Ranchi, Aug. 17: His passion for physics took him to the world of science.

Narendra Jaggi is one of the most successful teachers of physics in the United States.

Jaggi, chairman and professor of the physics department of Illinois College under Wesleyan University in the US, is an alumnus of St John?s High School and St Xavier?s College in Ranchi.

He has been in the city for a few days to meet his relatives and friends. His plans also included a lecture, ?What can the world?s two largest democracies learn from each other?, at Lions? Club here.

?Whenever anyone comes back to India from abroad, he or she just has to say either about the greatness of the country or the developments taking place in the foreign land. I wanted to be a bit different. That?s the reason why I chose this topic,? he said.

Jaggi passed out of St John?s School in 1969. ?I don?t remember exactly but I was one of the toppers of the Bihar State Board examinations. After my schooling, I studied physics at St Xavier?s College,? he said.

After graduating from the college, Jaggi did his Ph.D from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. ?After I got my degree (1982), a visiting professor from the US noticed and asked me to accompany him there. I immediately made up my mind and rushed off,? Jaggi said.

Jaggi got married in 1978. ?My wife, Hansa is a real estate dealer in the US. I have a daughter, Tonushree, who, at present, is a consultant at the US embassy. I was selected as the best professor among as many as 30,000 teachers of different universities in the States. No man coming from a different land has won this award,? he added.

Jaggi?s face sparkles when he is asked about his old friends and teachers. ?Of course, they are still fresh in my mind. I cannot forget the St Xavier?s College just for one professor, Father De?Brower. I have to salute his energy. He is still the backbone of the entire college.. My visits cannot be complete without meeting him. Then in school there were intellectuals like Professor A. Verma, my physics teacher and A.A Nandan, who taught us Hindi. Such Professors are hard to find these days,? he said.

Jaggi said he was in contact with very few of his old pals. ?After school and college, we were in contact. I am still in contact with Avinash Gupta, my school friend. He did his MBBS from the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and now is a cardiologist in New Jersey,? Jaggi said.

The man still misses the hangouts at the Purulia Road with his friends. ?Yes, I miss it. Those were wonderful days. I still miss those hangouts at the Tapovan Temple near the Overbridge. The city has changed a lot Nowadays it is not the same weary and slow. The place is now bustling with people and vehicles. And it is a good sign. plan to visit India for an entire year soon and talk to a lot of students. As far as settling in here is concerned, I have not thought about it as yet. But then somewhere down the future I may come back to where I belong,? Jaggi said.