What was and what is and what will be!

The year 2006 - my recent past as I choose to call it - has been a memorable year for me. There are myriad reasons for this. One of them, I believe, was the paradigm shift in my life - graduating out of IIT Kgp and joining Boston University. It was not merely a change in the academic level but, more importantly, a change in perspective, thought patterns and habbits. It has been a migration in time and space, as well, as in personality. But there are some things in an individual which never change - the things surrounding it do change or are changed in response to new situations and conditions. Let's call this unchanging thing in me 'my spirit' (ofcourse the term may have different meanings for different people but I choose to call it so). So, putting it in very simple terms, I have started to change myself in response to the new conditions and situations that have arisen in my life. And let me now review these changes.
As far as the physical aspect is concerned, I found that the kind of body structure, with the little overweight, and out-of-shape appearance donot aptly represent the kind of mind I have. The body should reflect upon the mind to a great extent - a thoughtful and agile mind with an athletic body; so began my efforts to shape up my body. Currently I'm down to about 145 lbs as opposed to about 165 lbs when I first arrived in here in Boston. Then I also figured out that a long-hair style would go well with this kind of body appearance. Though I must admit that the hair style has not been finalized yet; for the moment I have decided to let it grow. Ofcourse, I must mention here that a great deal of inputs into my new body and hair-style come from one of my very best friends and senior - sangramda - who has changed himself remarkably.
And now let's focus on the mind. The thoughts that pass through the mind and, finally, end up there make us, in large part, the kind of persons that we are. Looking at myself, though this is not a very complete and conclusive account, I found that I had the tendency of imposing my opinions upon others, thinking negatively and becoming unduly emotional at times, interrupting others when they were speaking and caring too much about other's remarks. And these aspects of my mind and my thinking were, undoubtedly, taking up a fair amount of my time and resources which could be better utilized in my personal growth. So, as the case with me has always been, I decided to change these things - show them the way out. At present I'm working on these changes and in time I'll grow out of them. Besides these there are other minor areas where changes are being incorporated and progress in being made. I have, and continue to learn, from my senior sangramda, my adviser Prof. Ranga Myneni and others with whom I interact regularly.
As a trivia, I'd also like to add that my dress sense has changed tremendously - I stick to Levi's, Gap, Banana Republic (let me not enlist them all here!) and Armani (for perfume)!
Its been a change indeed, and, will become a seachange in time as I move into 2007 and beyond. I always believe that we must grow and shape and re-shape ourselves; and we are the best critics of ourselves.

A New Chapter Begins......

This is not the first time that I have come to the US, though for the first time in the east coast - Boston. I had been to the west coast last summer for internship - LA and Pasadena.On both occasions, I landed in very well-known and famous cities - LA (LAX) and Boston (Logan). And in both the cases, the feeling was awsome . In the first case, it was LA and as I was coming out of the LAX terminal what really caught my sight were the cars (that's one of my passions - im not discussing them here) - almost all the cars I love - mercs, bmws, porsches.- u name it! and then high rises on both sides of the road...magnificent structures - real show of science and engineering; and man's towering ambition translated into reality. Here I was in a land where true ambition and hard work can achieve anything and everything - it inspires and motivates one tremendously - the view breathtaking and the feeling awsome, stupendous and almost overwhelming. The other thing that I noticed was excesses - everything in excess, excepting people ofcourse and that means a lot of diversions ( I'll let u elaborate on that in ur own mind). So besides being inspired I also figured out that one needs to be focussed - the task at hand - there's always time to cool off.
And now it's Boston - another great city - the hub of education - as good as it gets on earth. On arriving at Logan I didnt have the feelings of a first timer ofcourse but yes the sights and sounds were, once again, breathtaking. I had a feeling of home coming - can't explain it. I live in one of the poshest localities (William Street, Cambridge) and all the big univs - BU (that's my univ), MIT and Harvard are close by ( almost equidistant). Infact as I come to my office, its a 15 min walk from home, I have to cross the Charles river by the BU bridge which greets me with a refreshing breeze and the scenic boston skyline - inspiring it is indeed! If I had any doubts, which I indeed never had, about choosing BU over Caltech, with all due respect to Caltech, then they have just been washed away.
And thus, begins a new chapter in the journey of my life. I shall keep u all updated on this. And I wish u all Bon Voyage!

Motivation

One of the chief parameters of our well-being is motivation. And so it is very important for us to understand what is motivation, how do we feel motivated, what motivates us and what can we do when motivated and a variety of other such issues. The presence of motivation brings joy and happiness to us and adds meaning and purpose to our, otherwise meaningless, existence. But what exactly is motivation - motivation is typically defined as the forces that account for the arousal, selection, direction, and continuation of behavior. So as the definition says its what influences us to choose a certain course of action. And by this it could also be said that motivation is something which influences a certain persistent thought pattern which translates into a particualar course of action. And what can influence thought patterns but thoughts themselves. Thus motivation concerns thoughts.
But then the question arises as to what motivates us or how are we motivated. Well, motivation can arise from an external influence or from a purely internal influence or stimulus. Some of us find motivation in external objects. While others find the same within themselves. But one thing is very true about what motivates us - its something inside us that picks up the stimulus whether its internal or external. More clearly, its, perhaps, a state of dormancy that springs to life and galvanises us into action. And once we're motivated we break into a new level of understanding and existence which results in tremendous joy and happiness. So the crux of the matter is that in each of us lies the seed of motivation which when germinated will take us from our current level of existence to the higher level associated with a higher level of understanding and a richer experience of existence.
And, last but not the least, let us try to see what it is that we can do when motivated. Well the answer is anything and everything - nothing is impossible to a motivated mind. There are sayings both in the West as well as in the East that nothing is impossible to a motivated person. And when the sense of responsibility couples with motivation great and mighty deeds come to the fore. Herein lies the importance of self knowledge and understanding of the self in the context of the broader universe where we live. This knowledge helps us in channelizing our motivation into actions which are for the greater good. One might say that Im being overly ethical minded in this discourse but one must admit that ethics is intrinsically associated with our well-being and what I've written above may just be the critical connection between ethics, motivation and our well-being.

