Angkor wat
Friday, October 2, 2015
Umran lagiya
As a child I used to love asking people slightly offbeat 'favourite' questions; for example 'What is your favourite age'? or 'When would you have liked to lived the most, a million years ago or now or a hundred years later?' My own stock favourite 'ages' were 9, 21 and 36. 9 because I had a great time at my birthday party that year and discovered a much bigger wonderful new world of books than I had known till then, 21 because it seemed very grown up (and the Ponds soap lady was always advertised as '21' in a whooshy voice on DD), and 36 because that is as far as my imagination went towards representing 'old'! :) In the way that random stimuli have of invoking memories, the recent and beautiful Coke studio song 'Umran lagiya' struck an instant chord of nostalgia in me, and with it the realisation that 36 is now a lot closer than 21 or 9 :)
A random google search indicates that turning 30 and beyond is pretty much the end..which means we can be as liberated as Nearly Headless Nick (though less gloomy) because who cares what ghosts do anyway. Why is 30 so shunned though? 40, 50 or even 60 seem to get off relatively lightly. Even on the purely cosmetic level advertised through countless movies and movie stars, the impression seems to be one day young slim lovely enthusiastic 29 and next day old bent slouching bleary eyed 30 :P No wonder so much advertising urges people to 'regain your twenties', nobody wants to be a sort of Ms Trunchbull meets Meena Kumari late period.
From the old school point of view, most people have their versions of 'kapda gaadi makaan' or at least live under the roof of a house rather than a hostel by the time they re 30..which seems to chalk up a point for the thirties. Whatever tensions were associated with the peak of studying, finding jobs, sorting people you liked and those you thought you did but didn't actually and all other complicated factors seem to be largely associated with the twenties, again a plus for the thirties! One poor downer for the thirties is the apparent realisation that your 'biological clock' (one of the most abused terms in biology as well as the english language) is 'ticking'. This generally means that in the next few years your skin will turn to leather (not if you use various lotions), hair fall off (not if you go to Dr Batra's clinic), all chances of your DNA being represented in future generations is out (lots of not ifs) plus you better get used to being called 'aunty or 'uncle'..no options here. Hmm.
These not so scary scenarios apart, I feel like going back to the old calculation for favourite ages..I think its going to be 9, 33 and 42, that way I have two to sample still and I act contrary to current paranoia, always a temptation :P
And so to all, while 'Umran lagiya pabban pa' (Ages have passed while I stand on tiptoe), enjoy your forties! :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Live in the present..or should you?
'Live in the present'! screamed the header. I scanned the article quickly: it was familiar sunday supplement content,urging people to 'savour today' and live in the moment and so on, and shun the past and future like they had yeast contamination. A healthy enough sentiment, most of us would feel.
But a moment's reflection of how often I was in these to-be-avoided areas outside of actual work time told me that the answer was an easy 70% of the time. Ranging from looking ahead to daily chores (In an hour I'll cut the cauliflower while the phone charges and then finish reading a paper while that happens) to looking back to re-live something or think how it could have been done differently (a hangover from the latest McCall Smith or Foyle's war episode to the unresponsiveness of a newly thought out experiment and possible variations), I seem to spend most of my time 'cheating' the present as the article called it.
On thinking a bit there seem to be three specific tasks during which I am 100% present: in conversation with people one to one(here I am usually fully attentive),when actually setting up or carrying out some experiment, and when studying something and concentrating on understanding or working it out. But that's about it for the present really..a pretty shabby show. Walking, brushing teeth, cooking, folding clothes, day dreaming, tuning out when other people are talking in groups or watching endless documentaries (:P), making up stories for things that may happen tomorrow..what happens to all of these then?? Not to mention imaginary conversations and possible future discoveries (And now we present the Leakey award 2052- for the leader of this most daring expedition that uncovered the last of the dragons..). I am all in favour of savouring today. But if it takes up all your time, when do you savour tomorrow and rewrite yesterday? They better make some new rules.
