Siddharth Satpathy

Siddharth Satpathy is a first batch graduate from the National Institute of Science Education and Research (Niser), Bhubaneswar, who topped the list across all disciplines and won a gold medal as an “all round performer” this year. The physical science student writes about life at the premier institute

' It was on a rainy day on September 10, 2007, that I quietly filed into a line as one of the enthusiastic students waiting to register for the Masters of Science programme of Niser. I was enthusiastic yet a bit circumspect as I visualised a whole new life waiting to dawn upon me. There was a thing or two about science and scientists that I was aware of and was expecting to see. The fright of meeting the familiar horn glasses of scientists mingled with my excitement of formally entering the field of science, as I looked on with dreamy eyes. I was about to walk into the first batch of which was then a new institute. Back then, the tabloids were abuzz about how the situation of fundamental science in India was lagging behind and needed improvement. And, Niser was one of the handful upcoming institutes that promised a change.

It is indeed interesting that I should be putting pen to paper for writing this article the very same month when the discovery of the “scalar Higgs boson-like particle of the standard model” was announced. And for anyone who might be a little flummoxed at what exactly I am talking about – “Hey, it is just how a physicist will choose to describe what is referred to as the God particle in common parlance”.

For me what set the aura of Niser apart from the others was the indomitable spirit of the place and its scientific atmosphere. Even at the early stages, we were taught that “within seemingly trivial questions lay deep answers”. The gathering of students was told in no uncertain terms that the new institute was aiming to compete with the ones at the top. But then, as a keen youngster, I would cogitate: “‘Words an aims’ sound fine, but am I going to really meet something different whilst my stay at the place”. And, I didn’t have to wait very long for my answers.

Student seminars, discussion clubs, colloquiums and inter-disciplinary research of the highest order followed and the exciting Niser story has been continuing ever since. Five years passed in a jiffy as Niser unfurled its sail in a whirlwind of critical learning and out-of-the-box research. And when the curtains finally descended on the first graduation ceremony of Niser, the students were left staring at the end of the five most exciting years of their lives.

And what is the exciting work that I may be talking about? I really don’t know how to embellish a learning curve filled with the thrills of human genomics, Riemannian surfaces, string theory, Lie algebra and psychology better than to say that ‘it was where the pepperoni met the pizza’! The culture of hard work was enthused into all and sundry by the vibrant atmosphere of Niser in a very sublime manner. We were taught to dream and to dream big; of mathematical models of the brain, of theories predicting the Higgs particle, of the Lagrangian of the universe and the list simply goes on and on. The platter was full of enticing topics that had racked the human brain and what Niser did was to teach us how to make a disciplined and informed choice from it and to choose well. With our dreams came enthusiasm, with enthusiasm came the inspiration for hard work and with hard work came the spin-offs. Fancy seeing the unbridled joy of an undergraduate jumping all over the place upon getting news of the publishing of his first paper in a high impact journal! Well, having been in the midst of a few of these myself, I really can’t complain. I could see Niser delivering on the promise of letting intellect and enthusiasm meet the light of comprehension.

I am sure that the readers will agree when I say that science is a journey where one should be inspired to tread unexplored avenues. It is true that the gathering of informative knowledge and the acquisition of proper training is important to make sure that one doesn’t get waylaid and remains in good stead. Nevertheless, in any logical endeavour, especially in science, one cannot underestimate the importance of getting involved in research. Research incorporates the attributes of asking “why” and “how” and questioning perplexing phenomena with an unfettered mind. It is only in research that one finds there being as many lessons in pitfalls as in success. In science, one often finds that a calculation gone wrong holds as many lessons as the one that yielded expected results. And the virtue of research was inculcated at an early stage during our stay at Niser.

Coming back to our understanding of the human brain, science teaches us that there are as many mathematical mysteries in it as there are biological ones. Nature did not compartmentalise the sciences into physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology; it is we who did it. Nature simply put its artefacts in front of us and waited as we proceeded to appreciate it. And guess where I learnt this first? It was when I was a fresher at Niser. At this stage I would really be doing a disservice to the reader if I don’t pass on the message to him/her that I don’t intend the preceding fifty lines to be an advertisement for science. Even the father of science (who I don’t remember is who) will appreciate when I say that science is not the “only” logical enterprise. It will not be an overstatement if I emphasise here that the world abounds with many logical enterprises wherein one can find oneself engrossed in a brain racking spree. The catch words to be highlighted in any endeavour are enthusiasm, dedication, boldness and persistence. No points for guessing what thing inculcated these values in me; it was Niser again.

Am I done with my puzzle after having assorted the jigsaw pieces of perseverance, enthusiasm, dedication and hard work? Naah! After all, hard work divorced from these three elements can only churn out a morose individual. And the good thing about this is that I didn’t need to be at Niser to realise this. (Weren’t all of us acquainted with this saying in our kindergartens: “Hard work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”?)

Hostel life at Niser was filled with fun. Weekend movies, fortnightly parties, birthday bumps every now and then, hacking tutorials and woofers reverberating to loud music turned hostel life at Niser into one big party. If research at Niser is one lean, big machine then the thrill of hostel life is surely the lubricant that drives it for five years!! The fun quotient, be it singing or pulling out pranks on each other, is always high. And yeah, I can shake off my humility when I was an active participant of the small clique which kickstarted the after-classes fun culture in Niser. I vividly remember one of my professors telling me that the friendships that you cultivate in your undergraduate life are the ones that last. I hope I can let him know how much I agree with him!

Peeping back in hindsight, I can only say that words are insufficient to describe how much I cherish my time at Niser, both on the academic and the socialisation front. I really find it impossible to sum up five of the most valuable years of my life at Niser, the ones that will most certainly shape my professional life and etch a lasting imprint on my social life, in mere words.

This is Siddharth Satpathy, your attention grabber for the day, bidding you a cheerful adieu.