Happy Birthday Achyuta!

I thought the first thing he would do, after successfully completing his ¾ of a year in isolation, is to be glad to see a human face. Instead, he cried, uncontrollably - it must have been a very difficult journey for him. A huge barrier had just been crossed and when I cut a long mass of indistinguishable nature, it severed all physical ties with his dark past. He was a free man now. Well…. As if he realized this, and the notion that it may not be for quite some years from then, he continued to cry. That did not stop the four figures, all clad in green overalls, from taking him away from us. That would not do, I told myself and with a reassuring look to comfort my already distressed wife, I followed them closely. But there was no need to worry. They were just giving him a long-needed scrub.

A few minutes later, when they handed him to me, he was all nice and pink. He opened his eyes for the very first time and even the soft fluorescent light seemed too harsh for him. Ramya and I looked at him, tired, but happy parents trying to commit all those moments to memory for years to follow. When I walked out of the delivery room holding him, I felt like Mufasa from Lion King and had to contain all my excitement from holding him up to introduce the newest member to the flock. Needless to say, they were all over him.

I can’t believe that it has been a year since I first held that lovely 2.93 kg and 50 cm bundle of joy. He has come a long way, figuratively as well as in the space-time continuum. From the first time we saw him in the 4D in utero scan, putting his right foot into his mouth; to his first smile; be it the first time he rolled over; or his first words; or to the time he took his first baby steps in his 11^th month; it has been a wonderful year, with a lot of fascinating firsts. Though it is unfair to judge from an older set of eyes, I am sure he has enjoyed his first trip around the Sun. To every novel challenge that the life has thrown at him, he has faced it with an unabashed innocence that only a child can possess and explored it with his eyes, hands and mouth…usually in that order.  He may not know the difference between what is right and what is not, but that is true for me as well :) But atleast he knows what he wants…and more importantly, how to get it…with a simple act of a high pitched call!

As many of you know, raising a baby is not all fun, with many major adjustments in lifestyle and a few sacrifices. But an innocent smile or an uninhibited laughter has the power to set everything right and Achyuta has given us more joy than we can put down in words. Here are some photo-video moments that we would like to share with you all. Don't forget to watch the HD version :)

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What's in a PhD?

There is an insightful saying in the ever-exciting world of PhD students, which might disgust those who are not in it. But it is very deep and philosophical. Roughly translated, after shedding some fundamentals of communication etiquette, it reads “thesis is like feces - try to get rid of it now than later”. You might think that someone who was ambitious and competitive enough to get into a PhD program should know what a new-born smart ass baby does without thinking or much effort. But hey, don’t be judgmental. We are artists and need the time and freedom to express our thoughts. We will let you know when the painting is done.

A PhD is not just a search for scientific facts that can be corroborated with experimental design and results extrapolated into coherent and valuable information. It is also a soul-searching journey of personal faith and conviction towards life-changing perspectives. It teaches you to respect this grandeur creation and turns a staunch egghead to be modest at the limited awareness of the universe. At the same time it allows you to derive happiness in the expanse of knowledge that greater people before you have deciphered. It makes you think global with the implications of your microscopic dabble at the unknown. It expects you to appreciate the opportunities that are both made and lost. Most of all it teaches you to be persistent with your belief and principles but not to the extent of being fool-hardy. It is in effect a crash course in life!

We learn a lot of things as we grow up and grow old. The information has to be stored somehow to prevent each of us from re-inventing the wheel of experience every single time. What are the factors involved in memorizing and storing the wealth of information in the brain? After carefully analyzing thousands of DNA-profiled subjects who were humanely decapitated and their brains respectfully studied, this thesis concludes that a signaling molecule, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), can be attributed to store this information in small compartments of a neuron called “dendritic spines”. A thesis to this effect was written over a period of one year in three different continents and finally submitted a few weeks ago. It might be a very small piece in the enigmatic functioning of the brain puzzle, but it’s a start. The fact that we are far from decoding this puzzle should not keep us from trying. That’s what these 6 years have taught me.

It all began on a cold winter day in Amsterdam a few years ago and the culmination of this long journey will take place on the 22^nd of April in Amsterdam, when I will defend my thesis. Thanks to all of you for being part of this journey either directly as fellow-passengers or as by-standing well-wishers.

