And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves, growing on the trees, just as things grow in time-lapse movies, I have the familiar conviction that life is beginning over again with the spring.
This time around, we are not going to let it pass us idly by. This one crazy, painful, purgatory of a year has instilled a sense of urgency and fragility in its survivors. They recognize the ancient truth more clearly, through the fog than a lot of people have for a very long time - life is very short, that it will end is the only guarantee. Hope might be the correct response to the human condition, but this past year has in equal measure disabused us of our unbridled optimism as it has inspired confidence in humankind.
A universal enemy was not enough for us to unite as a species, we were still beset by obstacles and opportunities. We had no shortage of demagogues who would strip communities of a fighting chance at survival, if it meant some transient gain was in the offing for them.
No, progress is not guaranteed, positive change is not a given, our survival as a species is not a certainty. Equity, equality, and justice are not the natural byproduct of progress, the arc of the universe does not do auto-pilot very well, it needs to be bent in the correct direction because self-interest, tribalism, and survival-instinct-hacking are mighty foes that have the advantage of being the path of least-resistance, even if it is out of guile for the few and out of desperation for the many.
But hope indeed is a thing with feathers That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - I’ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea* -
and I've heard it in the midst of a devastating global pandemic. Even when we felt alone, we weren’t really, because we were a part of a vast and deeply interconnected us. It is true that the world has been getting better at an astonishing pace by every conceivable global metric#. It is also true that stories of kindness, and generosity, of going above and beyond were not hard to find in 2020. Good news - whether it is the slow creep of reduction in instances of preventable communicable diseases like polio or the fact that most charities received a record amount of small donations in the midst of a global recession do not make their way to either the parchment or the pixels of our non-stop news because it is not urgent, and not clickbaity enough. Nevertheless, it is true. Every time we think as a species we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we just need to look around -albeit at the not easy-to-find but omnipresent instances-, and we are reminded that capacity may well be limitless. T.S. Elliot famously wrote that light is the visible sign of the invisible light, human desire to do good, to be good is that invisible light for me. We just need to keep working toward a more perfect world, not just for our tribe (however we may define that), but for all tribes.
I have learned that certainty is a lie, the world is dynamic, fleeting, and ever-changing, we just need to open our eyes to its maddening pace, treasure every moment, leave every moment behind, and go work to fight for and build a world that we can be proud of. After all, we are capable of greatness, we are made of star-stuff.
* From “Hope” is the thing with feathers - (314) by Emily Dickinson
# For more about how the world is getting better - Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think Book by Anna Rosling Rönnlund, Hans Rosling, and Ola Rosling
I had the chance of speaking with a musician at Berklee who is a mini-celebrity in his own right, as part of our conversation we explored the nature of Art which I felt was worth sharing:
I really liked the themes of art & creativity that emerged from our conversation. The sentiment that art can at the same time be both how you express yourself as well as something which cannot really be defined or just something that elicits a response from an audience. When looking at masterpieces we tend to view them as static - something that has a sense of achievement and finality, but when seen through the eyes of the artist, their art is really a dynamic living entity. The art influences the artist as much the artist influences the art and it can be this positive feedback loop that leads the artist to learn and grow with their art and as a result, their art itself evolves over time too. This kinda reminds me of Pablo Picasso’s work, he is famously said to have moved on from one style of painting to the next as he grew as a person and as an artist. I like to think that this was the reason he moved from one style to the next, on the other hand, it could be he just got bored, enjoyed the thrill of learning new things and conquering new domains, or simply wanted to be relevant in the ever-changing discourse.
Respected chancellor, faculty, dignitaries on and off the stage, parents, allies and the graduating
class of 2019 it is an honor to be addressing you on this auspicious day. This is my second
college graduation but my first graduation ceremony. I have always romanticized
commencement ceremonies because they represent a new beginning and celebrate significant
achievements. Take a moment to look around and soak it in, we did it, we made it.
