Uniform Syllabus

I was wondering if in UG colleges we were told/helped realize the relevance and the interconnect of each modules we study. My guess would be everyone would say no. Unlike in PG programmes, students in UG programmes (engineering) do not have much flexibility in choosing modules. The modules and its contents are decided by an "expert" committee which are then "handed down" to faculty members. Since it is a "handed down" structure, I doubt if the faculty members would ever know why a particular chapter was included in the syllabus, or why it was not - without which (s)he cannot pass on the intended purpose. While the goal of having uniform education is laudable, I think it has such practical constraints which severely impact the quality. (Of course, this is relevant to the TN situation...not sure how it applies elsewhere.)

India Rising

Check out the latest issue of science for an exclusive interview with the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Singh. (Click here for the interview and here news focus.)
What really captured my attention was this statement of his:

"unless one is optimistic, one is overwhelmed by the dimension of the development task that we have to accomplish"

 And check out what he has to say on the nuclear energy issue as well! 

Mathemagic

Fear gripped the bones during Math classes in the primary/high school. Algebra and Muliplication tables - Oh Man! How do we remember all those formula and numbers? But there seems to be new and easy ways of understanding/learning these! Check out the videos below.

Longest Straw

Am sure each one of us wrote this definition for 2 marks in one of our examinations:

The movement of a liquid along the surface of a solid caused by the attraction of molecules of the liquid to the molecules of the solid is called capillary action.

(Am sure many of us used solid and liquid interchangeably.)

Honestly, how many of us were able to fully grasp the importance of this phenomena? There of course were several examples cited in the text book and some of them that I recall are oil rising in the wick, drying towels, transpiration in plans. Although these examples were supposed to enhance our understanding, the million dollar question is whether it enhanced understanding or increased the burden of memorising.

When I came across the below video, I could immediately understand and appreciate what a capillary force is...and all the examples I memorized made sense! So, what is the difference? Why couldn't I grasp and appreciate capillarity from the book as much as I did after watching the video? The primary reason, I think, is because here (video) they have used a practical day-to-day activity to explain the concept. Further, the practical way of explaining, that is showing it "in action" further interests and keeps the mind involved unlike the bookish texts.

Let us think and create more such videos!

Forever Dependent?

Are we going to be forever-dependent on others? When are we going to harness our own potential and be self-dependent?

http://www.thehindu.com/business/article2793429.ece?homepage=true

The above news irritates me. 

National Unique ID

Although I haven't been following the issues on the National Unique ID, this article caught my attention. It tells that two different groups, the Nandan Nilekani group and the National Population Registry group are doing the same work. Further, it also tells that the National Identification Authority of India has raised issues on dealing about illegal immigrants. I certainly don't understand why there would be no inter-communication between officials and make works simpler by sharing the load between the two groups. As to the issue of illegal immigrants, that is the first thing anybody who is going to issue a national ID would think of. I wonder what they discuss before they start working on such projects - money?

Whatsoever his motivations are, Dr. Swamy, is undeniably a bold politician.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2697711.ece?homepage=true

Rejections

An interesting article on rejections: http://indiabioscience.org/node/228 

Indian government - sincere or is it naive?

The last of couple of days, the media has been reporting about Mr. Kejriwal's tryst with the IT deparment - for a mere 9 lakh rupees, when Ms. Kanimozhi, Mr. Raja are enjoying a luxurious Tihar jail residence for still not accounting for the over 200 crores of money that vanished into thin air. And I am really wondering if the government is really that naive to think Mr. Kejriwal would back off from his civilian fights under such petty pressures, or, has it become very sincere to account even for a penny?. (Note: Mr. Kejriwal claims there has been no correspondence in this regard from the IT department since he resigned, and only before the fasting of Anna had he recieved the notification. That is too much to be a coincidence.)

PMO under Lokpal?

I was under the impression that Team Anna wanted the PM's office to come under the ambit of Lokpal. I thought that was a crucial demand that the government and the opposition found hard to agree upon. Today, I read in the newspaper nothing about this demand. When was this demand given up?

Supremacy of the Parliament?

Everybody talks of the supremacy of the parliament:See http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2400160.ece

What I don't understand is this: The people (atleast who really support the cause of anti-corruption) do NOT have faith in the members who constitute the parliament. And, when one does not have faith in its members, how would (s)he trust the system (system:the parliament as the supreme democratic unit of the Nation)? I think we need to step back and ask ourselves "Are we interested in preserving the existing system, that is the supremacy of the parliament, or, are we interested in bringing a strong anti-corruption system?"

Secondly, I read somewhere that BJP is now supporting the demands of Team Anna while a few days ago they had outright rejection of the demands. If that was truly a sincere resolution, I appreciate it. However, given the whimsical and corrupt attitudes of the politicians in general,as an ordinary citizen, I am disinclined to believe there are no ulterior motives - maybe even to bring down this government so that they can come to power.

Third, Rahul Gandhi's voice is coming out prominently now - after about 10 days of Anna's fast. Am I to believe that he didn't have any opinions earlier? All I can think of is that Congress is playing a very tactful drama to bring Rahul into leadership. Disgusting drama.

Does the Parliament any longer represent the people?

"...the path that he has chosen to impose his draft of a Bill upon Parliament is totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our Parliamentary democracy."

There can be nothing more grave than the arrest of Anna Hazare to demote the democratic principle of the country. The parliament, as I understand, is an institution that represents the people and the people's mind. There are strong protests from people all over the country in support of Anna Hazare. Yet, the parliament - including the ruling party and the opponents - are against implementing Team Anna's version of the Lokpal Bill. Doesn't this mean that the parliament no longer represents the interest of the people? I don't understand this form of governmental organization.

"They must allow the elected representatives of the people in Parliament to do the job that they were elected for."

If I understand correctly, the Team Anna's version of the Lokpal doesn't trust the elected members in the Parliament to do the job. With atleast two of its ministers in the Tihar jail for corruption, on what grounds may we expect the members of the parliament to make laws that protect the interests of the people?

யாரிடம் தோற்கிறோம் என்பதைப் பொருத்தது தோல்வியின் வலி.

Physics is where real researchers are: They go behind ideas and concepts!
Physics is were real professors are: they “profess” ALL knowledge irrespective of their own expertise!

வார்த்தையாக அலைகிறேன் கவிதையை தேடி;
வார்த்தையே கவிதை என்றறியாமல்.

Padma Awards

Why are non-Indians and who don't live or contribute to India's development awarded the 'Padma" awards?

For example:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/article1402577.ece?homepage=true

I understand Prof. Venki, Nobel Laurette, was also awarded a Padma.

No doubt they have contributed most to Science. No doubt they deserve the highest honors around the world. But why would an award instituted for the Indian citizens who have contributed to the development of arts, science etc in India be given to someone who did almost nothing to India? (They probably were not given a good chance in India, or didn't find the right intellectual mix that is required for such accomplishments - this is a different issue which again we Indians need to think about, especially in the Science sector.)

If inspiring the younger generation is a purpose to argue, then I only find inspiration to leave India and work abroad forever. :-\

The Mpemba Effect: Hotter is Faster

The whistle blows and the students start running in their tracks. It is a 500m running race. Unfortunately one of the students falls down tripped by his shoe lace. Without thoughts about the injuries, he quickly gets up, ties his shoe lace, only to find that his competitors have overtook him by a significant distance. With a new surging determination, he starts running. He ran with a speed that surpassed all his earlier feats. He wins!

One might have observed such scenarios commonly. The slower ones (or atleast the ones that we think will be slow) pick up the faster, be it in studies, competitions or in life. Water is no exception to this rule. It is common sense to expect hot water to cool slower than cool cold water. Hot water has lot of energy to lose to become cold, while cold water has relatively less energy to lose to become cold. Sounds perfect. But is it truly the case? Controlled experiments show that hot water cools faster than cold water! And what more? This trend continues beyond the crossover point as well!! Check out this article here.

Wishes swarm in from every corner of the world. What more can brighten a day and give the boost for yet another year to come? What better day to remind that our lives are touched by each other in unique and memorable ways? Time may rip off the specific details of the memory. But it does not even dare to touch the inner spirit of these memories and wishes.

"The little unremembered acts of kindness and love are the best parts of a person's life." -- William Wordsworth.

Aesthetics and Science

This article by Dr. Chandrasekhar, is the best I have read so far on the motivations of scientific pursuit.

