Throwback 2016

2016 can be tagged as one of the most transition infested year in my life. A transition from a well established graduate (read PhD) student to a post doctoral fellow; in an institute that captured my imagination a bit. The road from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology to UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center had not been smooth, with the long wait for the Visa processing (J1) and then getting past the official paper works in India. This though was not so tough compared to the thousands of labs that I screened, mostly in US for the next step of my career.

I always had the set up in my mind that every stage of the career I bear a new subject under my belt. A rainbow spectrum, to me always seems lucrative for the inherent thirst of knowledge and never be into my comfort zone. Rather making uncomfortable zone homely is always been my motto. That reflects with my several transitions from B.Sc in Physiology to M.Sc in Genetics and then shift towards Molecular Biology with Epigenetics and Epidemiology been my area of expertise. Never the less, a lot is still needed to learnt over there, but I can well say I am well accustomed with what I know and wouldn't feel a Martian in those realms.

But of all these phases, to transit again was a big step in 2016. Now in a more refined arena of Chromatin biology, where I was outside my comfort zone for atleast 4-5 months since arrival; 2016 made this test a very hard one. The previous ones were always in my home ground. In my place of of birth, where learning was only new while other aspects weren't. Already in my early thirties, when the flexibility becomes stiff a bit, I had to find my ways to flex my backbone and learn not only the knowledge and techniques, but also the culture.

At first it was little tricky. Always converse in English and keep track of your actions. Paper works, insurance, SSN, Rent and what not. But, today when I look back and also discussing such with my wife, I can say with confidence that I have overcome the initial hurdles. It feels good in a sense that nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself.

With 2017 coming up, I would like to build on this and I wish all the fellows who are facing the same, time will make it. Only the making process will squeeze out more from you. If you desired for the changes, I think that is the only price time will ask from you, in return to the opportunity.

Happy New Year.

Sensation

Biologically the term gives the power to feel and be alive. It gives us the power to realize our environment, the world that we belong and the people that we live with. But in the modern context the term is also utilized to define the excitement that brews in us upon knowing a news.

"Its a sensation" or "Sensational...!"

Good or bad, the modern times witnesses news reports that by definition becomes mostly over exaggerated and creates a random chaos within various pockets of the society. The situation is being created to an eruption in the daily lifestyle of humans and deviate them from the humane thoughts. I happened to watch a movie called "Rush", which executed the basic thoughts to move ahead by presenting sensational news! In this case, create the sensational news!

It seems that the news; which should only be unadulterated truth comes in brands. "XXX Exclusive" or "Exclusive Footage" being water marked across the screen. Seems like we are buying the underpants of soft or coarse cotton or printed with the heart or strawberries. Although it will cover your vitals, it still comes in various colours and styles; because it will excite your partner. A similar policy comes with these exclusives and TRPs; to excite the viewers.

The movie ends on a nice note. Yes, we public have deviated from the truth. We do not want to see news that may be mundane and without blood shed or slangs! We prefer to dance with the tunes of bullets from the arms and not hinder the cracks going on in the icy poles of glaciers shortening their arms. Sad, but it feels so and that is being capitalized by many people. Filling their pockets!

The sensation is now not pinging properly within your neurons. It needs to be reset soon or else, soon the aliens will broadcast a sensation that would involve our own species' great asset: humanity.

Reform

Today, on a rainy week end, I happened to watch "Cinemawala". A film by Kausik Ganguly and aptly realized by the brilliant acting of Paran Bandyopadhyay and company. A fact being portrayed through the eyes of a theatre hall owner, who weathered away eventually through the tides of time and modernization. In this regards, Chaplin's great "Modern Times" come in the forefront where the humans start working like machines and also a time would soon come when they would be competing with the machines for Jobs.

Almost everywhere, the scarcity of jobs eats away the daily dreams of the human mind. For few, who choose being an entrepreneur, tries to regain some more from the ever losing trend. With reports of Academia getting stagnant, time will soon come when everywhere only a few people, exclusively following the Darwinian principle of Survival, shall thrive in the face of the earth. On this note, a recent notion coined by Stephen Hawkins about Mankind's 1000 years more, from now, soon be a reality where the scarcity of jobs, leads to scarcity of earning potential. This may eventually lead to lesser matrimonial conjunction and lesser offspring, because the parents would fear the future to feed the young ones. The erosion would start leading to Mankind's 1000 years only.

This idea though would seem to be very much extrapolated and means no sense with the Cinemawala, but the erosion of old in the hands of new seemed quite analogous to the formation of rust when iron gets exposed to water and air. In modern times, the water and air are more viscous, leading to rust and crack in the age old iron pillars of livelihood.

There was once grasslands,

Then came the mud roads for the carriages,

Then came the asphalt for the motor cars,

Soon there will be more advancements.

But today, when you stand on the road outside your house, have you ever given it a thought how it was may be 50 years ago, if not 100. Those have been in the oblivion, but we still stand on the age old concept, in a new way. The concept of road has not changed. All it did was reform. I think, to preserve your past and move into the future makes you perfectly ok; if only you can subdue the ego in you.

Dreams are not always celluloid. Dreams are in the eyes of the beholder.