But a moment's reflection of how often I was in these to-be-avoided areas outside of actual work time told me that the answer was an easy 70% of the time. Ranging from looking ahead to daily chores (In an hour I'll cut the cauliflower while the phone charges and then finish reading a paper while that happens) to looking back to re-live something or think how it could have been done differently (a hangover from the latest McCall Smith or Foyle's war episode to the unresponsiveness of a newly thought out experiment and possible variations), I seem to spend most of my time 'cheating' the present as the article called it.
On thinking a bit there seem to be three specific tasks during which I am 100% present: in conversation with people one to one(here I am usually fully attentive),when actually setting up or carrying out some experiment, and when studying something and concentrating on understanding or working it out. But that's about it for the present really..a pretty shabby show. Walking, brushing teeth, cooking, folding clothes, day dreaming, tuning out when other people are talking in groups or watching endless documentaries (:P), making up stories for things that may happen tomorrow..what happens to all of these then?? Not to mention imaginary conversations and possible future discoveries (And now we present the Leakey award 2052- for the leader of this most daring expedition that uncovered the last of the dragons..). I am all in favour of savouring today. But if it takes up all your time, when do you savour tomorrow and rewrite yesterday? They better make some new rules.
Four too many! A ramble for old times..
While talking to a girl interested in taking up science journalism, I found myself mouthing that sage piece of advice in the field - "And don't forget to start a blog, its the simplest way to get a feel for your own writing and let would-be editors see a sample too". I was talking about a science writing blog, but it reminded me of my own long abandoned Incharaa..and I am staggered to find that it's been four years since I wrote anything here! Four years too many :(
So what has happened in these four years, and how if at all does it affect my writing? Well, four main things have happened I think..I got my PhD, got married, did a year's worth of freelance science writing~journalism and finally: I made up for a seven year glut of once- a-year travel (that too with constant background worry about this or that experiment not working), by wallowing in travel these last two years :) The most wonderful and satisfying for me were Cambodia, the forests of Bandipur and Mudhumalai(a long neglected old favourite)and of course the higher Himalayas following the Gangetic gorge. I feel enriched of course..like with most travel..but also genuinely more at peace for having seen these places and spent time with them. They deserve separate write ups.
Finishing my PhD was of course a big deal..although anti climactic at the time after all the build up :P I feel like I grew up over the course of doing the Masters/PhD (most of my twenties were spent in the process so even factually that's true :)So every strong influence in that period whether from new people, learning things or even dealing with disappointments is in a sense also a 'PhD influence'. I am sure it has moulded how I write and what about, as well. As to being married, I can't offhand see how it might have affected my writing style or topics..except that I am better qualified to write about food now, given I have been cooking every day for two years :P And I suppose constantly hearing about all sorts of trains at home must have an impact somewhere..where, I can't say yet!
Science writing took up a great deal of my time for about a year..it was both hard work and a lot of fun, and for anyone who is interested, here are most of the pieces: https://laasyasamhita.contently.com/
However, I also realised that I couldn't do it for more than about a year and am now back in a lab as a happy post doc :) I guess I was spoilt with the independence that hands on research gives, as also the scope for creativity. I realized that journals, even science journals, are ultimately commercial entities and constrained by a particular style and layout that they want to stick to. This meant that my pieces got varying levels of editing; from a minimal amount to practically rewriting the whole piece. The massively edited ones were a huge disappointment to me, it felt like the final pieces shouldn't even have my name on them. The other problem was that in many big journals, you can't look up past literature yourself and give an opinion, even with a citation (as one would do in a typical scientific publication). It has to come from a scientist in a faculty position, either the author or someone else in the same field. And given most stories have deadlines of a couple of days from start to finish, this meant a lot of frantic calling up of numbers all over the world at all times with requests for comments on paper x..while also feeling awfully guilty that we aren't giving them anything like enough time!! In fact it amazed me how often people in fact read the paper in question (I hope!) and gave comments in time, I always felt I was calling in a favour that wasn't due. These two not withstanding, it was still a great experience.
