To my fiercest competitor

This is for those hide and seek games when she used to be the first one to get out because she was the youngest, for those many many fights when we would literally pull each other's hair, bite, pinch and slap each other in equal measure, also for those moments when she would start crying louder just to get my mom to scold me for hitting her, for those endless games of snakes and ladders and business, for those cricket matches in the evenings, for those really competitive badminton games, for those summers when every afternoon was spent playing carroms where she would beat me every single time, for those scrabble games where I would beat her, for those times when she'd make me mad by waking me up just so she could make the bed or clean the room and also for those times when I would disturb her sleep by keeping the lights on so I could read my book till 2 a.m., for that time when she tricked me into eating raw flour but also for those times when she stole tamarind from the kitchen for both of us, for many other fights in between and for the more recent cold wars. But most importantly, this is for the competition that we've had over the years for being Didi and Bhaiji's favourite sister and now for being Rishu, Richa and Gia's favourite aunt. This is for my fiercest competitor. Happy birthday Misha

Comments

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...

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...

Phrases that must never be used when talking to your PhD Guide

There are some phrases that must never be uttered when talking to your PhD guide. 'Coz if you do, then you might have to endure a lecture from him/her that will leave you wondering what got into you, that you said that!! "You said so earlier..." : Never ever say this. If your Prof. asks you to remove something from your presentation that he himself had asked you to add, you're done for if you tell him, "But, you asked me to put this in earlier". The standard reply you may get will be something like this- "I may have said so many things." Or worse, you may get a scorn for a reply that will instantly shut you up. "I didn't get time to..." : You should definitely steer clear from saying anything of this sort. 'Coz if you do, then before you even finish your sentence, you're bound to get a look that says, "What? You didn't get time?!!." Then your Prof. will ask you, "So, what is it that you do that you don't...

Random Thoughts

Search This Blog