There is a very unusually high probability that you, or any people you encounter, believe in one of these two theories: The Theory of Destiny or The Theory of Random Events. Followers of the former believe that every action, event, or decision taken, human or otherwise, has been written down. There is neither a way to change it, nor escape it. On the other hand, people like me believe that nothing in the universe occurs as a planned series of events. Things happen and you flow with it; believing that you had a role to play in it. You do what you can. And improvise.
All through high school, I knew I was interested in science. I wanted to delve into it. I had to study the foundations and build upon it. "But, science is so vast. Where do I begin?," I thought. Great advices come from people you don't actually believe in. That happened with me, during class 10. Some college principal advised me to study all the basic sciences, including biology. And I did. I studied Physics, Chemistry, Math, and Biology, in Class 11 and 12. Little did I know he was right.
In the winter of '14, I attended an INSPIRE Internship Camp. It was organised by GS Science College, Belgaum, and funded by Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. The intention of the camp was to inspire youth to make careers in science. For me, it was just a reassurance that I was going along the right path.
The camp revolved around all of the basic sciences, but I was attracted to Biology. Dr. Bhaskar Joshi's lecture on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine inspired me. Dialogue with him on differentiation of artificial stem cells showed me what I want to do in the future. That's when I said, "Biology, it is."
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| TOP RIGHT - Dr. Bhaskar Joshi, with mic. in hand. |
The milestones was fixed. All I needed to do was find a good-enough college ready to take me in. There were some where I wanted to go, but they couldn't take me in, like Harvard or IISc, Bengaluru. Then there were others who were ready to take me in, but I didn't want to go, like IISER - Pune and IISER - Kolkata. An equilibrium was reached at IIT Madras. So, here I am, studying Biological Sciences, in a BS-MS Dual Degree Research Program.
These are some of the random events that have brought me here.