So to rescue this piece from being a purely nostalgic memory indulgence, I'll bring in a movie that I watched recently and strongly recommend to anyone who hasn't yet seen it. Its called 'The First Grader'. The story is a true one, about an 84 year old man with a passion for learning, who insists on being enrolled in the first grade to learn to read and write when Kenya announces its 'education for all' policy post independence from the British. It is moving, realistic and really just wonderfully made. It made me feel both fortunate and humbled, and in the way that some movies have of seeming to carry a personal message just for you, it made me feel proud of everything in my life that came only after a successful struggle, from the smallest failed experiment that was repeated twenty times in twenty ways to stepping over the worst decisions made in life to get to the best. Do watch it if you haven't yet.
So what has happened in these four years, and how if at all does it affect my writing? Well, four main things have happened I think..I got my PhD, got married, did a year's worth of freelance science writing~journalism and finally: I made up for a seven year glut of once- a-year travel (that too with constant background worry about this or that experiment not working), by wallowing in travel these last two years :) The most wonderful and satisfying for me were Cambodia, the forests of Bandipur and Mudhumalai(a long neglected old favourite)and of course the higher Himalayas following the Gangetic gorge. I feel enriched of course..like with most travel..but also genuinely more at peace for having seen these places and spent time with them. They deserve separate write ups.
Finishing my PhD was of course a big deal..although anti climactic at the time after all the build up :P I feel like I grew up over the course of doing the Masters/PhD (most of my twenties were spent in the process so even factually that's true :)So every strong influence in that period whether from new people, learning things or even dealing with disappointments is in a sense also a 'PhD influence'. I am sure it has moulded how I write and what about, as well. As to being married, I can't offhand see how it might have affected my writing style or topics..except that I am better qualified to write about food now, given I have been cooking every day for two years :P And I suppose constantly hearing about all sorts of trains at home must have an impact somewhere..where, I can't say yet!
Science writing took up a great deal of my time for about a year..it was both hard work and a lot of fun, and for anyone who is interested, here are most of the pieces: https://laasyasamhita.contently.com/
However, I also realised that I couldn't do it for more than about a year and am now back in a lab as a happy post doc :) I guess I was spoilt with the independence that hands on research gives, as also the scope for creativity. I realized that journals, even science journals, are ultimately commercial entities and constrained by a particular style and layout that they want to stick to. This meant that my pieces got varying levels of editing; from a minimal amount to practically rewriting the whole piece. The massively edited ones were a huge disappointment to me, it felt like the final pieces shouldn't even have my name on them. The other problem was that in many big journals, you can't look up past literature yourself and give an opinion, even with a citation (as one would do in a typical scientific publication). It has to come from a scientist in a faculty position, either the author or someone else in the same field. And given most stories have deadlines of a couple of days from start to finish, this meant a lot of frantic calling up of numbers all over the world at all times with requests for comments on paper x..while also feeling awfully guilty that we aren't giving them anything like enough time!! In fact it amazed me how often people in fact read the paper in question (I hope!) and gave comments in time, I always felt I was calling in a favour that wasn't due. These two not withstanding, it was still a great experience.
So to rescue this piece from being a purely nostalgic memory indulgence, I'll bring in a movie that I watched recently and strongly recommend to anyone who hasn't yet seen it. Its called 'The First Grader'. The story is a true one, about an 84 year old man with a passion for learning, who insists on being enrolled in the first grade to learn to read and write when Kenya announces its 'education for all' policy post independence from the British. It is moving, realistic and really just wonderfully made. It made me feel both fortunate and humbled, and in the way that some movies have of seeming to carry a personal message just for you, it made me feel proud of everything in my life that came only after a successful struggle, from the smallest failed experiment that was repeated twenty times in twenty ways to stepping over the worst decisions made in life to get to the best. Do watch it if you haven't yet.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Nothing day
'Tomorrow is daughter's day!' announced the radio brightly. The dulcet tones continued, 'A daughter is a gift of life, celebrate her..buy her a memorable gift at zing mall this evening with our gift coupons..'. The tone indicated that if you were the kind of insensitive whatnot who (incredibly!) had not yet celebrated your daughter, then atleast have the grace to shamefacedly slink to the mall now...you may still be able to prove your love.