While we bask in the hard work and perseverance of years past, this is a perfect time to look at
the world around us, the world may not be perfect by any measure but this is the world that we
are inheriting. We are beset by obstacles and opportunities. Mahatma Gandhi once said that you
must be the change that you want to see in the world. Today, I beseech you to not just be that
change but also inspire that change. We, the graduating class of 2019 have been blessed to have
received one of the finest education that this country and the world has to offer and just like the
Minutemen of yore that changed the world by giving birth to an idea that has lit the world for
centuries, the Minutemen and women of this millennia have everything we need to change it
again. We are prepared to tackle the generational challenge of climate change, to combat the
wave of bigotry and hatred that is sweeping the globe, we are prepared to embrace the power of
diversity of thought, we are prepared to do all of this and much much more. Our darkest days are
always followed by our finest hours.
I have some wishes that I hope the universe and our own fortitude would grant us -
I hope we give credit to the works and not the words
I hope we do not fear death, but a wasted life
I hope we persevere to become better human beings
I hope that we never doubt that a small group of committed and thoughtful citizens can change
the world
I hope we never forget that a ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for
I hope we remember that hatred begets hatred
And most importantly, I sincerely hope we never stop learning and growing
I know this is a historic speech and I am grateful for the opportunity, feeling the weight of
judgment by future classes, as a computer scientist, I decided to seek some help from the future
and asked an AI if it had any life advice for the graduating class of 2019 by training a language
model on some of the most iconic graduation speeches. Here Is what your future overlords want
you to know today - “Knowledge is our past and future, Let's go do what using technology
allows us to do and make sure you are educating future generations. Give kids access to college
and university competency and skills. Create an array of basic volunteer jobs -for most young
adults who need them immediately. Innovate on the clean air of our cities—bring them power
and innovation. Help buy more electric cars. And finally, assume responsibility for getting
businesses excited and Drive an incoming recession!”
On a more serious note, in this fast-paced world gratitude and service are two things that can
help keep us grounded. Volunteering for a cause that you believe in has the power to move and inspire you that material things cannot come close to matching. As you move from success to
success in your life, I hope you never forget the contributions that countless people have made
along the way. I know that as we celebrate our success today, for many if not most of us, it would
have been impossible to achieve without the strong support of our family and loved ones. Even
within our UMass family, there are countless people who work tirelessly to ensure that we
succeed, a huge shoutout to - the international programs office, the CCPH, the stonewall center,
the library staff, UMass dining, office for professional development, career services, and of
course the graduate school.
As we talk about and celebrate success today, we should take a moment to talk about failure as
well. Failure often gets shrugged under a rug, we are taught - there is no room for failure, we
must succeed as at all costs, failure is the reward for people who do not work hard enough.
Nothing can be farther from the truth. Flow and ebb is the nature of life, success and failure are
the yin and yang of professional as well as personal life. No matter how much you prepare, how
hard you work, how much luck you have on your side - brushes with failure are inevitable in life.
It is how we react when those unwanted moments do arrive that measures us as a person. Denial
and giving up altogether are natural responses, they are the easy way out. No one wants to talk
about their failure. But wholehearted acceptance of the fact and analysis of what went wrong can
make us a stronger person than we ever were. The importance of analyzing what went wrong,
and realizing that we must do better, and we will do better cannot be overstated.
Learn, learn from your mistakes, learn from other’s mistakes, learn from every opportunity that
life presents you with. As you walk out of the gates of this great fountain of education it is easy
to believe that you know everything you need to know, after burning the midnight oil for that last
page of your thesis, you have more than earned the hubris. Do not fall into that trap. The only
common thread that binds successful people across every domain is the fact that they never gave
up an opportunity to learn and improve themselves. Do not let the current political climate fool
you, no man's ignorance will ever be his virtue. Always ask yourself is this the best that you can
be? Lifelong learning should be a goal that all of us aspire towards.
The key to long-lasting tranquility, I have found, is understanding that nothing is black-and-white every person that you come across is a complex being, struggling and fighting fires across
dimensions of their life that you do not even know to exist. So be patient and embrace the grey.
Let people know that you understand ‘life’ happens and that you trust people to do their best, and
they will.
