Disillusioned and Dazed...

Its been more than an year of Physics and I can say with all certainity that I'm totally dazed by all that I've come to know. To be honest, its been a repeat of most of what was done in school, but in the new perspective to it all has left me stumped. I went to Mumbai (HBSCE) for the summer as part of the NIUS program for undergraduate first years, and I got to learn a lot more than what I'd thought I'd gather. Unfortunately I didn't get selected for the two-year program and I'm very sad about it. I'm writing all of his down to make it clear to you that whatever is going to follow isn't because of the regret letter from HBSCE, but more because of what I've seen and come to know after an year.

Here's the deal - I don't think I'll be able to contribute to Physics as I would have loved to. My dream (dream... sigh) of being the Gauss of Physics is going to be just that...a dream. At my age, Gauss was busy writing a book, creating the foundations of new branches of mathematics. What am I doing? Hm...
Even if I say that I can contribute a lot, without actually  matching up to Gauss, that isn't much of a consolation because I don't want to be one among the many million (able) people working to advance science. I want to be the best. Again, there's a question of personal satisfaction - satisfaction that comes with knowing how the world works. But then for me, knowing it and probably teaching it to others wouldn't quite satisfy me unless I can contribute in meaningful way. Which brings me to my second paragraph.

I would rather be serving my country and creating a base for science so that the right talent for the development of Science comes up, and research as an option picks up to attract the best minds of the country. I'd devote my life to getting the brilliant people of the country into labs rather than selling soap, as my teachers would say. And so i'll drop it finally - I think I'll prepare for the Civil Services. I find myself better suited to a life that I can see a clear purpose of. Of course, I could complete my B.Sc, then M.Sc, then PhD and then teach. But I want to reach out to a much bigger audience. And there is this path that seems ideal for this. The thought has been nibbling my mind since the end of the summers. Since I saw how comfortable the life of scientists is (even mediocre ones') but how little they contribute on a larger scale. I'd like to define larger scale as I'd see it - either make a momentous discovery that changes the course of science, or make a momentous effort that changes the course of the people, city, state, country, or/and the world.

I have no qualms in saying that i've become disillusioned about what I can do with the Physics I'm learning. Can't work in a cubicle, ever. Can't sit and teach. What's left? Maybe work for the people. Starting preparations from the 20th. (I'm moving to a new place on the 20th, living alone). Wish me luck and do comment. Thanks. Namaste.

PS : Physics is a lot of fun in college. :) I love Physics.

Only if everyone knew how to...

No. Won't do. One more person I know died. Only if...

A lot of people die every year because when in fatal trouble, the people next to them don't know how to react. The willingness to react is also a major problem ( more on that later ). Clueless faces waiting for an ambulance, not doing anything that may actually improve life's chances. In a country where (I'm sorry to use this line here but then...) pizza gets to you faster than an ambulance, it should be mandatory for people to know how to react. Improving ambulance travel times is a good idea but till then WHAT? Here's what I think should be done (*sigh* "Should" be done? Tired of this...) .

People should be taught first aid from a very young age. Of course they do that, you'd say. But then how many of them even remember that there is a first aid kit they can reach out to in case of an emergency? Bah ! How many even have a first aid kit at hand ? Hmmm... let me count... NEXT TO NOTHING, considering the no.of people we have. Ok. So, coming back, students need to be taught and taught seriously about this. The sheer terror that grips me when I think that maybe I'll be needing C.P.R and all I'll be having next to me are a bunch of morons, who're looking at me choking to death, is terrific. Hope you get the feeling too and agree to what I'm proposing. So, coming back again, students should know basic stuff like the back of their hands. Stuff like C.P.R , the Heimlich Maneuver, how to stop bleeding temporarily, blah, blah,... general stuff. (Note to self – no more using the word Stuff). And they should be able to administer these at a moments notice. Which brings me to the next point... Willingness.

The case of Radhika Tanwar is a glaring example. The hospital (hospitals actually, India's best included) was only 10 minutes away and it took awfully more than that to get  there. Asking for first aid would be asking to much, I guess. Why is our country like this? Where is the willingness, love for your fellow human ? If the fear of red tape and the “jhanjat” has grown more than the value of human life, then, God save us.