In school, I remember feeling v ashamed that I didnt know about 'Mother's day'. An older girl expressed much horror at this ignorance, 'You don't know?! I got my mum a coupon on MG road' she said, with a suitably superior air. Although duly crushed by this 9th std scorn, I remember asking what a 'coupon' was. A friendly classmate enlightened me: 'you can buy whatever you want with a coupon'- it seemed the ideal gift! To someone who could only remember making gifts until then, this coupon seemed an all new sophisticated idea,leaving far behind the poor smudged calendars, inky cards and gummy bookmarks. Much the idea, in fact, that radio jockeys and advertisements strive to convey. And an idea, apparently, that sells, and certainly not just to middle school students! Clearly there is money in this packaging of 'days'. With causes, I can see that some good may come of it, but who benefits from these 'people days', other than the commercial interests behind them? Certainly,we ve all heard people say 'These days are made only for those who dont appreciate their mothers/fathers/friends through the rest of the year, and are obliged to make a show of it on one day and feel better'. I dont know if this is always true, I m sure you can be appreciative both ways if you wanted to- and I for one am a celebrator of say, friendship's day and teacher's day :) but there's no doubt the category of 'special days' is swelling by the day.
I recently heard of a 'Brother-in-law' day, this seemed the most specific category so far :) Of course fathers day, grandparents day, even cousins day, all are constantly celebrated by Archies stores, where its quite a task these days to find the old simple 'happy birthday' or 'get well soon' cards anymore. I mentioned this to a friend's mother recently. She thought for a bit and said, 'I want to start a nothing day'. I thought it was a great idea :) A nothing day. With NO affiliation, no expectation of a gift, no guilt at having forgotten, no buying expensive gifts to make up for something or the other..just a simple normal day. I want to start this..assuming there's still room in the calendar!
In school, I remember feeling v ashamed that I didnt know about 'Mother's day'. An older girl expressed much horror at this ignorance, 'You don't know?! I got my mum a coupon on MG road' she said, with a suitably superior air. Although duly crushed by this 9th std scorn, I remember asking what a 'coupon' was. A friendly classmate enlightened me: 'you can buy whatever you want with a coupon'- it seemed the ideal gift! To someone who could only remember making gifts until then, this coupon seemed an all new sophisticated idea,leaving far behind the poor smudged calendars, inky cards and gummy bookmarks. Much the idea, in fact, that radio jockeys and advertisements strive to convey. And an idea, apparently, that sells, and certainly not just to middle school students! Clearly there is money in this packaging of 'days'. With causes, I can see that some good may come of it, but who benefits from these 'people days', other than the commercial interests behind them? Certainly,we ve all heard people say 'These days are made only for those who dont appreciate their mothers/fathers/friends through the rest of the year, and are obliged to make a show of it on one day and feel better'. I dont know if this is always true, I m sure you can be appreciative both ways if you wanted to- and I for one am a celebrator of say, friendship's day and teacher's day :) but there's no doubt the category of 'special days' is swelling by the day.
I recently heard of a 'Brother-in-law' day, this seemed the most specific category so far :) Of course fathers day, grandparents day, even cousins day, all are constantly celebrated by Archies stores, where its quite a task these days to find the old simple 'happy birthday' or 'get well soon' cards anymore. I mentioned this to a friend's mother recently. She thought for a bit and said, 'I want to start a nothing day'. I thought it was a great idea :) A nothing day. With NO affiliation, no expectation of a gift, no guilt at having forgotten, no buying expensive gifts to make up for something or the other..just a simple normal day. I want to start this..assuming there's still room in the calendar!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Please co-operate!