Class of 2019 you are going to change the world. As you go about it, I hope you embrace
diversity and inclusiveness, because together we are much stronger. I wish you all the very best
because the future can be whatever you want it to be. With a UMass education, you have the
perfect chisel, all you need to do now is carve!
Fulfilling man’s ultimate fantasy
Metal angel
Gliding over a sheet of white, punctured only by mountains
Can you make snow angels though?
Reducing cars to toys
Mighty waves in the ocean of life to ripples in a pond
Safe away from the mundanity of life, inspiring awe
Revealing the serpentine nature of the determined water cutting through rock
Shining Some light on who gives the terrestrial bound shade when there is too much light
Mountains to sand dunes on a canvas
Escaping trivialities like weather
LEGO houses
Proof of circles in crops and extra life
Managing to make even the big apple (look) small
Live demonstration of geography lessons
Building flashing lights to welcome you back to the planet
Along with chemtrail conspiracies
Giving hope to the man stuck in life’s jam
That he too may soar towards the infinite
When the bombers come there is no place to hide
Caves and cities turned to dust in an instant
Why did you who embodies the highest ideals bend to our basest urges
When we decided to keep weapons away from space, why couldn’t we protect our airspace?
When you are turned into a WMD against your will
And made to crash into places and kill
We must hold up a mirror and ask where did we go wrong
It isn’t surprising then that you would want to vanish without a trace
Is it too late for disarmament to be our saving grace?
Can the skies be friendly again?
Let us work hard so that when the little girl looks at an airplane passing by she is filled with amazement and hope, and not dread for her life.
Written somewhere in the United States airspace between BOS and SFO, my two homes this summer.
1. Sometime in 1999 or 2000 the family visited my aunt stationed in Jammu. Pictures claim that we decided the supports to secure the middle berths in the coupe are going to be our jungle gyms. memories captured on film have started becoming one with the light spots as exposure to light damages these old photographs.
2. Almost every childhood summer after 2001 was spent with the grandparents in Dehradun which involved, them coming down to Mumbai before the schools closed, and then the four of us undertaking a 1700 km journey.
3. The first time we traveled with them, the train was at the station with only a 2-minute scheduled stop. My brother and I were the first ones to be loaded on the train, followed by some bags as the train left the station. We stood there looking at each other as the platform slipped away with our frantic parents trying to sign some message through the window pane. After what seemed like an eternity but in all likelihood was only a few minutes the connected coaches delivered our grandfather to our audible relief.
5. These trips would require a transit through the hot mess that was New Delhi. One summer when it was only the siblings with their grandmom the younger one started bleeding through the nose to make things a little more interesting.
6. Reservation against cancellation. When you get the distintive honor to sit on a berth but not sleep
7. Parents and the children were scheduled to visit Dehradun but our waitlisted tickets had other plans. Hope is a powerful thing, we were at the platform counting on a last minute miracle. We saw the Golden temple (train) come and leave the station without us. The children were woken up in the middle of that night to be told we were flying there instead. That is how we ended up on a Japan-bound Airindia flight that had a stopover in Delhi. The sibling's first flight.
8. We would eagerly wait at the Dehradun railway station for the always-late train to pull in and bring with it our parents at the end of the summer, here to take us back home after two carefree months. P.S. railway tracks end at the Dehradun station.
10. College was a 15-hour train ride away from home. Manipal's words are 'inspired by life'.
12. It was always fun to come home on the occasional long weekend, but going back was equally hard
13. For some reason, the sibling enjoyed shouting random made up advice when he came to see me off at the station. Much to the amusement of a train filled with students headed to Manipal, I was advised to try to pass as 5 years of failing exams was enough. It did not matter that I was one of the top students I had to sit with them for the next 15 hours, that was the ballgame.
14. I have had many good existential conversations with the parents as we stood at the doors of the train as it rushed through the countryside.
16. I discovered Gokarna on a trip with some of the best college friends
19. Reference to the scenic Konkan route between Manipal and Mumbai where I wrote my first published blog, as well as the nature of life
20. The train journey from Athens to Meteora in Greece with new friends was fun, exploring centuries-old monasteries in the skies that preserved the Hellenic culture was a highlight of that summer.