C.P.R

Heimlich Maneuver

So, apart from a learning how to do it, students need to be taught to DO it for real. The solution that springs to my mind is that they should be put through such situations so often (mock drills, of course) that instead of thinking about it, they do it instinctively. But then again, I have this voice inside me saying - “You're asking to much of this country”. I hope I move out of this phase. It scare the shit out of me. But a bigger question then looms – is ignorance better ? Namaste.

PS - Please do look up first aid , C.P.R and Heimlich Maneuver after reading the article. If not for the countrymen, then at least for your own loved ones. 

Patterns, simulations and bird poo

You can find patterns everywhere, in your hand, in the tiles on the footpath, on your darling's face, and every perceptible and imperceptible object, events and everything in between. That's what the past week or so has been all about. A huge number of tests (four<<huge but then four>>>toil) and a lot of practicals. The tests have been generally bad, but i shan't whine. Its the practicals. Its the discussions in the practicals. I love to write 'em. Period. But then I've been rushing to complete the practicals themselves and pages lie blank in my file, begging for a discussion worth writing. And so the last few nights have been wasted trying to find a pattern in all this. Let me explain. To write a discussion, you need to have 1)performed the experiment (i mean it with a capital P) 2) you need to have thought about it as well . Now, I'll be honest and say that I've not followed both tenets at the same instant in a few practicals (not my fault) .

So to write a discussion, I've been imagining myself doing the experiment and what not. And thats where the patterns come in. So here's what I'm imagining the pattern to be :
1) You've read about the experiment and are thoroughly convinced of its utility. Easy to do at home. Done.
2) You start with the experiment itself and follow the steps diligently. Hmmm...(imagine)... Done.
3) Take the results to a teacher who sends you back because there's an efficient method to do the same thing and tells you about it. (You know this has to happen, so you should set out to discover the method yourself right around this time).
4) You go back to the teacher, who asks you something really interesting(sic) and then sends you back. (Again, the onus to find the interesting bit is on your imagination).
5) you write a discussion about the interesting bit.

Most of these steps (not necessarily in the same order) happen again and again, time after time, experiment after experiment. So a pattern worth remembering. (Such enlightening thoughts you have only when you're lying down and wondering what to do looking at the ceiling).

Now the simulation. Been fine tuning the simulation of the N-coupled oscillator. Putting in some color now. Almost done. Had decided to talk about it the most but now, after having written so much about the patterns, not so excited about this anymore. Ok. Its cool. Period. It even plots phase space diagrams (just velocity vs position plots) and they are fractals! So, as I said, its cool. Period2.

Last but not the least, bird poo. The week has been extremely generous on me regarding the number of times I've been ordained with bird excreta. I've lost count as well as any disgust. So, here's to hoping that the next week settles a few chores (practicals, tests?) and unsettles the birds targeting me. Namaste 

What's wrong with the teachers and soldiers....(Destiny's thoughts)

It was just a heated discussion on the methods that the armed forces of India take to encourage more people to join. With a serious lack of officers, the army is doing a lot to get people to get interested. All that is written in different font is just something that I thought you should know.

Now to get some facts : Today Indian Army is functioning with 12000 officers less, Indian Air Force with 1124 officers less and Indian navy with 429 officers less. Quote from (http://www.proud2bindian.in/indian-army/312-why-india-shying-away-joining-indian-army.html)
To a question of Why should the youth join the army, this answer garnered the most votes -   To get cheap beer, to learn a trade, to travel the world, to meet interesting people and shoot them. (http://answers.yahoo.com/) . Really sad.
What the army is doing ? To motivate youngsters to join defence forces, the Territorial Army flagged off a cycling expedition. (http://www.sify.com/news/indian-army-launches-campaign-to-encourage-youth-to-join-defence-forces-news-national-lbfnudcidga.html)

The army is spending a lot of money on newspaper ads and increasing incentives for the people to join the armed forces. But then its not enough, evidently.Not knowing enough facts (yet) Destiny decided to keep mum about the army but then realized that the same problems plague the education system and the talk quickly veered towards what wrong there. Here are her thoughts...