To kindle your interest:

"the motives which guide the scientific man are, from the beginning, manifestations of the aesthetic impulse"

Manmadhan Ambu

I cannot deny it is a very humorous movie. Apart from many of the specifics that can be appreciated, I found the story line very impressive.

A person is dying of cancer. If only he had money to get the necessary treatment, he can live. Isn't a life more worth than anything else in the world? So, his friend decides to undertake a spying work for which he is promised to be taken care of the hospital expenses. He needs to tail an actress who is taking a vacation in Europe. The actress's lover doubts her. A natural doubt that might arise in anybody in today's world. I wouldn't call it justified, but it is natural. Women these days are working. But men, most part, have still not come out of their cocoons fully. So, it is very natural that they do get into a mode of doubt. That has been portrayed very well in the movie. When the detective friend finds that the actress is beyond doubt, the lover gets into a stupid argument that since the detective did not find anything new, he will not get any pay. This again, is a very nice portrayal of the mentalities of people today. Take for example, what you expect from a Scientist. Every tax payer expects that a scientist would churn out a new finding everyday that would change their lives forever. In reality, that is not what happens. And they say, it is the moral right of the tax payer to expect it from a Scientist. Truly, no. The layman has no idea of how Science progresses and how slow it can be. It is the very nature of Science. In addition, uncertainty is the paradigm of Science. Just because a scientists announces something, it necessarily is not true. It may be disproved immediately, or sometimes, after very many years. It is this kind of situation that the detective is faced with. He is doing his duty...but that does not satisfy what the employer wants! Should he live to being honest, or, can he make a 'thagudu thatham' to save his friend? Propelled by the wrong intentions of the employer, the detective ends up in twisting the truth, which is still true, but is miscontrued by the employer - because of his preconceptions. These preconceptions finally lead to breaking up of their love forever.

I liked the movie for its simple, yet, profound story. Preconceptions are part of what we are. It cannot be denied. But if we are not open to change, we would finally lose.

The story cannot be better said!

The Seas

The seas house many unimaginable wonders of the world. Starting from the colors of the water, to the colors of the seabed, to the variety of organisms, colors of them are all mind-boggling wonders. A travel to the sea always reminds that the earth, however netted by the internet, is still big and has a lot to be explored. In the last 6 months, I have had the chance to visit two different seas: The South China Sea along Bintan, Indonesia and the Andaman Sea along Phuket, Thailand. The two places where very very exotic and different in their own way. At the outset, Bintan had clear blue waters while Phuket had Turquoise blue waters. See the pictures below: The first one is Bintan, and the next one is Phuket.

This color difference was the one that I noticed first. It was exotic to see turquoise blue waters in Phuket. One could note that even as one is flying into Phuket. In contrast, the waters in Bintan were clear blue. The reason, I learned later, was due to the fact that Phuket waters contain more of lime dissolved in them and the sea bed is made of limestone. The dissolved lime and the seabed, contribute to this color of the water. Water, in itself, does not have any color. But the dissolved particles, or the surface beneath, when reflecting/refracting the light from the sun, gives such a color to the water. The reddish color of certain other seas, I learn, is because of the ion content dissolved in them. So, the color of the ocean tells us about the ecology in that area!

I also noticed that the corals in Phuket (during snorkelling) were more colorful and housed more fishes than that we saw in Bintan. This could be due to several reasons. The one we saw in Bintan was shallower than the ones we saw in Phuket. A deeper sea could have more colorful corals. Maybe. But I did notice that there were huge schools of fishes in Phuket than in Bintan. I don't know why. But it was a little frightening to see huge swarms of fishes! :-) The colors of the fishes, I just couldn't believe my eyes. I don't know if we can reproduce such colors in paintings! In their natural setting, the colors were awesome.

The next thing I noticed was the huge limestone rock mountains in the Phuket seas. It seems that these limestone rocks are there for over several thousand years. The calcium deposition during the ice age, along with volcanic activities, they say, had shaped the current geology of the area. Bintan, on the other hand, was just like the seas that we know of usually. A large landscape with no interrupting rocks or mountains. What was more interesting is that, these large limestone rocks, sometimes looked as though somebody had taken a huge knife and just sliced it apart! That was intriguing. But later I learnt that since the limestones are inelastic, when the seabed underneath undergoes an expansion, the rocks just split apart, unlike sand mountains which would slide and make an even topography. See the photo below. This may not be the best picture, but still you can appreciate that this particular side of the rock has been just sliced off as though you cut an apple into two halves.

There are several studies on the geology of the andaman sea. This one 'The Andaman Sea Rocks' is a good start to read about them.

That's so much I have to say about the landscapes I have seen in the two places.

Corals, the organisms that give the landscape of the sea, are interesting in their own. Their way of living, their physiology, their anatomy, their symbiotic modes of living are way intriguing. Wikipedia has lots of interesting information on it...so, I don't think I should reproduce the information. But anybody who is going to snorkeling or diving, should first read about the corals. You will then be able to appreciate the beauty and the lifestyle of these organisms much better!

PS: The photos I have provided here were taken by my friend, Santio Ruban. So, if you want any of them, please contact him.

Hues of Happiness

It is christmas time. The nights are dark and cold. The streets are deserted. The lights on the christmas trees are winking at each other, with no passers by to spy on. The calm air is filled with happiness...gently moving through the streets again and again to ensure to fill every tiny crevices with joy. The year is coming to end. But the plants don't seem to be aware of it. They are enjoying their lovely calm nights, occasionally gossipping with the moving breeze. Happiness is everywhere.

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Stillness

8.23 pm. Pandian express is standing in the first platform. The platform is teemed with a number of people. The college students teaming up, making loud noises as they get ready to enjoy their travel together. There is still one machi not yet turned up. So one guy is trying to reach him.
In another compartment, the husband is going on a business trip and the whole family is standing at the platform giving all sorts of last minute warnings and wishes.
In yet another compartment a couple with a new born sitting and attending to their kid. Suddenly they realize they would run out off water soon. So the husband is rushing out witg the wife shouting that it was time and he should not go. The husband, still propelled by his lovr for his kid, pushes his way through the small door through which passengers are coming in. The incoming passengers are shouting at the husband.
The platform is filled with "idly vadai....kaapi, tea' music. Porters are urgently making their way. Railway authorities getting ready doing all the last minute checkings. 8.29 pm. The friend has just got down from the auto and is dashing in. The husband is waiting for the shop keeper to give back the change. The family people are giving their handshakes and are reluctant to part.

The atmosphere is filled with intense tension. Even a silent spectator could sense the tension prevailing there. 8.30 pm. The train starts moving. The husband runs to enter into one if the compartments. He gives a hand to the late friend who was struggling to throw his bags inside. The wife trying to get a glimpse of her husband through the window...but in vain...she is still tensioned.

The train slowly moves away from the platform. All the waving hands are going down one by one. The platform becomes empty in a few minutes.

There is stillness. The tension in the atmosphere vaporizes. Time seems to take slow strides. There is stillness. Peace. A blankness. The stillness after a heavy tension. A tension that grew to fulfill ambitions (late friend). A tension that grew out of love - the dad for his kid, the wife for her husband.
But when they all move over, there is a sense of peace and happiness. The sound of the stillness pervades the mind and body.

I don't know if this is appropriate:

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/money-and-careers/article938221.ece

Even though the IT companies scrap off the last ounce of creativity and innate talents, they have been valuable in improving the socio-economic statuses of several families and the nation as a whole. But this initiative - to waive the written aptitude test for "consistent performance" (read 'consistent regurgitation') - is a further step in ensuring and encouraging a mentality among the students that stresses the importance of memory, rather than use of intellect. It is not enough only for the academic institutes to talk about improving educational standards, but recruiters must equally participate. This is very much frustrating. This is also a bias against the "late pickers". A late bloomer canNOT be discriminated, for any reason, against a consistent performer.

Endhiran

Endhiran - I must say I was incredibly impressed with the first half of the movie before the standard Indian masala crept its way through to the second half. The technical wizardry is probably commendable - I leave it to the experts to comment on it. The storyline good for sure. A scientist with a "helping-humankind attitude" builds a robot that can learn from daily life do several tasks that his contemporaries are unable to do, thus making a significant advancement. However, it suffers from a serious limitation in that it cannot take moral decisions and can only do what it has been instructed to do. Due to this limitation, the AIRD (anybody can tell what it is?) does not approve it for use in the military. At this point, I must appreciate the movie team which had brought out the boons and banes of technological advancement vividly. In due course, the scientist "teaches" (or programs) to even "feel", a unique property of the living beings, so that he can take moral decisions. However, things take a twist and the robot starts to love. Then the whole thing takes the Indian masala shape. One is also reminded of the Hollywood movies like iRobo, Eagle Eye etc towards the end.