21. Tweaking statements-of-purpose on a train journey as I knocked on the doors of eminent universities to master computer science.
22. I had to go to Manipal to defend my bachelor's thesis based on the work that I did at IISc to earn my (bachelor of technology) degree. Just hours before the train journey was about to commence the awesome mother and I decide that she should come along and make this a trip to remember adding to our last-minute-we-live-only-once-lets-do-this shenanigans.
24. Commuting through the heart of Boston while working at Samsung Research America gives you enough time to dig into a book, to grow, to let the Kennedy-touch rub on
26. Ode to my paternal grandfather who worked with the Indian Railways.
It is just you and me now
Don't you enjoy this eerie silence, this eternal stillness
I have been with you all along
through the secrets, though the heartache
I was there when the end was so near that you could taste it,
I was here when it all slipped away
I have seen your struggle, I have seen your desperation,
I have seen your deceit
There are no curtains here only shadows
But you did not come this far to only come this far
Nobody's life is perfect,
You just need a magnification glass to see the flows and the ebbs,
you may project strength to the world, but you cannot hide from me
You know you have gotten so far only because of providence
But was it really a cosmic power pulling the strings?
Was it good karma? Was it pious souls praying for your success?
Or was it all of the above and none of it?
We have a long way to go
As the cars jam the freeway and people jam the trains
as a new dawn ominously approaches,
the day beckons - come make of me what you will!
It is just you and me now
That's how it has always been.
A smart guy once said that Presidential elections are won and lost on one square foot of real estate, up here - Leo McGarry on the West Wing
You must have heard that our actions are manifestations of our thoughts. I sometimes think that we have all been cursed like Cassandra, our rational selves know what course of action is the best for us, how hard work and perseverance can lead to success; however we rarely end up listening to that voice in our heads.
One of those beliefs is the power of believing that you will achieve your goals. This little gem has been codified in multiple ways, whether you call it 'the power of positive thinking' or 'the secret', all of these boil down to a simple fundamental truth. You can achieve your dreams only when you are truly convinced that, in spite of how bad it may look right now, you will eventually reach your goals.
This stratagem is what Steve Jobs stretched to the limits, much to the bewilderment of his co-workers who ended up labelling it to be 'reality distortion'. The reality distortion field was how Steve perceived the real world, I am sure he was not even aware that he was bending the truth and conflating facts with fiction just to ensure that reality conferred with the picture of the future that he had painted in his head, and if it did not it was time to change that particular reality. That is how you create the future.
The reality distortion field was a confounding melange of a charismatic rhetorical style, an indomitable will, and an eagerness to bend any fact to fit the purpose at hand. If one line of argument failed to persuade, he would deftly switch to another. Sometimes, he would throw you off balance by suddenly adopting your position as his own, without acknowledging that he ever thought differently. - Andy Hertzfeld
More than anyone else you need to believe in yourself, you need to trust that you have it in you to realise those dreams. No one is genetically programmed for success, if you work hard enough you can master any skill (yes even math), the world is your oyster. This is a hard fact to digest for some of us, because it entails that the only thing standing between us and our goals, is us.
But once you internalize it this can be a very powerful tool in your toolbox. If we believe that we can achieve something we start acting like the person who can and, subconsciously, slowly we become the person who can.
Only when you are dead sure you will reach the goal do you have the audacity to take the risks that you need to take. Only then will you make the investments that you need to make. Only then will you dedicate the insane amount of time that it takes (no one has the time to put in all it takes at the same time create a safetynet). Only then will you commit to it. All it takes is a leap of faith, in yourself.
Happy Birthday Dr brother, may all your dreams come true!
