Festival Look

"Sir, your hair needs trimming." The security staff of our apartment complex remarked. He is unlike the other two security staffs in the sense that he does not feel shy of giving me advice. Usually, the advices are for the vehicles in our garage - their conditions, the washing job I perform occasionally etc. And, those gentle suggestions are always very useful. 

Therefore, I got alerted. Only a few days back I had to undertake a tour for professional reasons. Did I make a fool of myself with my look? Apparently, both the meetings went well. As such, one is not supposed to judge a book by its cover! 

For someone who reads a lot, there is a quote to find refuge on every occasion!

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 "Is it going to be your Puja cut?" Durga Puja is just a month away.  Here is the specialist who takes care of my hair and unburdens my head at regular intervals. He has been doing it very responsibly for more than a decade now and in a way, has become my legal hair-guardian. According to him, it is his special cut for which my hairs are still eligible for cut and I should not get adventurous to try my luck elsewhere. One is not supposed to disagree with one's barber.

He too, gives me lots of advice and shares his knowledge about the contemporary world while doing his job. His presentation is always laced with humour and is always enjoyable. There is one question he will invariably ask me on every visit of mine. Finding me much taller than his usual customers or himself, he would ask, "How is the weather in upper atmosphere?" That makes me understand that he is in his usual self and I am in safe hands!

This time he got caught on the wrong foot. He was complaining about his own look, which according to him, is a lot better on another day when he shaves his beard. I landed on the wrong day at his place.

For someone, there could not be a better opportunity to get equal! 

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"Are you not, Goutam-da? Can you recognize me?" A middle-aged person wearing a cap was standing on the stool and was taking reading of the electric meters of that shop. The shop is just outside the IIT Kharagpur campus. The question came from him. I was then midway of getting relieved of my additional burden on my head. 

He didn't need to take out the cap. I could recognize him without any issue though our physique have gone big transformation in between. We played together at our young age at the railway settlement side of Kharagpur. Exchange of pleasantries and phone numbers - he sharing how his son did well in study and got selected for a Govt. job, more offers are being expected.

There were two electric meters. One commercial meter was for the shop, the other one was for their residence behind the shop. The father of the hair specialist (he adores me a lot) came out and was explained of the expected electric bill and adjustment expected against an earlier payment.

Later, both the father and the son were in full praise of this electric meter reading person and his friendly approach. In our discussion in that shop, came the topic of smart meter installations. This will not require foot-falls of a meter reading person! A smart phone, app, preloaded wallet - that's all. Convenient, efficient!

In our effort to have everything at our finger-tip for convenience and comfort, are we missing the human touch points in our lives? How to restore that and prevent over consumption of digital contents and resulting infirmity?

Let me sign off before I myself sound like giving advice! 

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Here are a few pictures of Puja shopping ambiance at Golebazar before the market goes frenzy in a few days' time when this month's salary reaches pocket. We were trying to avoid that crowd and my role mostly, was to keep a watch on my motorcycle.  

Foundation Day 2023

Today is IIT Kharagpur's 73rd Foundation Day. The institute program at Netaji auditorium was to start at 9:30 AM. I was taking my 2-wheeler out from the common garage of our Chitrakoot complex. One of our neighbors was also there for the same purpose. He lovingly referred to my first name, Goutam. Of the three security staffs of our residential complex, two have the same first name. They are from Nepalese / Gorkha background. They are the followers of Goutam Buddha, and the name Goutam is quite common among them.

My name was called in the Foundation Day program before but once when I received an award. But, today, my name came up in the lips of three on the Netaji auditorium stage on three different occasions. And that made me remember one big Budhha idol that I visited once. It was situated in a dark cave. If light from a lantern falls on it from one side, one can see that Buddha is smiling, happy. If light falls from the other side, one could see a pensive, sad face. And, if light falls from the front, one can see him in total peace - neither happy, nor sad.

We the lesser mortal, swing from a state of fulfilment and unfulfillment, joy and sorrow. Of the three occasions of today, two gave a feeling of accomplishment to see our own students getting success in big stage as entrepreneurs and connecting that to their more than decade old student days' experience here - one curricular, the other extracurricular. The third one reminded of an unfinished work in which we elders are yet to realize the dream of a dreamer who was an inspiration to many.

Vidya Bhushan was a UG student of our E & ECE Department. For his final year B.Tech. project, he picked up a challenging problem in neurosignal processing area. Our collaborator from the Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London had a key role in defining the problem statement. He completed his BTP requirement in time (2010) but continued with the work even after leaving the institute. He got a job in Ericsson from the campus placement. In 2012, when he was in IIM Ahmedabad, his BTP work got published in a good journal. The start-up he founded after brief stop-overs at two companies following IIM degree, has now foot prints in 43 cities and was valued Rs. 100 Cr. sometime back, expected to reach 200-250 Cr. mark soon. Today, he referred to that BTP work when awardees were asked to speak a few words after receiving the award from the dignitaries on stage.

Imbesat Ahmad was not from our department. National Service Scheme (NSS), IIT Kharagpur was our common chord. I was in-charge of NSS at that time and together with faculty colleagues and young student volunteers (1st and 2nd year UG), took up various projects in neighborhood villages and slums. Imbesat was primarily in teaching activity but played a key role in the bigger team-based activities. Imbesat's current recognition as a young achiever is for his social enterprise that makes education accessible. He started in offline mode in an unreached place and achieved excellence. To scale up, he started online delivery where a doubt is attended within 16 seconds. This enterprise now has 60000 touch points. His podium speech referred to his 1st year NSS teaching experience.

Other young alumni achievers too, shared their thoughts which depicted how IIT Kharagpur helped them gain valuable experience in their student days here. Felt proud for each one of them. Congratulations to all awardees!

When Dr. P. Arun, Director, Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata, one of the Guest of Honour of today's function rose to speak, my name was referred for the 3rd time. He recollected how much we two wished to fulfill the dream of a cancer survivor who was inspiration to many. We failed to move beyond a point for reasons beyond our control and felt sad for it. We should make a second attempt and try to bridge the gap. We owe it to that dreamer, Mr. Ananthakrishnan, who is no more with us - the relapsed cancer took the great soul away but his dream remains.