"Yes, the army is spending a lot on the full page ads it gives and the amazing incentives that an army officer enjoys (including the booze, though no one advertises that). The huge shortage the army faces cannot be for the good of the country in case of an emergency. A full page ad is well and good, but then only a few people read any newspaper (46% urban, 17% rural http://www.allindianewspapers.com/India-newspaper/national-readership-survey.html) and so not a lot of help there. With more public events, the army does get a lot of publicity but then a lot many go unnoticed. I suggest that instead of going all "look-at-us-we're-so-good-so-join-us", the army should get down to the grassroots. Serving your country is not a passion that a lot of Indians would choose over a bag of money. We should exploit this. Give a hundred bucks to students to put up posters and carry the message. They'll do it happily (with the perennial shortage of money) and also get introduced to what the army has to say themselves. Money should be spent on campaigns that target schools and let them know that jobs other than Engineers and Doctors exist.

This is just like the problem concerning the shortage of teachers in government schools. The amount of money that a govt. teacher gets is astronomical and they do much more than just teach in their respective schools. The government relies on them to do socially proactive jobs and so these teachers get to do their share for the country other than just training the next generation of the country. But then no one knows about it. Even if they do, then they decide to ignore it so that they can give high quality teaching at a public school for a measly 5000 bucks. Not that teachers should run after the money. But the govt.schools are having a serious dearth of teacher and these govt.schools serve the poorer sections of the country.

Again, people like me, who've always wanted to be teachers, should know these options exist.  I know this through my dad. What about the thousands of teachers graduating every year and not knowing what to do? The major step here also lies in spreading awareness about what options (lucrative of course) that people have and what incentives the govt. gives. With only a few people aware, most who apply get in (raising a question on the quality of the service they can provide) and so a national resource is wasted. "

So, then, people reading this, its not about the army or the teachers. Its about what plagues our country and what we can/should do. Hope everyone does their lil bit. Namaste.

PS : Check this link out : http://www.india.gov.in/spotlight/spotlight_archive.php?id=27

World Cup ! The good, the bad and the ugly!

And so we are the champions! A 28 year long wait ends. Legends are etched into national history forever. We are the champions. Congratulations India! :)
Its been truly special. From the beginning, not many trusted this team to win. But perseverance and toil paid off. The euphoria that swept the nation wouldn't have come about even if all the dope in the world was sampled by the population in a few hours. Diwali came early. People were shouting, crying, dancing and generally going mad. In a country where cricket is religion, this was expected.
Ok. Enough of the clichéd sentences. Sorry. Can't continue in the same vein. What i wan't to talk about is this - what the World Cup means, at least for the coming few (hopefully not the next 20) years.

The Good
Massive boost to the sport is one foreseeable and obvious outcome. Being world champions means world class facilities even at the grass roots levels. The richest board on the planet would surely like to keep the trophy with themselves and so money should and surely will flow like water.
The Cup means greater exposure to the game for the select few who haven't been bitten by the bug and I can testify to the fact that the euphoria is infectious.
Sachin finally got his due. Playing for so long and having every conceivable record to his name, this is the ONE he coveted the most. And the whole team dedicating the cup to him is testament to the respect and love he commands from his colleagues.
Better, stringent and more professionally managed selection process for the team.
More money for the players. More incentives for people to take up the sport for a living. More money for the Board. More money for everyone in general.

The Bad
More money for everyone in general. Its not unusual for us to get waylaid by a free flowing coffer. This has happened time and again. And I'm pretty much certain that this will happen again.
Cricketers will sell us everything from safety pins to oil tankers to condoms. Its going to be an overdose.
More cricket. As in, much much more. The calendar is filled like crazy (as if BCCI saw it coming, hmmm) and  the players will eventually tire out.