Some phrases have become so much a part of our life that nobody thinks them odd or out of place anymore. Here are a few that sometimes amuse and sometimes generate murderous tendencies in me-
1st prize - 'Please co-operate'!
This must be the most maligned phrase of our times, atleast in labs. Here is a typical notice for booking a common instrument (for which 10 people are breathing down each other's necks at any typical time)- 'The hood will be booked from 9 am to 5 pm, please co-operate'..nice try..
2nd- 'Paradigm shift'-
Someone please tell me what this means..
3rd- 'Chemistry' or 'Vibes'-
Someone actually told me once that maybe i didnt have 'good vibes with my labspace' which is probably why the lysate was contaminated!! Not that i m ignoring any possibilities, anyone in possession of vibe-restoring charms please pass them on!
4th- 'stay in the loop'
For some reason, this reminds me of those fancy hotel revolving doors that i m always nervous of!!
5th- 'They don't gel' (Maybe you should increase the agarose concentration..)
6th- 'Its all in the game' (which one? i m good at kho kho and bad at volleyball..)
After some days with an overdose of these ( a simple way to get it these days is to watch any newschannel for about 15 minutes) I was delighted to hear someone say 'Kindly adjust'('kindly', of course, gives it an added charm :) at Canara bank, it totally made my day. Its another matter that the consequence was that I had to go back another day, having misguidedly allowed sentiment to take over and let in a perfectly healthy looking young girl before me. but that's no big deal, its all in the game..
1st prize - 'Please co-operate'!
This must be the most maligned phrase of our times, atleast in labs. Here is a typical notice for booking a common instrument (for which 10 people are breathing down each other's necks at any typical time)- 'The hood will be booked from 9 am to 5 pm, please co-operate'..nice try..
2nd- 'Paradigm shift'-
Someone please tell me what this means..
3rd- 'Chemistry' or 'Vibes'-
Someone actually told me once that maybe i didnt have 'good vibes with my labspace' which is probably why the lysate was contaminated!! Not that i m ignoring any possibilities, anyone in possession of vibe-restoring charms please pass them on!
4th- 'stay in the loop'
For some reason, this reminds me of those fancy hotel revolving doors that i m always nervous of!!
5th- 'They don't gel' (Maybe you should increase the agarose concentration..)
6th- 'Its all in the game' (which one? i m good at kho kho and bad at volleyball..)
After some days with an overdose of these ( a simple way to get it these days is to watch any newschannel for about 15 minutes) I was delighted to hear someone say 'Kindly adjust'('kindly', of course, gives it an added charm :) at Canara bank, it totally made my day. Its another matter that the consequence was that I had to go back another day, having misguidedly allowed sentiment to take over and let in a perfectly healthy looking young girl before me. but that's no big deal, its all in the game..
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Geeky poem
After the second ligation and third transduction fail, one wonders..
The cell debris that earns a frown
Or P value that gets you down
The ice slurry that melts so fast
That competent cells they float full mast
The Streptococcus so cheery,
That Amp or Kan it makes merry
The enzyme assay that looks all nice
Until the blot satanically dries
The transfer apparatus that stops midway
Even when you remembered to pray
The ligation colony that is not a clone
Transforming ecstatic smile to heartfelt groan
The cells that thrive on a tryptone feast
Except on cross examination they turn out to be yeast
The PCR that only works on alternate weekends,
With prima donna moods that rival fashion trends
I wonder whether all of this, is on ‘entertainment E. coli ’
As a pick me up and comic turn for bored bacilli!
If its being broadcast on some bacterial underground network, I m sure no channel could compete with its TRP's..
