but I wasn't there. Ocaasions like these when all family members come together are rare and I hate to miss those.

The aggravating economy had many victims and some of my friends were also among those. Then the numerous bombings and attacks all over India also scared me to my wits. I did not lose any friend or relative, but the banality of such attacks does paint an eerie picture.

With a lot to look forward to in the coming year, I am ready to move on, carrying these memories with me to relish them once in a while.
Photos: Sunrise at Besant Nagar beach, cricket with wingmates and Holi.

cricket

2003 world cup was the last time I enjoyed cricket. Back then I was as devout a fan as any other Indian. My 12th board exams were on, but I wouldn't have missed a match for the world!

But it was back then, long long ago. Somehow all my enthusiasm for the sport has just fizzled out during my college years. Match fixing, the long hours for a single match; I myself don't know what exactly was the catalyst, but the sport doesn't interest me anymore.

This is precisely why I was amused when I had a lump in my throat on hearing about Kumble's retirement. I have my heroes, and they were never dictated by the player's performance, records, style, or any other logical parameter. Dravid, Kumble, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Agarkar and Srinath are the only players I adore and it took just one match in each case to develop a liking for each of them. Jadeja too was once part of this list.

I rejoiced at their successes and my subconcious mind always found a plausible and forgivable reason for their failure. The 300+ partnership between Ganguly and Dravid is still one of my most enjoyable moments related to cricket. I had watched that match with "all" my cousins during my uncle's marriage.

Cricket was the perfect bond for most students back at school and many a lunch break was spent discussing a previous day match. Though soccer was my forte, I preferred playing cricket simply because most of my friends did.

With just two of them remaining it may not be long before I completely forget such a game existed.

Interesting

You know continuum mechanics is getting into your head when names of a couple like Mohan Pandey & Rajni Mohan conjure up visions of tensorial notation Aij Bki!

Life in a new country is like beginning a new one altogether. Almost every experience seems a novelty. So many interesting things to tell but sadly so less time.

Worth mentioning are the thanksgiving celebrations with an American Family. UN International Festival, the trips downtown, first snowfall etc. But more on these later.

I got my first camera yesterday and here are some pictures of my desk, and a view from the window of my lab.