The Ugly
All the other sports suffer. For the next 20 years or so, what Kapil Dev's win did to Indian cricket, is going to happen all over again. All the other sports will(are) eventually be ignored and India will suffer on the global scale in the sports arena. The BCCI may make lofty promises about sharing money with the other sports bodies but just money won't do. And now with the World Cup in our kitty, other sports may well sit back and relax. No one's going to pay attention to 'em for sometime. May very well have some scams and make a lil money on the sly.

Corruption and match fixing is something that happens when there's money but then these can be tackled. I'll be very honest and say that I'm very scared about this last part of the World Cup saga that most people will rather ignore - other sporting activities.

Hoping that I'm wrong in my assumptions about the future (mostly the latter ones). Namaste.

Don't despair, its just an exam!

Its been long since i wrote. Haven't got the time since the internal exams began. The highpoint of the month was the National Science Fest, and the talk/lectures given by the scientists/scholars were amazing. Ok...hmmm.... Reading through my blog, i've realized that I only talk of myself. So I plan to write about something/someone other than me. Here goes...

The Indian Institutes of Technology. The pinnacle that anyone and everyone who wants to be an engineer aspires for (am really sad to add, anyone/everyone who wants to be a rich bank manager as well). If you're a student just getting out of your 10th board hullabaloo, I should tell you that an even bigger tsunami+earthquake is waiting for you right around the corner. The moment you decide that science is what you want to do (science, unfortunately is equal to engineering for most ignorant students), you'll be bombarded with advice, guffaws and awe at the same time, and with lots of calls asking you to join "abc" coaching institute to guarantee a place in the IITs. Wow!
Ok... lets be a little more structured about this.

About the IITs...
The Indian Institutes of Technology were set up by Pt.Jawaharlal Nehru some time after India got independence. The purpose behind the move was to get a steady stream of engineers/scientists who could build the new India. An India that would be scientifically advanced and a technological superpower. Pt.Nehru's vision was well guided ,to say the least. India did produce a steady stream of highly qualified engineers. Only that most of them decided to earn (much more) in foreign countries and help them realize all that Pt.Nehru had hoped for India. Not that all of them went but many did and that hurt.

The rat race
The entrance exam to get into the IITs has undergone many changes and I, being not around when they happened, can't comment on them. What i can comment on is the way that it is now. Its a gruesome affair. I have deep respect for all those who made it through with their hard work and sweat but its the sheer number of students who are clueless about their future while entering coaching centers that my heart whines for. Its as   if there is no other option on the planet except engineering if you've taken up science. Mostly its the parents who push their children but then the present state is really sad. The exam itself is very competitive and ensures that none but the best get in. But a large number don't (you need to slog like crazy or you're a genius) and then suffer not knowing what to do. "Of course", they say, "you drop an year and try again." Again, only the one's who've slogged like crazy get in (the geniuses are already through in the first attempt (: ). Once, i was part of this race as well. But then, wanting to do science all my life, the exam was taken less than seriously. Yes, the pressure was immense to perform because, apparently, it shows where you stand amongst a sea of students.
I didn't get through of course. You need to work hard to do that. :P

Options! Options! Options!
Now, people reading this, please don't despair if you don't get into the IITs. Brilliant if you do, congratulations, but most of you won't, no offence. But THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS!!! I'm not talking of other options in Engineering Colleges or AIEEE (i got a good rank in that one though (: ). What I'm getting at is the fact that you have a lot of pathways stretching in front of you. If you are an Engineer at heart, I'd suggest that you try hard. But if you're not, please look around. I'll give you an example. Destiny is smart. She's intelligent. But not hardworking. :P She didn't get a good rank.(She did clear UPTU, which is good). But generally, she did bad. But as I said, she's smart. She saw all the pathways lying in front of her and tried everything. She tried getting into ETE (become a govt.teacher, pays a ton) and then the entrance exam for the College of Art. (She did a lot many more but I'm not enumerating stuff. Just know that she's smart ). And she got through!!!. People slog for years (many more years than they slog for engineering colleges at least) before getting in! And she got through in the first attempt after a few months of preparation. Ok, enough about destiny. Can't help it. Sorry. :) What i was trying to get at is that you should try your hand at whatever suits you and keep your options open. Destiny knew she was good at art. But now its become her life and she's loving it. And so should you.