The strips are from PhD Comics that almost every grad-student can relate to and find solace in at the ups and downs of this fraternity.

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The 30-List

Attributes of Life are perceived differently in various cultures. However, the social structure and customs do vary within the same region over time. Not so long ago in India, a lifetime was divided into 4 ashramas or categories - Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vaanaprastha and Sanyaasa - phases respectively of education, marriage and family responsibilities; transfer of these duties to generation next with partial guidance; and finally giving up all worldy desires to meditate upon the supreme force of energy. Ofcourse things have changed considerably these days - a person without even a faint trace of a psuedo-capitalist view is looked upon as a social outcast!

The Western world has a different set of checkpoints. The three major phases can be roughly classified as ) when you believe in Santa, b) when you don’t believe in Santa and finally c) when you are Santa :) The upsurge in foot-loose adventures of the childhood peaks as a teenager and plateaus at the age of thirty….after which its usually considered going down the hill ;) After one such long discussion with my fellow PhD student Albena, I decided to make a list of 30 things that I had to absolutely finish before I hit that all-distressing 30 year-conundrum. This list should have ideally contained 30 achievements, each of which could be grouped in 3 or a multiple of it. This gave a full three years to satiate my false sense of accomplishment. However, amongst many, I realized to my horror that I had overestimated my abilities to complete a PhD as well as in the breeding efficiency of my mice :) Before I knew I had hit that thick stone wall, I had only managed to…

1) Learn to say “Hello, I am Sridhara. I am 30 years” in 13 languages – Sanskrit, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Frisian and Arabic

2) Travel 3 continents – Asia, Europe, North America

3) Visit 17 countries – India, Switzerland (3), Germany (4), France (2), UAE (1), Netherlands (8), England (2), Belgium (2), Spain (1), Czech Republic (1), USA (2), Mexico (1), Lichtenstein (1), Austria (1), Italy (1), Vatican City (1) and Luxembourg (1).

4) Visit 3 wonders of the world – Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower

5) See 3 oceans – Atlantic, Indian and Pacific; and 5 major seas - Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, North Sea, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea

6) Learn how to swim

7) Direct music for 6 songs for a teleserial

8) Compose music in 33 ragas (scales)

9) Write 21 songs in three languages – Sanskrit, Kannada and English

10) Publish 2 scientific papers and a Thesis

11) Meet and interact with 3 Nobel Laureates – James D. Watson, Eric Kandel, Seymour Benzer

12) Start learning Yajur Veda from scratch

13) Skydive - from 3 kms (9000 ft)….and stay alive!!! (Teuge, Netherlands)

14) Sea/River raft (IJmuiden, Netherlands)

15) Fly kite on the beach (IJmuiden, Netherlands)

16) Rock climb (Melukote, India)

17) Wall climb (Amsterdam, Netherlands and Lucerne, Switzerland)

With Martijn, Lonneke, Bart, Arne and Jamilja

18) Scale 4 peaks – Tadiyandamol (Coorg, India); Jungfrau Joch and Mount Titlis (Switzerland); Ugrastambham (Ahobila, India)

19) Learn to Ski (Winterberg, Germany)

20) Go-Kart (Amsterdam)

NIN Co-PhDs

21) Work at an orphanage and old age home

22) Cook 24 Indian dishes

23) Visit the three Ranganatha Temples along Kaveri on bike the same day (450 kms)

24) Start writing a treatise on the three branches of Indian philosophy propounded by Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhwa Acharyas.

25) Publish a photograph (of Gross Munster Church at Zurich) in the International Library of Photography

26) Learn Salsa dancing

27) Play the coolie

Bangalore Railway Station

28) Appear on Television both as a singer as well as a judge

29) Take part in 2 Flash mobs in Amsterdam.

Outside ALBERT HEIJN

30) Build a bird house

All said and done, that does not look like a bad list :) Life is too short and extremely precious! So, make your lists, be you 18 or 60 and realize your dreams. Many a time, you may not get what you want, but that should not stop you from dreaming. If you aim for the stars and get the Moon, that's no less a feat :)

Go get them, Tiger!!

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