However the technical advancements and the storyline maybe commendable, I cannot still convince myself of spending Rs. 190 crores for the movie. I am also surprised by how somebody is able to invest such a huge amount in a single project! That only reveals how wealthy India is! Historically, the development of a nation and its citizens is evaluated by the amount of time and money they invest in art and culture. In that sense, India, and specifically Tamil Nadu must be really well-off that they are able to bring out such a mega-budget movie with a decent story line.

GENE THERAPY - A SUCCESS STORY

All these days, I never knew gene therapy was at clinical trial levels. I always thought it was at research level and there are a lot of difficulties to overcome before it came out in clinical levels. Alas, I was wrong! Read the success story of treating beta-thalaessemia, an inherited blood disorder, by gene therapy HERE and HERE!

Though it has been a success, there are a number of issues that are yet to be taken care of.

I happened to notice this news (click here) in dinamalar that doctors should come forward to work in villages. This is not the first news of the type. I think there is also a service bond for the medical students to serve in the PHCs for about a year or two. While I do agree that this is a nice initiative keeping the long-term welfare of the nation in mind, it seems like a biased initiative as well. Why not engineers be asked to serve in villages as well? After all, our villages need more infrastructure and technological advancements. Medical benefits are now prevalently available in the villages. Will the government think?

Life is full of choices. And, what...you are the chooser!

The Marauder's Map

I am sure everyone who is a fan of Harry Potter is also excited by the marauder's map. Harry uses it to find that Peter Pettigrew is alive and roaming within Hogwarts. Later he also uses it to track Draco. How interesting it must be to have such a map! You can map out what your boss is doing, can monitor where your kid is, etc etc. How wonderful it would be if it were true! Alas, indeed it is now a reality, and no fiction! Thanks to the smartphones and google lattitude/maps! One can enable GPS tracking in one's mobile phone and google map automatically updates your position! Even as one is travelling, you can.know which road he is in and if traffic information is available, one can esotimate time of arrival! On retrospection, the old fantasies and so-called magic are becoming a reality. I don't know if these would have been a reality without the yester years' fantasies and wild imaginations. The only uneasy thing about the old fantasy stories is that, people tend to believe that they are true and people of the past really did have those abilities and facilities. Truly, the stories of those days were born out of curiosity and imaginations. Again, curious people these days b
capitalise on science and technology to bring those imaginations a reality. Cheers to creativity and imaginations!

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Doctrate of Medicine and Neurology

Any higher degree that involves research (particularly, a supervisor) is not an easy job. To complicate it, imagine you have to deal with several people as well. If the people you have to deal with are ill, chronically, and you are deemed to cure them, and at the same time take data for your research. To talk of it is itself head-swiveling for me! And what, my sister has borne all these difficulties and passed her DM Neurology course after a streneous focussed effort of five years. The scholarliness gets infused into your blood only after a great struggle. Salute to the Doctors community who withstand all difficulties and live their dreams to serve people.

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Sync your Microsoft Outlook Calendar with Google Calendar!

One can synchronize your google calendar with your microsoft outlook calendar (click here). So, when using calendar in android phones, I don't have to re-enter my appointments in my google calendar. The sync application automatically does that for me. What more, you can control the information flowing path! You can either choose to update your google calendar with your outlook data, or update outlook data with google calendar, or both ways! Isn't that cool and very useful? But coming to think of it, is Google trying to monopolize? ah...never mind...it is useful, so it is ok. We cannot abandon PC for google, atleast now.

This is how Madurai looks when seen from above.



(The photo was taken from a Hindu article )

One can see the four streets around the meenakshi amman temple. It is for this 'whorl' type arrangement, the city has been conventionally called to have the arrangement of a lotus flower.

The scene would be amazing when you look at it in the night with all the lightings! Take an evening flight from madurai to chennai or bangalore to see this panaromic view! ;-)

"Talent is just the starting point" somebody said. Yes, it is truly just the starting point. Perseverence and self confidence are the key ingredients to bring a dream to reality. After about two years, my friend's comic has been selected to be one of the best in a comics contest. No doubt his comic story was original, creative and all good adjectives fitted appropriately for his creativity. But it did not gain the immediate reputation he had hoped for. He persevered. Made several attempts to take it to the people in several different ways. And Voila! Finally it got the recognition it deserved. Never give up your dreams!

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It all started with a forward with the message "no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
Perhaps he forwarded it to me to indicate/prick/poke me that I have, of late, not been spending quality time as I was drenched in my own apprehensions, anxieties, confusions, aspirations and commitments, slowly letting go the dose of reality and entering a monotonous melodramatic drama.

There's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend...and so did this saga start at Starbucks. This has been the second time we ventured into such planned unplanned trips. Since it was quite a long time since we met (almost about a year and half), the time was mostly spent on talking talking talking that morning and in the days to continue. Each updating the other of the lived and un-lived moments. For some reason, you get to talk more in person rather than by emails or even phone calls. That makes me wonder what it is that the physical presence does - any quantum entanglement phenomena triggered a cascade event?! Since I had saved time by executing an idiosyncratic plan well-ahead, we had more time that morning. It was then decided to explore the local delights and the downtown Singapore. However, the trip ahead was well punctuated as a result of the explorative nature of our minds. On the way to the destination was the Haw Par Villa which was not in our schedule...but finding it attractive, couldn't resist getting down - pressing the stop button in the bus as the bus was about leave from the stop. So did time pass by there moving around amids the chinese mythological characters and stories of good against evil. Time, though had started moving slow by then, did not fail in its job to induce hunger. Finally towards vivocity again for lunch at Thai Accent. But Vivocity is not a just another place! It has enough retreat for a gadget freak - my companion - that can last more than a day or two! The first target was Best, exploring 3D Tvs, i-products etc. But my hunger somehow realized it was 3.30 pm and was craving for some food that we had to ditch Best halfway to satiate my hunger at Thai accent. Interesting foods. To top it, the Green Apple juice was just amazing! Alrite, hunger satiated...what next? Return to Best to complete surveying the rest of the shop! And from there we slowly moved on to explore Vivocity and to freeze time within the Canon time machine. The phone pouch, the 3-D pictures, sun-activated T-shirts, Sound T-shirts, the pool on the top of the skypark, nothing was left unexplored. Vivocity was followed by Chinatown - Pagoda street - 3 for 10 dollar shops. Well, who can resist buying things over there? Ended up buying interesting stuffs over there. But all these places, we decided not to rush through since our aim was not to 'see' all places, but 'explore' the places that we go. Well, truly, we didn't quite explicitly come to this agreement, but I guess both of us came to an implicit understanding. However, I did nudge a little to keep moving on for the fear of sticking to just one place. Dinner at Chinatown, followed by a walk aside the Singapore River was refreshing. The beautiful night lightings around clarke quay was something I had noticed, but not enjoyed so far. I have enjoyed the evening walks over there though. At the end of these, we decided to explore Mustafa around 1 am. Mustafa, those who have visited it, will know what it is to shop there. It is an ocean of goodies...a one-stop shop for all your needs. A lot of shopping again here.

One might ask, is this all you did in Singapore? Shop...shop...shop? Well, actually yes, the first day was mostly so...but as somebody said, the joy lies while climbing the mountain than reaching the top as such.

The first day needs to be told in such detail because we couldn't freeze much of the time within our time machine - damn the batteries. However, starting the second day, the time machine - the camera - was in full use. So, no details! :-D {alrite, I am getting lazy}.

The five days ran through every minute. It is indeed true that "There's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend". The trick is to realize and honor it at the appropriate time. The apprehensions of the future will definitely cloud the mind always. But truly, the future is designed by the present. If you want to relish your future, you have to live the present!!

Anyway, here are a few tips for the readers:

1. Don't plan your outings to precise details unless needed (sometimes it is necessary to keep to proper eating schedules, especially if diabetic.)
2. Be a tourist who goes and explores the place, rather than knowing what to do in a place apriori. In doing so, you might miss out some places and some events, but you definitely will explore and relish the places you found by exploring!
3. If it is a short trip, give a vacation to your sleep as well!