I realize i've written a lot and so i should stop. I hope you get what I meant. Please don't despair. Please. Leave comments if you wanna. Namaste.

PS : IITs have nurtured and produced one of the brightest minds in the country/world and all credit to them for being such an amazing establishment.

A first... and thanks for that

I began quizzing when I was in class 8^th (thanks Dhruv) and was a regular quizzer till class 11^th. Then the boards and destiny took prominence and I stopped.(Destiny, though, must be thanked for making me realize how unjust I had been in not allowing anyone else in participate in quizzes. So...thank you destiny )

I'm deeply regretful but leaving that apart, one thing that was common to every quiz that I've done till today (today is different (-: ), I've always come a close (not so close on many occasions) second. Never won a quiz till date. Yes, you got that right. None. Always second. Maybe it reflects on my abilities as a quizzer, maybe it doesn't. Never mind that.

Second...at Jack Kilby Science Quiz.

But today it was different. I won a quiz !!! More on that later. But first a small thanks...

I went to the LSR QUIZ today and didn't have a partner. Siting alone in a crowd, I was wondereing how bad I would perform. “Some one needs a partner?”. My hand goes up involuntarily. Then I see him... bald, french beard and a lanky walk. “Hi...I'm Varun” Skipping everything in between, let me get to the point. This guy is amazing. Period. We won the quiz of course. And I believe even Varun would say that my contribution wasn't zero, but then, the credit of winning the thing rests on Varun. Apart from the few tips I got from the seasoned quizzer, I learnt how a quiz is supposed to be played. “I didnt know shit when I was in first year, and then I realized that to get better, you just had to go for these things again and again.” Realizing that I'm in first year and then realizing that I didn't know shit either (I do, but compared to this behemoth, its negligible – this guy can make connects on the fly – he'll write the stuff and then I'd realize – Oh...I know this ). So, its uplifting to know that I have time and that I can (and believe me, I will) make it to this guy's league.

So, here's the thing. We won today ! A lot of money too. Maybe a small thing for him. But a first for me. Thank you Varun. Maybe it was the first and last time that we were a team. But it has changed my outlook. As you rightly said, “Enjoy the thing. Have fun, stupid!” .  

PS : And thank you Varun for helping me with my Valentine's Day budget. :-)

PPS : - I still have your pen...oooh never mind... :-)

Adios Chemistry

It wasn't so bad in my school days, that is up until 11th grade. Maybe thats because it wasn't yet the monster that it became. So, here I am, about to face it for the last time, ever! Chemistry Exam on Monday. Then never. Should I be happy or sad? Happy because the demon is off my shoulders or sad because the nitro boost for my total marks is not going to be there anymore. ( Its strange but i got more in Chemistry than in Physics.) I'm happy, very happy indeed. Marks don't matter as much in college. And the hatred that the subject (I'm going a lil harsh, i know) ignites in me is immense.
I remember a time when I used to be indifferent. Chemistry was just another subject. I don't remember how and when this malice for this branch of "knowledge" crept into me. From detesting attending the classes to full fledged plans to burn down the Chemistry department... its seems bizarre when I look back on it. What amazed me even more was when I found this malice flowing from the brim in my seniors and classmates (at least most of them, there are exceptions, as the chemistry people would put it). Talking of exceptions, the whole "Science" is full of it. You formulate a law and then go around counting exceptions. Don't you get it ? The law is WRONG !
Ok...(Pant...Pant...) I guess that lets it all out, for now at least. :) So... adiós Chemistry. . Nice knowing you. Shall we never meet again. Namaste.

Introductions...

As I start writing more, my posts are increasingly going to refer to people, locations and stuff... so...here's an introduction to my world...

Sundas

Me - Variously referred to as Sandeep, Vishnu, Sandy, Peednas, Sandal and
Sundas.

Destiny

My darling - Referred to as Destiny if not as darling.

Legolas with Shades.. :P

Legolas - A very close friend.


Rondu - My sis.


Mom, dad.

I hope i had this...

My computer - the lab

God's Book

and numerous books (mostly about physics) to be referred to as "God's Book".