I am increasingly understanding why those who achieve things worth achieving are termed as 'misfits' and related terms like 'people-ahead-of-their-times'. It is because unlike what one would hope for, people in general do not spend their time tending to their intellectual growth. The very mediums that were intended to help us relax and unwind at the end of the day have increasingly become the tools that are stopping us from achieving our potential. As I interact with people and observe macro trends across the globe, I observe that rather than having stimulating discussions on historical figures and the roles they played in getting us where we are today, critically examining business ideas that sprung out of conversation and examining why or why not would they be a success, stressing our memory and summoning our (limited) knowledge of the basic sciences to understand the science behind some natural phenomena and racing each other to the solution, deriving pride from where we are as a civilization and the things humanity has achieved and placing our bets on the ever optimistic future. Rather than discussing how much work still needs to be done, how we still live in a society that has unfathomable amounts of inequality not only of resources but more importantly of opportunities, story boarding possible solutions. We are busy with gossip.
The majority of dinner tables are discussing the beauty, skin tone and possible hook ups of their beloved actors. When scientific curiosity is not encouraged from a young age, I find it highly improbable that today's youngsters will be able to develop it when they grow up. And soon enough science would induce the terror of equations and memorization rather than the deep sense of wonderment that it is meant to encourage.
When we practise racisim and sexisim on a daily basis with and in front of our children how can we expect them to grown up to be ideal world citizens? Aren't we failing an entire generation as a society?
Unfortunately too many of us do not realise the importance of having the right kind of conversations and encouraging our interlocutors to grow. Now don't get me wrong I am not painting all art as evil. On the contrary art is one of the things that makes life worth living. Entertainment and relaxation are as important as the main goal itself; my only caveat is that why cannot the art and entertainment we consume be one that helps us expand our mental horizons both intellectually and culturally rather than reinforce dogmatic ideals that have no place in this century.
Why are we bent on painting intellectualism and the thirst for knowledge as elitist pursuits for the snobby, liberal, out-of-touch people? Why not embrace it as a way of life? Understand that our entire life is a learning experience the more we learn the more we grow the more we understand ourselves and our fellow inhabitants of our planet the happier we will be. Is it the fear of failure? The fear that we will look stupid attempting to learn something that we don't know? Well guess what silly, no one knows anything either. Everyone is a co-passenger on this journey of learning. Some people may be ahead of you in a particular dimension, but I guarantee that you are ahead of them in another. Learning does not have to be a lonely process, seek the help of those that are ahead of you and help all those that you can. Doing that multiplies the joy of learning and indeed the joy of life.
Read, Travel, Assimilate, Discuss, Argue, Challenge your beliefs, Introspect, Shatter the false walls of your minds, Grow, Help, Be happy.
Success is easy if you have the right people supporting you. Listening to your everyday struggles and encouraging you to go further, When you surround yourself with people who are not afraid to give you a piece of their mind, of pointing out your flaws. And when you are happy to take them in your stride and work to overcome them. Selective humility is a virtue of the successful.
Success is easy if you are being kicked all over the field by your boss/coach/research guide. It means they have not given up on you. They have hope. They see something in you which perhaps you yourself don’t. They know you have not tapped into your inner potential just yet.
Success is easy when you have role models around you. When you hear people making it based on just their grit and conviction. Success is easy when you believe in a version of the American Dream. When you believe that hardwork is the only thing you need to reach your goals. When you believe that the world is conspiring to extend very opportunity to you, you just need to extend your hands to grasp them.
"Act as if ye have faith and faith shall be given to ye"
Success is easy when you believe in yourself. When you have a somewhat pseudo assurance, a trust in your abilities, in face of evidence to the contrary, that you are meant for greatness. When you have what some may call a false arrogance, because if you have that, you will not settle for anything less. You will not take the easy path, you will not shy away from challenges.
Success is easy when you have professionalism, it is easy when you consistently choose to do the right thing even when and especially when no one is watching; things have a funny way of compounding, if you play by the rules, help everyone that you can on the way, not be haughty, and respect people around you, all of that comes back to you in ways you cannot even imagine.
Success is easy when you celebrate the little things, the mini achievements. When you cultivate a culture where minor steps in the correct direction are applauded. That creates a virtuous cycle. Who amongst us is not hungry for fame and recognition and appreciation. When you positively reinforce minor success you and people around you will work towards the next goal with a renewed zeal, secretly craving for that appreciation.