Taste of technology

This is a new taste for me. I have always refrained hopping into newer technologies for the fear that I may get too much dependent on it. Also because I always believed in the supremacy of man over machine. But this taste of technology with spica tells me how ignorant I have been. A lot of seemingly impossible and 'magical' phenomena are now real. One is able to manage a huge amount of information in easy and undistractable ways. And the all-in-one nature is quite good. Could follow blogs, could write emails, could check location, could maintain my booklists, wishlists, calendars, tasks etc etc. The main purpose of being connected to home through skype has been missing though! But definitely gives a feeling of connectedness.

All these do not make me additive, but explorative! It does not mean supremacy of machine over man, but man over information! Great going so far! :-)

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Research is more often a struggle than an enjoyable phenomena. Only on retrospection does it reveal its sweetness and beauty. But by the time you start retrospecting, you have already killed many of your social contacts and disturbed your social life. So, it is very likely that you are retrospecting in a lonely environment. However, if you were to evaluate if you are truly lonely, you find a negative answer. Truly, your well-wishers and friends have never left you alone...they have been constantly monitoring and have been very understanding of your idiosyncrasies. And what more does one want in life more than this care? Professional achievements are a matter of dust before strong relationships.

Perhaps this is true in all careers. We sweat the small stuff and let go the bigger picture. This adds to one more lesson in my life. A lesson taught by experience, the toughest master. :-)

Wanted: Innovative Mathematical Thinking

http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_07_10.html

The Best Illusions of the year

New Scientists picks the best illusions of the year. (Click here)

Illusions, I think, are the best way to study cognition!

Some recent works on Protein-DNA interactions.

Specific protein-DNA binding has been thought, so far, to be a two-step process. However, a recent study by Sanchez et al (PNAS, 107:7751-7756. April 27, 2010) show that it may not be always the case. They find an equally probable second route – a route that has more rougher energy landscape. By a series of systematic mutations in the protein, the characterize the energy landscape of the second route – which again involves atleast two intermediates. The overall picture is that, there is an initial transition state ensemble with non-native contacts that drive the system into a kinetic trap. These non-native contacts are slowly rearranged into native-like interactions.
There are two points that are quite interesting:

1. That the second route is significantly probable.
2. To think of additional factors such as DNA bending in such a rough energy landscape is mind boggling!

While this study delineates the pathways to protein –DNA binding, yet another study (Genes and Development, 24:814-826) shows that the *shape* of the DNA minor groove directs binding by the protein FIS, a DNA-bending protein. The results of the study seem to suggest that FIS initially selects DNA targets with *intrinsically* narrow minor grooves and then it compresses the minor groove and bends the DNA. The study re-iterates the idea that the shape of the DNA is more important than its sequence – atleast in the noncoding regions, as shown by an earlier study (Science, Vol 324, 389-392, 2009).

Even as it is becoming clearer that the shape of the DNA is important, I think there is a long way to go in understanding what changes occur in the intrinsic properties of the DNA/protein that eventually modulate the structure.

Randomness in Speciation and Darwin's Theory of Evolution

Since school days, it has been taught to us that natural selection is the primary reason for the origin of species. Only 'fit' individuals survive in a particular environment. That is, it means that that there are certain characteristics needed for survival in a particular environment. So, if natural selection had played its role well, there can be only one species in a given environment - one species of bacteria, one species of a plant, one species of a spider, one species of a mammal etc. But this doesn't seem to be the case. Often several species cohabit an environment. So, it becomes obvious that natural selection cannot explain the 'origin' of species. This has been a contentious issue among evolutionary biologists since long and a recent study probably has revealed the underlying 'fact'. See the nature article. Or, read this New Scientist article which explains the issue in layman terms. According to this study, the origin of species is a random event. A rare event triggers change and a group of individuals in a particular species become reproductively isolated. These isolated group of individuals then gradually change, adapt by natural selection and form the new species.

I think this completes the theory of evolution. A rare event triggers the formation of a new species. This species then adapts to the environment and forms a new species. It seems like randomness is an important aspect of life! Nothing can be predetermined as some claim.

ஏனோ வெளிநாடு சென்று புகழ்பெற்ற இந்தியர்களை தலையில் தூக்கிக் கொண்டு "இந்தியர் அறிவாளி" என்று கொண்டாடும் பெருவாரியான மக்களை இன்று காண்கிறோம்.
சற்று சிந்திப்போமே ஏன் அவர்கள் இந்தியாவிலேயே சாதிக்கவில்லை என்று.
சற்று சிந்திப்போமே ஏன் இந்தியாவிலேயே வசிக்கும் 100 கோடி மக்களில் பெருவாரியானவர் சாதிக்கவில்லை என்று.
அல்லது ஏன் தான் நாம் மற்றவர் நம்மை அடையாளம் காணும் வரை பொருத்து இருக்கிறோம்?

English translation: There are great many number of people today, who cite examples of Indians who have achieved in foreign nations and claim the intelligence of Indians. Let us think why these people did not achieve it in India. Let us think why, of the 100 crore people, there are not many achievers. Or, why do we at all wait until a foreign organization identifies the talent in the Indian talent pool?

Carbon Footprint

Global warming is a serious issue if you are concerned about future generations who will live 100 years down. As the international leaders are trying to set up regulations and reduce the global warming, it is necessary that citizens in under-developed and developing nations be educated on Global Warming and the need to go green. "Carbon footprint" is probably the first terminology to understand in this process.

I came across the following links that I consider to be good in educating about carbon footprints and global warming in general.

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/
http://www.carbonify.com/

A sense of scale

To add wonders to the elegance of the universe, check out:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/scale.html for a sense of scale!

Festivals, Society and Science

Snowflakes have always evoked a sense of awe owing to their beauty and elegance. Various shapes of snowflakes are used in Christmas cards mainly for an aesthetic value and to denote the winter season. However, it is not common knowledge that snowflakes are always six-sided - hexagonal - owing to water's property. For quite sometime now, I have counted the number of edges of snowflakes appearing in commercial ads...and was always intrigued by the nonconformity to the "six". I was getting into the impression that I was wrong about my knowledge of the hexagonal structure of snowflakes. However a recent correspondence in Nature by Prof. Koop from the Bielefeld University helped me assert that I was indeed correct.

I really appreciate Prof. Koop's effort to bring it to the attention of the media that many of the commercial ads are depicting the snowflakes against the laws of Nature. Even as we celebrate festivals and try to include Nature into our celebrations - or perhaps as sources of inspiration and beauty - let us do it the right way. In my opinion, this is one of the responsibilities of Scientists: ensure that the layman gets to appreciate Nature for its elegance and beauty in the right spirits.

Once he gets to learn the intricacies and complexities of Nature, his appreciation for Science would increase and critical thinking for productivity would be automatically be inculcated.

THE SEARCH FOR EXTRA DIMENSIONS

I was fortunate to attend a talk on "The search for extra dimensions" by the Indian Physicist Dr. Sayen Kar at IIT Kharagpur. He highlighted that there are numerous experimental observations in Physics that can be explained only if we invoke the presence of extra dimensions (that is apart from the usual x,y,z and time dimensions). However, these dimensions become "visible" only at sub-micron length scales and requires high-energy techniques (like the Large Hadron Collider). I couldn't really imagine the presence of an extra dimension. It was hard convincing myself. However, it struck me that this would have been the state of mind before people discovered microbes! Nobody knew what caused diseases. The invent of microscopes was a milestone in knowing the microscopic world - organisims not visible to the eye. Similarly, I think we need high-end techniques like the LHCs before we really explore and perceive the presence/absence of the extra dimensions. In all cases, nothing can be ruled out until proved otherwise! :-)

THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF SCIENCE

I thought quite deeply about the social responsibility of Science when I wrote my previous blogpost (click here). However, I was very skeptical of how much my view was right, though I did get a few feedbacks agreeing to my opinions. A recent article in SciAM "War in Peace" parallels my thoughts. The author very clearly points out "Discerning the merits of competing claims is where the empirical basis of Science should play a role". The competing claims may be in any area. I am indeed happy that I understood this aspect of Science, quite right, thanks to Feynman of course! But the question is, why don't everybody who holds a degree in Science understand this?? Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone agreed to this aspect? In the same issue of SciAm, Michael Shermer (click here) informs us of a research work in psychology that identifies 5 innate and universally available psychological systems upon which our senses of right and wrong rest. The underlying basis of opinion difference is now delineated!!

