Today I complete six years of service at IISc Bangalore. I joined on Aug 01, 2014, at Centre for Nano Science & Engg. here at IISc. So, a bit of retrospection is due, to take some time out to indulge in nostalgia. It's been a great journey so far, fun and interesting, challenging and enriching. But more than anything, it's been a journey of learning and acquiring new knowledge. Acquiring wisdom. Growing up in maturity, a journey in understanding and in humility. These six years have taught me & shaped me in ways unlike anytime before, both professionally & personally. I have learned (and still learning) to appreciate diverse worldviews, trying to be less selfish, but still there're miles to go.
[I can't believe we used to hang out so much at pubs/bars those days back in 2014-16! The frequency decreased a lot in the last couple of years! Sigh, more work, less time … With my colleagues from CeNSE]
On a lighter note, I still can't forget the night when I was suddenly bitten by a dog on my right calf, just two weeks after I had joined IISc & was putting up at the guest house. I was taking a casual walk near an on-campus eatery when out of nowhere & without any warning, this damn dog sprang up from behind, buried its teeth in my muscle, and gave me a 5-injection series. Ever since then, I've seen the dog menace go from bad to worse at IISc, with 10+ nasty dogs in my neighbourhood these days who have come to consider this area as their territory, thanks to the lockdowns & rarity of people walking by.
I stayed 4 months in the guest house before I got an apartment to move in. And now that I recall, I didn't do much during those 4 months. Had no course to teach, had only two PhD students who were doing courses (hence no research). I was just idling time, mostly with VR Supradeepa, the walking encyclopaedia :D and visit my friends in Koramangala every weekend religiously, often staying for the night there, trying to re-live the undergrad days. Played a lot of badminton in the gym. Carefree, responsibility-free & a relaxed life, with no idea of how insanely valuable 'time' is, how important it is to think & plan for the years ahead (professionally). I look back, and long for those days sometimes. We all do.
Two of my good friends (outside IISc), Supradeepa and I - we all got married to our respective spouses sometime between early to mid 2016. Life changed after that (it does for everyone!), and responsibilities started to sink in. More students joined my group for PhD, more projects started to come, more duties both professionally & personally. A little bit of maturity set in me.
[2016, Solo trip to USA. (Left) Brooklyn Bridge, (Right), Conference Banquet @ Delaware]
Went to USA twice in 2016, once solo and once with my wife, for attending & delivering talks at two conferences. Both trips were amazing in their own ways. Re-lived my bachelor days in New York & Delaware with a few of my close (then unmarried) friends in USA, and then in the next trip with my wife, we enjoyed many moments in DC, New York, Orlando & in Columbus, meeting many friends & their families. Little did we know back then, that for the next 4 years, I wouldn't step out of India!
[2016, Trip to USA with wife. (Left) Orlando, Conference banquet; that's my advisor in the extreme left. I owe my professional career to him for many reasons. (Right) W/ Wife, @ Conference]
In September 2017, we (me + wife) were supposed to travel to Parma, Italy via Paris for a conference, and then stay a few days in Zurich where my bro-in-law was doing his PhD. Visas were obtained, flight tickets were booked, hotel rooms were booked, conference fee/acco were all paid off. Four days before our departure, my two wheeler slipped off the road & I broke my right knee. Fracture in the knee, clear & visible. Bed rest without walk for two months. All the money for the trip got wasted (never tried for refund), dreams got shattered. We had booked train tickets to visit Pisa & Rome in Italy, and a train to Zurich from there. All flushed down the pipe. We promised to ourselves - we will surely go to Japan in Nov 2018 for another conference.
And then, July 2018 my wife conceived, and we thought it was better if she didn't travel internationally in her 5th month of pregnancy. So Japan plan didn't materialize, and then our little hero came into picture by April 2019, and I couldn't leave the baby alone with my wife, so we decided we'd travel abroad in 2020 for sure... and until Jan/Feb 2020, we were planning of visiting Zurich & USA, in the summer. And then covid happened. And the rest is history.
[With students @ Churn's the ice-cream paradise, Feb or March 2020...That's Vasu (prof S Raghavan) in the extreme right, and there's Dr Murali (the oldest person :D) - we work as a team in research.]