The cell debris that earns a frown
Or P value that gets you down
The ice slurry that melts so fast
That competent cells they float full mast
The Streptococcus so cheery,
That Amp or Kan it makes merry
The enzyme assay that looks all nice
Until the blot satanically dries
The transfer apparatus that stops midway
Even when you remembered to pray
The ligation colony that is not a clone
Transforming ecstatic smile to heartfelt groan
The cells that thrive on a tryptone feast
Except on cross examination they turn out to be yeast
The PCR that only works on alternate weekends,
With prima donna moods that rival fashion trends
I wonder whether all of this, is on ‘entertainment E. coli ’
As a pick me up and comic turn for bored bacilli!
If its being broadcast on some bacterial underground network, I m sure no channel could compete with its TRP's..
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
wHIRLWIND mUMBAI
I was in Bombay for a whirlwind two and a half days visiting a friend, a combination of Madhu's enterprise and advance plans helped us exploit the time fully though! :)
I thought a photo collagey thing would be a better expression of the trip than anything I could write :) I cant seem to fit it into the blog post space so its just above this, as the main blog pic. So this has the sunset from Juhu beach, the rocky seafront at Bandra, bangles at Colaba causeway, the awessome chocolate brownie at Theobromas (apparently they deliver all over now, note!!),the posters at Prithvi theatre, the Bombay symphony orchestra at NCPA and the amazingly skilled elderly man at Prithvi's cafe who made(is making, in the pic) cheese pav bhaji :), the Einstein head from the National gallery of Modern art, the famous wall to wall Hussain frescoe at TIFR, and of course, us, at Bandra seaface cum mysterious fort..the writing was long gone so no idea what the fort is :)
I came away with the feeling of having stepped into a kaleidoscope..The bits of Bombay I met were friendly and efficient. And in the relatively upmarket areas, very aesthetic..cobbled lanes and houses as restaurants in every gully..Like a friend pointed out, probably Indranagar in disguise :)Of course the starkest contrasts between rich and poor are still probably here..the slums reside side by side with Ambani's bungalow..but I certainly felt that the eateries (damn expensive, thats definitely a downside :( score very high..amazing Parsi, Iranian and Italian fare that I can vouch for! They should have a Mumbai Michelin :)
And..I now know how much a glass of tea costs at the Taj- for those who dont- believe or not- its 400 rs. I mean, at that price I'd want the tea plant so generations could thrive on it!! We were so shocked (or I was:) and discussed leaving quietly in such an obvious way that I suspect thats what got us free chocolate cookies :))
I thought a photo collagey thing would be a better expression of the trip than anything I could write :) I cant seem to fit it into the blog post space so its just above this, as the main blog pic. So this has the sunset from Juhu beach, the rocky seafront at Bandra, bangles at Colaba causeway, the awessome chocolate brownie at Theobromas (apparently they deliver all over now, note!!),the posters at Prithvi theatre, the Bombay symphony orchestra at NCPA and the amazingly skilled elderly man at Prithvi's cafe who made(is making, in the pic) cheese pav bhaji :), the Einstein head from the National gallery of Modern art, the famous wall to wall Hussain frescoe at TIFR, and of course, us, at Bandra seaface cum mysterious fort..the writing was long gone so no idea what the fort is :)
I came away with the feeling of having stepped into a kaleidoscope..The bits of Bombay I met were friendly and efficient. And in the relatively upmarket areas, very aesthetic..cobbled lanes and houses as restaurants in every gully..Like a friend pointed out, probably Indranagar in disguise :)Of course the starkest contrasts between rich and poor are still probably here..the slums reside side by side with Ambani's bungalow..but I certainly felt that the eateries (damn expensive, thats definitely a downside :( score very high..amazing Parsi, Iranian and Italian fare that I can vouch for! They should have a Mumbai Michelin :)
And..I now know how much a glass of tea costs at the Taj- for those who dont- believe or not- its 400 rs. I mean, at that price I'd want the tea plant so generations could thrive on it!! We were so shocked (or I was:) and discussed leaving quietly in such an obvious way that I suspect thats what got us free chocolate cookies :))
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