HUMAN GENOME SEQUENCING IN INDIA

Recently, there was much news that Indian scientists were successful in sequencing an Indian genome. It is a great step indeed for India and shows its promise of progress. However, on retrospection, I wonder if this is any news at all! The human genome project published its first sequence around the year 2000. This means, the technology for sequencing was developed even before that...say 5 years (though the actual root is the invention of the PCR in 1983 - even before I was born!). So, this only means that Indians are lagging behind by at least 15 years now!! In addition, I learn from news that the sequencing technology license was bought from an european organization. So, what was so indigenous to India to celebrate the sequencing? Was there any break through data that leapt out - at least as of now, NO - there hasn't been a publication yet! So, why did the government choose to announce it prematurely? I have no clue! There are lot of things to do with sequencing - population genetics of the different races, cause for the malarial susceptibility etc etc etc. Couldn't the scientists have waited until there was good data to publish? I seriously don't understand their motive from a scientific point of view when there is no novelty displayed yet.

STAR GAZING

Singapore being one of the most "light-polluted" countries, I never thought there would be an astronomical observatory here. But as it happens, there is one...and in fact, one of the few telescopes on the equator! And what more...they offer 'free star gazing' every friday between 7.45 and 10 pm! The planet on focus today was Jupiter - as that was the most observable celestial body today - perhaps the whole of December. There was a big hood like thing..as we see in the movies... in which the telescope was mounted. I guess the whole of the hood was rotatable to view different parts of the sky. The telescopic image showed 4 moons along with the planet. It just made me wonder how much our 'vision' has improved :P (The proposed site for the Indian Neutrino Observatory has been dismissed by the government). There a lot of things that we don't know and are beyond our imagination too. It is so interesting how people live in so much vanity when there are a lot of stuffs that we don't understand and do not even perceive! That apart, I also saw a small satellite that crossed Singapore while I was there...apparently it reflected the sun's light for a fraction of a minute on its way...and was observable at Singapore. One can get a list of observable satellites in their location for the next 7 days from this website: http://www.heavens-above.com/.

Astronomy is fun and humbling!

Components of Research - Hypothesis- vs Non-hypothesis- Driven Research

Holding a bachelor degree in Science and stepping into a graduate program in the Engineering has been the most arduous task I have ever undertaken in my life. Trained as a Science student with a little research exposure at NCL and NCBS, I have always learnt to build upon existing information, i.e., summarise the existing information - identify the gaps and fill them. However, the approach in engineering research seemed totally different. Here they identified a(ny) problem, solved it, and then looked for supporting information! Well, I have had serious trouble because of these two different approaches in research - I was never able to accept there can be "non-hypothesis" driven research. However, a blog and a chat with a friend at CMU, made me go over the breakthroughs in Science.

Case 1: Newton sits down an apple tree. Apple falls. Newton discovers law of gravity.

Was there any hypothesis in this discovery? No! Newton first made an observation! He then went on to systematically study it and bingo - he derived the laws. So, there was a non-hypothesis driven research first - the observation that an apple fell. This was followed by hypothesis-driven research - "systematic" study of the observations. What one means by "systematic" is that, you pose a series of questions and check your logic of understanding by answering each of the questions with consistency. If consistency fails with your logic, you got to revise your logic - hypothesis. So, research involved a non-hypothesis driven observation followed by a hypothesis driven work.

Case 2: Structure of DNA is a double helix.

Crystallization was a new technique in the 1940's -50's. Watson and Crick were curious to know the structure of DNA, as many of the contemporary scientists were. So, they made an observation - the diffraction data - and interpreted them. While the interpretation involved asking a series of logical questions in order, they were, as such NOT addressing any hypothesis. So, again, this is a clear example of non-hypothesis driven + hypothesis driven research.

To finally conclude, research is both making an observation and studying it systematically.

In the context of Systems Biology, I guess the entire field is in the stage of non-hypothesis driven research. Not much progress has been into making meaning out of the observations generated so far. But with time, it shall see its fruits and enter into its second phase - hypothesis driven research.

PS: Just making a RANDOM observation is NOT Science. An observation that resulted out of curiosity or inquisitiveness is only Science. I will talk about Serendipity and Science in another post.

For the Structural Bio Enthusiast: Torsion Angles

In structural biology, I have come across the term torsion angle many a times. But I never understood the precise meaning of it until today! The motivation to learn about it came from Dr. Xian-Jun's blog: Torsion Angle
Dr. Xian-Jun had given a detailed description of how to calculate it, though he had taken for advantage that someone reading it will know what a torsion angle is - I did not know! A quick google search yielded some informative links. The summary of my learning is as follows: In the newman projection it is the angle between the bond that is nearer to you and the bond that is farther from you. A more clear explanation is given at IUPAC

It is in the appreication of the unknown, humbleness sets in. But that doesn't mean that you have to intimidated by the unknown. Embrace it and learn it.

Ancient and Unique Nature of Tamil

I have had small debates with my North Indian friends as to which Language (Tamil or Sanskrit) is the mother language of all Indian Languages. Naturally, they claim Sanskrit to be the oldest, and I claim Tamil to be the oldest. It perhaps seems that both are the oldest!! The below link shows evidences that Tamil developed with NO influence of Sanskrit.

Scroll down to "Origins of Tamil".

http://karkanirka.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/tamilintro1/

Also came across: http://www.ifih.org/SouthIndianInfluencesintheFarEast.htm
If you had read Kadal Pura, you would have already known that there was a huge South Indian influence in the Far East..if not, this site talks about it...I haven't read through it thoroughly...but I trust the source.

OBAMA FOR NOBEL PEACE?

It came as a very unexpected news that the US President Obama was voted for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. Though I knew not much of nominations and the criteria, I definitely did not, even in the slightest, think of Obama for Nobel. Anyway, I read up on the news in a few news papers and I understood that it was awarded to him for the claims and promises he made in his presidential campaign. There is a huge uproar and sarcasm against the Nobel committee which made this decision. However, I think I am going to support the school of thoughts which says, the award will compel him to bring his promises true. I don't know what Alfred Nobel originally stipulated as the requirements of the award. But I think it perfectly makes sense to put an extra pressure to a man who made tall claims by honoring him with the Nobel. At the same time, the money gives him the freedom and confidence to do what he desires to make the dreams come true. So, instead of awarding a person who has achieved already, the Nobel committee's decision to award a person who can potentially achieve the need of the hour is wise.

"To put it bluntly, the only thing that appears to have motivated large numbers of people to invest significant resources in science is fear of dying..."

Can layman be any longer ignorant of the scientific happenings around him? How important is to educate layman on Scientific pursuits? And a lot more questions on Science. David Balamuth analyzes each factor and answers an interview, the details can be viewed here

Well...well...there is something that I seriously understand:

Some people, who are supposedly in "good" and "high" positions...or atleast are in the path to that, cannot really take care of small stuffs! For example, maintaining stationary inventory, getting the requested quality of a product etc., seems so silly to them..but that makes a difference! When they canNOT pay attention to such small details, how are they going to make a difference with a "big" detail..and what good it would be to put them in a higher position?

"The future, good or ill, ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song."

-- Lord of the Rings

Well, well...India and Indian people are never going to come out of their stupidity.
Would anyone compel their own daughter to marry someone whom she doesn't want to marry? Well, the daughter has not much choice! And you have to believe it! Arranged marriages can be good...but I guess with changing social life pattern, it is important to consider the preferences of both the individuals. I think this is quite important for the development of the society as well.

I just happened know that people can even be reluctant to visit a doctor, despite having some problems. Even if it were minor, if it were I, I wouldn't have let it and I would have got a consultation. However, Mr. X dismissed that since he didn't have anymore symptoms, he was fine. But I am not sure if this is right. The discomfort could have been due to many reasons, which a layman wouldn't suspect. Even if it was a simple problem, my advise would be to pay a visit to the doctor and get it confirmed that it was nothing. However, I learn that people are a bit reluctant because of the cost involved. The consultation fee, lab fee, prescription fee etc etc. That is true. But one cannot risk his life for money, especially when there is a whole 50-60 years of life ahead! Well, truly, I don't know what is right in this case!

Be True to Yourself

In light of women's day, there was this article (click here)that appeared in rediff where in an IAS officer, Mrs Ministhy Dileep had written an article on balancing work and life. It is a quite common plight that women give up jobs to take care of the kid - the larger good. However, isn't it also necessary to allow women to pursue their desires? Kids - a decision that has to be taken by both and the responsibility of raising the kids is on both the parents. However, in India, it has been customary for women to stop working after having kids. Is this voluntary or under compulsion, I don't know. However, I do think that women should be allowed to pursue their desires. At the same time, men should also be allowed to pursue their desires - if you don't want to go shopping - NO GO! Everyone should be allowed to be true to themselves.