Farewell

Well, this seems to be the buzzword in my life at present. I have been given farewells by three different groups so far - BTDS farewell, Hall farewell and Department farewell. And the kind of feelings that each farewell has aroused in me is different from that the others have invoked; but there is an underlying similarity between all these three farewells.
Let me first speak of the similarity, just mentioned. Let's say, to begin with, a farewell is, very simply put, a formal way of bidding adieu. As old ties are severed, but are they really?, and new ones await establishment, it's always a good way to remember the old times and the old experiences - remembering friends, colleagues and associates of the old times and, yet, also letting each other know that the time has come to move on. And a farewell does just that. So much for the similarity.
Now, let me begin with the BTDS farewell. The BTDS, Bengali Technology Dramatics Society, is a society with which I have been associated with more as a peripheral member than a core member. But suprisingly I found the BTDS farewell to be very warm and hearty. I was really amazed by the reception accorded to me by the juniors of BTDS and, not to forget, the memento presentation and the food that was served. I'd like to make a special mention about the memento which has my name engraved on it - it feels good to see your name! And I was never, even for once, given any distant treatment appropriate for a peripheral member. And this was the highlight of the this farewell.
Next comes the Hall farewell. It was really an amazing experience with some many juniors, of the hall, remembering and felicitating you. It really gave a special feeling. And again the memento bears my name: though, with a slight spelling mistake!. But I reckon that that doesn't matter as long as the intention is right. The Hall farewell is different in that the hall represents a more diverse community than the BTDS. And the kind of bonding that prevails in this community is quite different from that in BTDS - due to the sheer difference in the purpose that each serves and the level of exclusivity. And the farewells also, though similar in some sense, are different and unique.
Last but not the least, comes the department farewell. I'd not be very wrong if I say that the response of the department juniors was, at best, lukewarm. I found us final years to be the only ones present at the scene, when we arrived for the farewell at the appointed time! I could not see any sizeable number of enthusiastic juniors unlike the previous years' farewell functions when we were juniors. This obviously upset me a bit but then I shrugged the feeling aside thinking that the situation would get better. But I must say that it never got appreciably better. And yes, this time the memento didn't bear my name and so, there was no special feeling while receiving it. It felt like a very formal function, more on the lines of drudgery than something invigorating! But I guess, since my time is up, I really can't say much about this.
And here again I could see the difference in the nature of the farewell functions because of the difference in the nature of the purpose, bonding and level of exclusivity associated with each group.
But then I would like to end on a positive note by saying that whether a farewell is warm or lukewarm, the important thing to remember is that the time of the old is up and its time rise and embrace the new as it beckons. Afterall, the human life is a journey whose highlight is the constant change that accompanies it. And a farewell is a gesture to change, to move forward and reach out for ones ultimate goal!

Self-Contemplation - Positive Thinking

One of the most important aspects of our existence is how we look at events taking place around us, and more clearly, how we "choose" to look at things. The word choose emphasises our ability to decide upon the kind of reaction we'd have for a given stimulus. And herein lies the very essence of thinking or rather positive thinking. We often take this for granted and go to think negatively, i.e. brood, about so many things in our life and in the process we ruin our minds because the mind feeds on thoughts. And so, while, every positive thought nourishes our mind, every negative thought ruins it. Infact, negative thoughts have their own unique way of destroying the mind i.e. like viruses they multiply rapidly and silently, taking over every quarter of the mind. And by the time one realises this it often too late!...But then there is a cure to this virus and that lies in cultivating the habit of continual positive thinking. Its much the same as taking the pain of going for a regular work out in order to keep in shape and as one does this regularly its becomes a habit. Infact the best way of changing a habit is to consciously replace it by the desired habit over a prolonged period of time, generally 21 days. The same principle holds for thinking as well, namely replacing negative thoughts by positive ones.
Infact, every culture around the world has its own set of positive sayings or positive thoughts which serve as great tools for cultivating the positive thinking habit. By continually saying these thoughts mentally, one can install a healthy positive thinking habit. And not only can this habit actually change ones life but people can change their lives by changing their "attitude of mind" - a synonym for positive outlook or positive thinking.
This habit of positive thinking is of utmost importance in children and young people, not to undermine its importance in older groups, because our children and youth are our future. Every negatively thinking and frustrated mind constitutes a potential threat to the overall well-being of the society. And as we increase in population, putting ever increasing stress on our resources, we need to think positively rather than reacting sharply to the events occuring around us, especially in regard to tolerance for other people and cultures.