Meanwhile, during the period from Dec 2019 to May 2019, four of my students defended their PhD theses, and I realized I was managing a pretty large group, albeit with many students co-advised with two other faculty members. I was leading two significant projects besides a few smaller ones, and fire was burning behind my back. And then realization sank in me: I have learnt many lessons until now.
The fundamental lesson I've learnt is that 'time' flies faster than the rate we anticipate it to fly at. Six years feel like the blink of an eye. When I signed the joining documents on Aug 1, 2014, I knew I had 36 years of service ahead of me in my life, but now, 1/6 of that is just gone. I've spent 16.67% of my service life already! Isn't that scary a thought? Every minute counts, and I realize this more & more every day now. But, trying to 'work' as much time possible sucks the joy out of life, at least for me. So, it's better to work efficiently than to work more (not that I am good at either!). But the best indicator of 'time flying fast' is to witness the growth of a baby, from birth to a few years of age.
[The little champ when he was just 6 months old, back in ~Oct 2019. He ain't chubby any more! But he's taught me patience, compassion, the value of time & the need for working efficiently unlike anyone or anything in the world. He's the one who's made the covid-induced home-arrest bearable for the last 4-5 months!]
What is another important lesson taught by these six years? Actually, there are many lessons. Firstly, for many people like me, a 2 to 3 year postdoc experience (even in industry) is highly advisable before starting off as a faculty. I didn't do a postdoc (barring 8 months with my PhD advisor, it was more like an extension of PhD than postdoc, & I really didn't do much during those 8 months). And looking back, I think I should have done a postdoc for 2 to 3 years. It gives maturity & a different perspective, a better ability to think & plan 'far', a better feel for what one wishes to do in life (technically speaking). For some people, these abilities pre-exist without postdoc, but not for me, mostly. I joined fresh out of PhD. So, do I regret my decision now? No. Not at all. Because, if I had done a 2-3 year postdoc, in all likelihood, CeNSE/IISc would have offered a position to someone else in my area of research & I'd probably have missed out on joining the most happening & dynamic dept. at IISc! So, no regrets there, but yes, I know I've learnt a lesson. Did CeNSE make a mistake by hiring me, a fresh PhD, back in 2014? The dept. can answer this better but I think most likely not. Firstly, because in the conventional sense of academic life, I'm doing reasonably decent (but certainly not spectacular) in terms of publishing journal papers/conferences, graduating PhD students, helping develop indigenous technology, teaching courses to students, etc. And secondly, I believe the best in me is ahead of me, not behind me.
On the same note, I asked my wife today (though, frankly, I was asking myself) - if I could go back in time to 2014, would I do things different in the last six years? I replied myself - YES. I'd plan my research journey better, gather funding wisely & accordingly instead of what I had actually done in the last 6 years, and I'd try to have better clarity for a far-sighted vision with respect to my research path, but most importantly, I'd manage my time better. And then, immediately I said, NO. I wouldn't want to change any of it, because the mistakes which I think I made, have taught me many things in life, have shaped & conditioned me for the years ahead. I wouldn't want to lose those lessons.
I am still learning & hopefully growing (in wisdom), both technically & personality-wise. The razor-sharp brains of the students I teach in my course, compel me to keep studying & learning, a perk of being in academia. There are infinite number of books (technical) for me to read even in my area of work, and I hope I get the time to read some of them. The last six years have also taught me to assess people & situations better, to read things that are unwritten and to hear things that are left unsaid.
There are many good things that have happened to me at IISc so far, and I am blessed to have enjoyed my moments, to have been quite lucky so far. Students pursuing their PhD (& M Tech) with me are full of enthu, sharp, smart, and I have no hesitation in admitting that I've learnt more from them than they have learnt from me. And it is an advisor's (teacher's) pride & accomplishment when his/her student(s) supersedes or outperforms him/her in skills & fame. I look forward to learning more from them in the coming years.
CeNSE, where I work, is a unique place at IISc. I'd claim it to be the most dynamic, informal and happening place at IISc! Technical details and claim to fame aside, what makes this a complete home is the unparalleled group of colleagues I have. (Our spouses are a close group too!) The helpfulness, camaraderie, professionalism & transparency among the faculty at CeNSE is truly amazing and unique. The mutual trust, understanding and respect are just fabulous. Someday I'll write a blog on CeNSE and what makes it so special.
In any case, another six years will fly by in the blink of an eye! And I hope to be alive & healthy in 2026 when I look back & write on my experiences in these six years ahead of me now.
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