Finally, the oscar buzz is over. ARR conferred with 2 oscars and every Indian is so proud about it. While every Indian MUST be proud of it, I just want the people to think WHY ARR won the oscar for Jai Ho and the other song. WHAT in Jai Ho made it really unique that it stood up the strict evaluations of the oscar committee? Shouldn't that be spelt out for other aspiring music directors? Would ARR or any other music critic do that for the benefit of others?

Sometimes, it so happens that we get caught up in very petty issues, which actually happens so unintentionally. Infact, they may not even have an impact on us...yet we driven off by it. However, helplessness leads to frustration. What is the medicine?

Delhi-6

Finally, I had the chance to watch the 'much-awaited' movie Delhi-6 from the director of 'Rang De Basanti' with music by ARR. A good friend of mine brought this movie to my attention, mainly for ARR's music...and when trailers came about, we were very much convinced that it is a 'must-watch' movie for several reason (partly because of the spoilers too). With great expectations set, my friend watched the movie the very next day of its release and ended up with great disappointments. For example, the 'Rehna Tu' song wasn't expected to be in such a context ;-), though it was nice! Having not lived up to his expectations, he discouraged me from seeing it...which eventually proved to be one of the motivations for me!! I liked the movie.

The story is that of a young man (Abisheak B) bringing his granny (who is dying from cancer) to accompany her spending her last days in the place she lived (which apparently is Delhi with pincode 6). He is welcome by the startling(??!!) news of the black monkey in Delhi (which did really happen in Delhi a few years ago, though, suprisingly, it was never spotted later!!). He comes into India with a mindset that granny didn't have anyone in India. But he is suprised by the love and affection of the people who welcome granny and is relished by these 'connections'. However, as the days pass by, the black monkey issue kindles Hindu-Muslim conflicts in his own area. The young man himself is being caught up and fried up for this issue when he tries to mitigate the conflicts! He becomes vexed. He decides to go back to the US and take granny as well. But then, something stops him from doing it. He realises they are his people and he has to accept them for whatever they are: indeed that is life! The director has beautifully portrayed this transition in the mind of the young man - and I should say I could relate it to myself sometimes,though I don't work up for any mitigations of the Hindu-Muslim conflicts.

In addition, the director has beautifully captured the stupidity of the people in India. The cow giving birth, using black monkey to rescue themselves from pressing situations - making fool of others, the marriage issues are some typical examples. The foolish humiliation of the 'low caste' people is also a nice issue that has been well-handled (particularly with the Ramayan drama). Yet another one I liked was the Gobar characterization. I strongly feel there are lot of people in the society who play to the tunes of others just because that is the only way they can make up a living. This has to stop! The police character is so well portrayed - Indeed Indian policemen are so - shame!

The Ramayan drama set up was extremely good, I should say. I was wondering how they are going to show up the flames when Sita crosses the Lakshman Rekha...and the way the flame was brought in picture was brilliant!

The movie ending could have been different.

All in all, Delhi-6 was a movie that I enjoyed. Though India is filled with stupidity in many places, India is still a beautiful place and is fun to be in India. It would also be nice to have a right balance of stupidity and common sense like the one the young man visualizes in his dream.

Final recommendation - See the movie!

It occurs to me that this movie should have also been to the Oscars. It captures many subtleties of the Indian society.

Science and Religion - A confluence!

I was just going through my research notebook when I happened to see that I had noted two nice quotes - don't know from where...but it was nice and I thought I have to put it down. They reflect that science and religion are different perspectives of the same emotion. Not sure how many are going to agree, but I think I agree to this:

"Science is about finding material explanations of the world - explanations that can inspire those spooky feelings of awe, wonder and reverence in the hyper-evolved brain".

"Religion, on the other hand, is about humans thinking that awe, wonder and reverance are the clue to understanding a God-built universe".

Comments welcome!

Slumdog Millionaire and the Oscars

The 81st Oscar Academy Awards is special for Indians. The Indian music maestro AR Rahman has been nominated for Oscars for his music. The music was indeed good. The movie has other nominations as well. Now, what bothers me is: Why would ALL Indians be proud if ARR wins the laurels? True, hez an Indian and his winning an award would put India in the limelight. However, isn't it all because of ARR's own efforts? I just could not accept people just celebrating the victory...shouldn't they get inspired to perform and achieve like him? Well, it is not in only this area I have this lament...but with any field.

An archeological foray: Mahabalipuram

Following up on a recent visit to Mahabalipuram, Chennai, my friend, Ruban, and myself got intrigued by a number of issues, and more specifically, the Krishna's butter ball! On the persistent insistence of curious Ruban, I landed up lending out a book called 'The Seven Pagodas on the Coromandel Coast' from our library. It was an interesting read.
First of all, let me tell you why we went to Mahabalipuram. It was very much decided before even I planned for vacation that Ruban and I would go out somewhere when I came to India for vacation this year. First we thought we would go to some place near Bangalore, but then he got a job in Chennai. So we decided on Pondicherry. However, little did I realise that Pondicherry was 120 kms from Chennai! So it was finally decided that we would go to Mahabalipuram. That said, we rode on the famous ECR with great cautions from his parents. It was a nice ride with brief stop-overs. Finally on reaching Mahabalipuram, both the curious minds had their own curious questions! Finally, the Krishna's butter ball caught attention of both of us. I couldn't imagine how that piece of rock was hinging on a small area. What was more interesting was that one half of the rock was flat! Would someone have tried to do something with the rock? How is that it is perfectly flat on the other side? Mind boggling questions! So, with these and other curious things the vacation came to an end; I came back to work when I lent the book.

The book was interesting. It was a collection of descriptive and historical papers relating to Mahabalipuram, also called the Seven Pagodas. The archeological significance of this place was discovered by Europeans in the late 1700s. Since then there have been lot of documentation about the place, notable among them is the one by Goldingham. Each historian has documented their own observations of inscriptions, arcitecture, style, legends etc. Some question the interpretations of the earlier, and some admonishing as well. (Well, I understand what it is to do research in archeology!)

So now, the facts that I learn: The Krishna's butter ball is actually Draupadi's butter ball according the sthalapurana, the other half having bitten by a cat which can be found in the Arjuna's penance sculpture! The question now is - Why did Draupadi, Arjuna come down here? Well, we all (atleast I) know Mahabharatha is a myth...so perhaps people living around made the story for money (some of the historians tell the same too!). Now the mentioning of the rock in the sthalapurana confirms that the rock was not brought to the place recently. However, it has seemed to have attracted little attention by the historians despite its uniqueness.

Now to learn about the people who might have lived there: The inscriptions are of Pali language - which means people who made the inscriptions were either in constant touch with Palinese or that it was made by Pali people. The sculptures reflect the people of those days. What suprised me was, one of the europeans had mentioned seeing kids in their hips of their mother as suprising! I had, to this day, thought it was common...perhaps it was not - europeans didn't carry babies that way probably. But the other knowledge is that, Indians, or more specifically, South Indians, had been used to carry babies in their hips since long time. In addition, the sculptures also give insights into the clothing habits of people of that time (which time is a question!). Let me put it verbatim:

" Several interesting particulars regarding the ancient Hindus may be gathered from this pastoral scene. The dress of the females resembles that now worn by the Neyris (Nair women) and Tiyyattis (females of the Tiyyar caste) of Malabar, who are uncovered about the waist. The men it appears, wore turbans, and the women very large ear-rings, with bangles on their hands and feet. The peculiar practice of carrying the infant on the hip, which cannot fail to attract the notice of the Europeans at the present day, was then in use; and even the vertical arrangement and method of tying together the three earthen vessels here represented, is recognized by all Hindu visitors as being universally adopted by the modern Gopalas. The execution of this work is coarse, and the design rude; and though particular parts have much merit, yet the limbs of the principal figures are clumsy and ill-proportioned, the attitudes forced, and the countenances without experession"

- Inscriptions at Mahamalaipur - Dr. B. G Babington.

One thing I do notice is that the europeans have tended to refer to the local people as Hindus (or in some places, Brahmans). Two, it is suprising that women are depicted to be uncovered above the waist - probably a fact that we cannot digest today because women are supposed to be fully covered in public. The carrying of earthern pots in the head - is something we might be able to see in the remote villages today. So in all, the scultptures have depicted the then cultures of the people and the localites have since then exploited these with well-woven stories for money.

There are a lot of things we can learn from these ancient sculptures - relics that stand against the fury of Nature to provide the humankind insights about their earlier generations.

