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Looking back on the last 5 years: Dedicated to my students

IISER Bhopal Campus I remember my first day at IISER Bhopal on 31st Jan. 2019. I had just arrived, all jet-lagged and groggy eyed. I filled up all the forms, met the HOD of my department and was taken to my new office. Thereafter, I was asked to go to the Chirayu Hospital for a medical check-up, was asked to fill up some more forms upon my return to campus and left to my own devices. However, I did not have a bank account, a phone number, a PAN card and most importantly, good internet (hah!). Procuring all these over the course of the next 10 days led to varying levels of frustration with the Indian system. It was a reverse cultural shock in some sense and made me question my decision of coming back to India. I think it is fair to say that my postdoctoral experience in the US had left me drained and this new life here was not helping in making me feel better. I was like a fish out of water, not able to find comfort anywhere. The next few months of my professional life were a struggle w...
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Tribute to Kankan Sir

Prof. Kankan Bhattacharyya was an eminent scientist and I'm sure his students will tell you about all the ways he trained them to become scientists. However, my interactions with him and memories of him are more of  a personal nature. I first met him in February 2019 right after I joined IISER Bhopal to begin my independent research career. In the dining hall of the Visitors Hostel at IISER Bhopal, there was one person who was the loudest, constantly cracking jokes, teasing people and taking the conversation forward. I was introduced to him, i.e, Kankan Sir, by one of my colleagues there and he immediately involved me too in the ongoing conversation. He was that person who instantly made you feel at home. Every day following this first interaction was a joy as he was constantly the life of the dining hall. Everyone  used to be clustered around him. He was such an enthusiastic person and so full of life that it was infectious. He also, in his own way, constantly tried to motiva...
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Snobbery and the English language

I was raised by an English Professor and therefore, have been around books since my childhood. I was made to write long essays in English whenever I had a new or unique experience. Most of our bedtime stories were read out from children's books written in English. Given my environment and my inherent nature, my favorite pass-time as a kid was reading novels. Therefore, it was from a very young age that I started understanding or imbibing the importance of writing and speaking grammatically correct sentences. I was corrected every time I said an incorrect sentence.  I will forever be grateful for having learnt good writing and speaking in the English language. That has indeed helped me in my career. But gradually, as I grew up and without even my knowledge, I became a snob. I started judging those who could not speak impeccable English. I thought these people were not well educated or had performed poorly in school. I was a good student and this snobbishness stayed with me through c...
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Feminist panels for science and why I avoid them

Someone recently asked me if I attend panel discussions or other meetings related to women's issues in science. And I replied that I don't. In fact I actively avoid it and decline the invitation even when someone specifically asks me to be on the panel. This got me thinking about why I don't like to attend these. After all, I do feel very strongly about equal participation of and opportunities for women in scientific research and other activities.  But somehow I don't feel like I am the right person to talk about or discuss serious issues, especially, at a public forum.  These forums are generally used to discuss serious issues. Many girls actually face a lot of difficulty in accessing higher education. There is generally a severe lack of opportunity for them and the few that are available require them to fight hard battles against their own families for them to have a chance. Considering this ground reality, I, on the other hand, am one of the privileged few who has ha...
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Thoughts on leadership: Part I

Leadership is key to any team, no matter how big or small. One might be a cog in the machine or have their own small team or even lead an entire workforce for an event. But the key to success, I think, lies in how effectively the team lead can take their whole team together and create a good atmosphere for success. I think leadership skill comes to the forefront at every level, no matter where you are in life or in your career. To be more specific, I have now seen closely and been part of a few different event organization teams at various levels in my career. And, I see how the chaos or the meticulous planning stems right from the top.   One kind of leadership involves making everyone feel like they're part of a team. There is positivity in the air, there is that feeling of doing something and organizing something as a group. And that positive energy percolates to the smallest cog in the machine. In this type of leadership, when there are problems, you can go to the team lead...
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A letter to the "smart" students

To the students who think they're so smart that they can fool the instructor: Sorry to break this to you, but no, you're not fooling anybody! In fact, you are the fool if you think otherwise. So, let me tell you something that might shine a light on your otherwise dead brain. Learning is a two-way street. If you want to learn, I am willing to teach over and beyond what is expected of me. I will still teach even if you don't want to learn because that is my job. However, like they say, you can only bring the horse to the water, you cannot make it drink.  When you leave the class, I notice. When you talk, I notice. When you don't bring a notebook or a pen and pretend to be attentive, I notice. So, to reiterate, you're really not fooling anybody. I frankly don't care. I am happier teaching a small class of students who are sincere and want to learn. In fact, that's better for me. As then, we are in sync and I don't have to worry about the distractor...
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Ten realizations while starting your own lab

I'm finally in the most exciting phase of my career. Things are looking up. I am largely my own boss (coz that's never entirely true :P) and can work on and design the problems that excite me. Every decision and every consequence of that decision, whether it bears fruit or goes on to be my undoing is completely mine. It is slightly scary but also the kind of challenge I really like. So here is a list of responsibilities, instances and circumstances which surprised and sometimes also frustrated me. Maybe, some years down the line, I'll be able to look at this list in amusement. So, hear goes. Measuring space:  Right in the first week after I joined the Institute, I was told that I need to submit a floor plan of my lab. I borrowed a measuring tape from the Institute's civil works section and set about the task. It was amusing, to say the least. I felt like an architect. But, in the end, also futile, because that space is not going to be created any time soon. Instead, ...
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