Take Home Message: Do visit Mahabalipuram and try to appreciate what it truly means to convey us, apart from the skill display, which is also exemplary.Let us not fall prey to the myths. While appreicating the skills and thoughtfulness of the earlier generations, let us also be thoughtful and do activities with a foresight - a message that we get from our ancestors.

On thinking of the current education scenario in India, I have increasingly come to believe that the education system is lacking perspectives - teachers teach just to cover the syllabus,not help appreciate the beauty and the usefulness of what is being taught/studied. I am not making this claim blindly, but after interaction with a few teachers and with a few students. A recent article in dinamalar wherein Dr. Kalam shares his idea on what the purpose of education has to be is a worthwhile read. A succinct, english version of his points are from the book: Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner. In the book, Gardner identifies five different types of minds that education today has to inculcate in the younger generation. They are as follows:
1. The Disciplinary Mind: the mastery of major schools of thought,including science, mathematics, and history, and of at least one rofessional craft.
2. The Synthesizing Mind: the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others.
3. The Creating Mind: the capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions and phenomena.
4. The Respectful Mind: awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups.
5. The Ethical Mind: fulfillment of one's responsibilities as a worker and as a citizen.

Having realised what needs to be done, it is time we act to do what needs to be done! But how?

Ambigram, Me and My Friend

The very first time I read about ambigrams, about 3-4 years ago, I have always wanted to have my name written as an ambigram. It took great wisdom from my side (3-4 yrs) to actually look for online sites which can create ambigrams. When I finally found one, it so happened that I couldn't copy it :-( So, the mission was aborted until yesterday when I was talking to one of friends. He has a very creative mind and does art works like these, draws portraits etc. I requested him one and he immediately gave me one - actually two - one in black and the other in color.

I cannot stop but admire his creativity in this ART. Comparing it to the normal ambigrams as one would see in the 'Angels and Demons' book, I should say this IS creativity. Hats off to Thilak, the artist! :-)

The sixth pay commission in India increases the salary of the University/College teachers(click here). The minister for HRD says this is part of the effort to restore the dignity of the teaching profession. This is most welcome. In addition, they lay new rules that PhD is a basic qualification to become an assistant professor - commendable. (Law makers don't have to be a PhD yet!) The sixth pay commission seems to be welcome, at least to the teachers! But do we have enough 'qualified' teachers?!

Unbelievable

I don't think it could be common for someone to have seen a person in the morning, and after a few hours hear that the person is no more! It has come as a sudden news that Prof. Krishnaswamy, an Associate Professorial Fellow here at NUS, is no more. This morning, around 10.15 when I was running across to organize a seminar, I bumped into him. Though I knew him not personally, I knew him as a person the department respected most - the senior most - who was a great mentor in the development of the department. Around 4, I get the news from a colleague that he suffered a myocardial infarction around 2.45, and around 7, I hear that he is no more! In a way, he was probably lucky - not to have suffered the infirmities of old age - because he was working even that morning in the dept. But to accept that a person whom I saw this morning is no more in the afternoon is quite difficult. Infact, I have not been able to accept so far, any of the no-more's in our family. I weirdly get the feeling that they are some where else, still alive, just non-communicable. The logical mind contradicts,nevertheless, it is peaceful, sometimes, to keep away logic.

Vaaranam Aayiram

What a wonderful tamil name for the movie - The director (to an extent) justifies the title towards the end of the movie. It is a story narrated by a son on the occasion of his father's death, on how his father inspired and influenced his life. There were many good emotional points that can be applauded. Nevertheless, this Tamil movie is no exception to logical fallacies. Despite the logical fallacies, the story is too good and remains green in the memory, perhaps because the emotional factor is too high. Nice movie - one that lingers in the mind even after you leave the theatre hall.

Laments

I am being forced to believe that there are only a few 'true' scientists left in the world. Professors who (probably) did good science during their 'younger' life, no longer keep up with the current trends and lack the current knowledge. Hence they depend on their students and trust their understanding and summaries of research work. But students, sometimes, take advantage of this, presenting the professor with only what is needed, so that their argument APPEARS cogent. Especially when the research group is working on diverse areas, there is no one else to pinpoint out the mistake. It is the moral responsibility of the grad scholar to read and understand the literature *correctly* and think how to progress that field of research. When a mistake is pointed out, it is simply ridiculous if the grad scholar says " I am sorry, I messed up"! Science is no fun (and, especially you can say this to a reviewer)! It ought to be correct and that only is Science. I don't know why these hell creatures who *cannot* awe at Nature come to do Science. Admission should NOT be offered to anyone who wants to do a PhD just because it promises higher salary. A master degree would be sufficient for that! Infact, surveys have shown that master students earn more than a PhD graduate.
And it is the professor's moral responsibility to keep themselves updated of what is happening in the field and direct the grad student in more appropriate ways.
The professor should also NOT float a project if he doesn't know anything about it. Sometime ago, I had a chat with my friend, and we thought : Any professor who floats a project should first write a detailed proposal and submit it to the department for approval - which would ensure that the professor knows enough about the subject.

Well, life has to move on, whatever happens. :-(

The Philosophy of a PhD

Since time immemorial, I have always been wondering why a PhD is called a PhD - Why 'Doctor of Philosophy' and not 'Doctor of Physics/Maths/Chemistry/etc...
It has taken great wisdom from my part to actually type 'Philosophy' in google to really find its meaning. I found 8 meanings - all related to explaining philosophy as a way of thinking leading to wisdom. I give one of it here: "Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline".
Not being satisfied by the meaning found through google, I became curious about the etymology of the word and found its origin to two Greek words : 'phil' meaning love and 'sophy' meaning wisdom - but where did 'moral self-discipline' pop in??
So, a PhD, I understand,denotes that the holder of the degree has a love for wisdom and knows how to pursue his love. Still, the meaning of PhD is incomplete without defining what 'wisdom' is!

Do we, holding that the gods exist, decieve ourselves with the insubstantial dreams and lies, while random careless chance and change alone control the world?

- Euripides, Hecuba

On Education and Science

I was talking with my supervisor yesterday, as usual a highly energetic conversation! We touched on the topic of education when he quoted this ""Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." Isn't this the crux of education? We shall not give the fish to eat, but teach him how to fish! Translating to the education language; Do not give closed ended questions for which there exists solution; but give open ended questions that allows/makes/trains one to think. I think this IS education. Many people think science is all about exploring the activities and observations around us and making technological advancements. Yes, this is indeed one part of science. But in my opinion, the true contribution of science to the society is the inculcation of the 'thinking process' in an individual, in turn to his family and in turn to the society as a whole. Doing science is not that easy or that fascinating as everybody (or most) think. It is a process that you undergo when you drag out all the intuitions within and spill it rationally and ratify your intuitions. Shortly put, it is extreme skepticism followed by productivity. Definitely doing Science is not the only way for such rational and critical thinking. But it is the best possible way! When you start practising so, you are automatically illuminated with moral and ethical responsibilities, something religion does (as some claim to) but blindly!

Education and Science should teach an individual to be extremely aware of whatever he thinks!

Science in India

I came across an abstract by Meera Nanda in a conference-to-be-held. It was on "Scientific Temper, Hindu Scientism and the future of Secularism in India". The abstract can be found here. I completely agree with the views presented in the abstract. Science teaches one to think objectively; to believe only after testing and experimentation rather than blindly accepting. Science, or for that matter, education, should teach one to respect each other and accept them for what they are, evaluate tasks objectively for progress. It is this quality that needs to be inculcated in the minds of the people. Leaders like Nehruji probably emphasized on science and education having these ideas in mind. But the so-called Hindu society pushes aside these notions as 'western influence' and is still drenched in old practices of god-men and gurujis. Worst to the fact, even educated people, holding highly respectable positions, fail to understand their duty and are driven by the 'kick' of power and do not work for the progress and development of the people. Well, this is the Indian society...a society that does not respect an individual nor do the people themself have responsibility. Dr. Kalam rightly chose the younger generation to reform!

Are you fooling yourself?

“I am unworthy of doing a PhD”, “My supervisor is soon going to find out that I am not capable of doing research”, “I am going to be thrown out of the grad school soon”.
- Have you ever lived with any of these fears in mind? If yes, continue reading to know that it is just a common syndrome among highly successful people and is called the ‘Impostor syndrome’.
The condition was first identified in 1978 by the psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes among ‘gifted women’. Slowly, it was realized that this condition is common among people in different walks of life, irrespective of gender.
The impostor syndrome is defined as the inability to internalize success. One feels that he/she is not really successful, competent and smart and is only imposing as such. They are in constant fear that their inabilities would be found out and shall be thrown out soon! They may also attribute success to other external sources (such as a computer error!) or luck and not to their own abilities. This is not an all or nothing syndrome. Some of us may be able to associate our self with a few statements. Some of us may identify with impostor feelings in some situations and not others or may not even identify these feelings but have friends who do. To read more about it and for ways to overcome the impostor feeling, the following pointers may help:
1. http://www.counseling.caltech.edu/articles/The%20Imposter%20Syndrome.htm
2. http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/03/10.30.03/imposter_syndrome.html
3. http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i11/11a00101.htm

FOOD BLOG!

Well, with loads of work sitting right front of me, I am tempted to go online to chat with friends...well thats something I cannot resist when someone wants to talk!Talking is such a ventilating phenomena...a ventilation for thoughts...be it wanted or unwanted...it is very much necessary that every one wants a patient ear. But given that XY is on the way back home, I have time left until XY reaches home after dinner...and let me finish off the FOOD BLOG...especially for bachelors by a bachelor! My experiences and tips for easy cooking for bachelors outside India.

The first recommendation is that : PLEASE LEARN TO COOK RICE, DHAL and SAMBAR from your dear amma! These are basic stuffs that you must know!

What I am going to give you here are somethings that you can have for a variety.

1. Veg Fried Rice

a. Well, this is one of the easiest stuff in the world!
Must requirements : Onion, Spring onion leaves, Rice and atleast one veggie.
b. Preferably I usually use these veggies : Carrot, Beans, Cauliflower...but its left to your imagination as to what else u want to add.
c. Fry onion (for three persons, I use 2 medium sized onions..but it doesn't matter) in the pan (after thalichufying with kadugu, curry leaf, cumin seeds). Once the onion is fried, add one veggie at a time and fry well until all the veggies are well cooked.
d. In the meantime, cook rice separately. See to that you give a little less amount of water so that rice does not 'kolanjufy'.
e. Now, add the veggies into the cooked rice and mix well. For efficient mixing purposes, u can add veggies little by little to rice. (If you haven't added salt, don't forget to add that too!).
f. Now fry Spring onion leaves in the pan...and when the smell of the leaves come, stop frying and add it to the rice and mix again.
g. READY TO SERVE!!

Its so simple! If you have agenomoto, u can add it to the rice while mixing veggies...add only a little.

NOTE: You can use the veggie so prepared with chappati/bread or anything. You can use pototoes too and make it like bhaji (for pav).

2. Thakkali Pachadi.

This is another most easy-to-make item.

Basic Requirement: Tomatos and Onions.

a. Thalichufy stuffs (kadugo, seeragam, curry leaf, green capsicum etc.)
b. Fry Onions very well(how much ever you want).
c. Add equal amount of well-cut tomatos and fry in the pan until the oil comes up. (If you have left less oil, fry until the entire stuff becomes like jelly-like.
d. READY TO SERVE!

NOTE 1: This item, when preserved well, can be used for abt a week. Care must be taken so that no wet spoon or anything wet doesn't get in.

Note 2: You can mix this item with rice and get tomato rice...or can use it as a bread/chappati spread...or even as a side dish for Thayir saadham!

Thats all for now... will try to post more!

New addition to my Google Page!

Hello All, I have added a new page to my webpage...Do have a look!

http://vmsrvignesh.googlepages.com/myforayintoart

Thanks!

Some tips on Oral presentations

After observing a few oral presentations by notable professors, I thought there are atleast two important aspects which display one's authority or profoundness in that partcular field:

1. Relate your current work (the small step you have taken) to the overall picture/broader objective of yours.

2. Acknowledge the importance of the other parts of the big picture that you probably haven't done. (This also shows that you know about it...and that you are humble! :-) )

Research - Some reflections

It is our innate desire to take control of our surroundings and the eagerness to display our prowess in doing so, that has lead to us to ask the 'why','what' and 'how' of things. This is interesting, challenging and exciting....- 'the fun of science'!

I don't remember why and under what circumstances I wrote my previous blog on Ageing...but today, I read the same in the book : "The Alchemist"!

Here is the paragraph from the book: " Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realise their Personal Legend."

Isn't this pretty much the same I had tried to convey earlier in my blog?! But ofcourse, this is very well-written. :-)

Ageing

Ageing - I believe everyone will agree to me if one defines ageing as a "A transition from idealistic thinking to pragmatic thinking". As time rolls by, we learn a lot about the people around us, the working of the world, and identify ourselves as part of the huge world.

As children, we aspired to become something and believed that one and only 'I' am eligible for that and one and only 'I' can make it happen. All wonders would be within our hands of reach. But as we start interacting with the world, we understand that the world is not the ideal place we thought of, that the wonders are not at hands' reach. Will this understanding be a linear increase with time? If so, then here is the recipe for being young: Think ideally!

Richard P. Feynman

Being a great admirer of Feynman, I think it is injustice not to have any of his quotes in my blog...Here are two of his poems that I/many like:

I wonder why, I wonder why.
I wonder why I wonder.
I wonder why I wonder why
I wonder why I wonder!

I stand at the seashore, alone, and start to think...
There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison.

Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.

Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.

Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the pattern of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.

Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.

Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing:
atoms with conciousness;
matter with curiosity.

Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering: I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the universe.
-- Richard P. Feynman (1955)

கனா காணும் காலங்கள்
- ஆம், நிச்சயமாக நம் பள்ளி நாட்கள் தாம்!

மிகுந்த சுவையுடன் அசை போடும் நினைவுகள்.

குடும்பம் என்ற வட்டத்திற்கு அப்பாற்பட்டுக் கிடைத்த முதல் அன்பு: நண்பர்கள்.
அவர்களுடன் விளைந்த சிறு மோதல்கள், அதனைத் தொடர்ந்த அன்புப் பரிமாற்றங்கள், அரும்புக் காதல்கள் என்று பல நினைவில் நீங்கா எண்ணங்கள்; இலட்சியங்களை சாதிக்கும் குணங்கள்,நம்மை அறியாமலேயே விதையிடப்பட்ட பருவம்: பள்ளிப் பருவம்.

இத்தகைய அருமையான பள்ளிப் பருவத்தை மையமாகக் கொண்ட "கனா காணும் காலங்கள்" என்னும் விஜய் டிவி நிகழ்ச்சி நான் விரும்பிப் பார்க்கும் ஒன்று.

அத்தியாயம் 267-ல், நண்பர்களுக்கிடையே நிகழும் மோதல்களினால் ஏற்படும் வலியை அற்புதமாக ஒரு கவிதையின் மூலம் சொல்லி இருந்தார்கள்; இதோ உங்களுக்காக்:

நண்பா!

நீ பறவை, நான் மரம்.
என் கிளையை காயப்படுத்திவிட்டு உயர எழும் உன் கால்கள்;
உயர உயர நீ பறப்பாய், காயப்பட்ட நானோ கண்ணீருடன்;
எல்லைகளைத் தொட்டுக் களைத்து நீ திரும்பி வருவாய் இளைப்பாற
என் கிளைகள் எப்போதும் காத்திருக்கும்.

பள்ளி பருவத்தில் நமக்கு நம்மீது இருந்த நம்பிக்கையை நினைவூட்டுவதாக அமைந்தது மற்றொன்று:

நான் மலையில் கல்லுடைப்பதாக எண்ணி
அணைவரும் என்னை அலட்சியமாக பார்த்தார்கள்
அவர்களுக்குத் தெரியவில்லை நான் மலையை
உடைத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறேன் என்று.

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A Horribe Choice

Whoever said PhD is tough is 200% correct.
When I took up graduate studies I had the opinion that this student didn't enjoy science. But now I realise that a PhD is not only about learning to do science but also understanding and managing people...working to meet their expectations and imaginations!
My first recommendation to anyone who sees this blog: DO NOT OPT for PHD. Instead, take up a masters course by research, and if you still survived, then opt for PhD (at your own risk again).
For those who have already gained admission, please do not choose a project which involves two PIs. You are likely to suffer as much as I do...or even more. The ideas, experiences, expectations of X and Y being different, you are more likely to get trained in managing these people rather than doing any work. Particularly when X discusses things and Y simply works things it is lot lot lot lot lot more difficult.

The other suggestion I would like to give someone who has got an admit, choose a group that is established, dynamic and lively. Do not choose to be supervised by professors who are in the senior-most cadre (administrative jobs)...and even if you choose to, make sure he/she has a big group working. Do not get stuck as a single person driving your project.