Success is not easy, it is hard work, it is sleepless nights, it is failing multiple times, it is losing the trust in yourself and finding it again, it is getting up, dusting yourself and getting back in the saddle, it is not giving up when everyone around you is, it is not settling for the ordinary.
Most of us find ourselves too often backed up against a corner, contemplating what are we doing with our lives. Whether our actions and choices have truly been our own, or are they just providence. Are things what they seem to be, or is it just our filter bubble showing us things the way we want to see them. I know this feeling of self doubt where you are unsure of everything. I have been there many times, too many times in the past couple of months than I care for. Today I am here to tell you that things have a funny way of working themselves out. If you keep your head down and focus on your work at the same time have compassion for people around you, things do work out. Missing a few parties, working sincerely when slacking off seemed enticing, working on your research project when rest of the college was busy mugging up for the exams, is not too big a price to pay for ending up in a top 10 university (for AI) in the World.
During one of my internships, one of my mentors who is now at JPL gave me a piece of advice that has really stuck with me:
Do good work. Thats more important. Enjoy your time, but do good work. Great work.Very few manage to get good opportunities. Use it well.
Look at your mentors and the people you admire and firmly believe that you will get there too one day. It is only a function of your hard work. You will have that lifestyle, you will have that success both personal and professional, it is just a matter of time and faith. Faith in yourself, in your hard work and gratitude for the opportunities that you have been lucky enough to have.
Gratitude and humility are very important traits to have. They make the journey a whole lot easier. Be humble and apologize when you screw up. Do good upon the world and that good will find its way back to you, karma is real. Trust people, as Randy Pausch put it 'if you wait long enough, people will surprise you'. If you are disappointed in someone, you have just not given them enough time.
You can't get there alone. Having an amazing support system in your family is an amazing asset to have. It is very important to have a space, it can be with family or friends, where you can discuss things without being judged. A space where you do not bring your pride and ego, a place where you listen to feedback instead of coming up with excuses for your shortcomings, a place where you identify your weakness and come up with ways to work on it. It is a difficult process. Whenever I spoke to one particular mentor of mine my self confidence would go for a toss, his feedback was brutal things were only compounded by the fact that he was out there achieving so much. But that is the kind of feedback which helped me the most. You will find hordes of people who will be willing to tell you how great you are, only a limited few will give you real actionable feedback. Treasure them.
Trust me, one day, and that day is not far away, you will look back at your journey, at your struggles, on all those occasions where you could have taken the easier way out, when almost everyone around you took the easier way out. You will look back and you will be proud.
Mary Claire King visited the Indian Institute of Science as part of the 'Cell-TNQ India Distinguished Lectures Series' and her lecture just blew me away.
We start with a brief introduction of this amazing scientist who has literally changed the world in more ways than one. A Berkeley educated geneticist, King proved for the first time that humans and chimpanzees are 99% genetically identical, giving weight to the theory that the two species diverged only about 5 million years ago, a view that was not very popular at that time. She is responsible for discovering the BRCA 1 and the BRCA 2 genes and announcing to the world that cancers like breast and ovarian cancers can be hereditary. She is also known for her human rights initiatives. She joined the protesting grandmothers in Argentina, whose grandkids and kids had been taken from them by the regime and were forced to live with military families. Her work in genetic forensics provided irrefutable evidence that has since helped thousands across the world.
Dr King at the JN Tata auditorium
Now this is important: I am not a geneticist, my formal links with classroom biology were severed in high school, so inspite of King's wonderful talk the content that follows is my understanding of the talk, which may be inaccurate at several points.
Okay so here goes,
Breast and Ovarian cancer have been dubbed as the disease of the educated and the disease of the rich. We know for a fact that human females are the most evolved organisms to have roamed the face of this planet, unfortunately they seem to have become victims of their own advancement.
One might wonder why did evolution not take care of curing cancer, by natural selection for healthier indivisuals? The answer lies in the fact that both breast and ovarian cancers are post reproductive, thus escaping the scrutiny of evolution. The risk of breast and ovarian cancer is directly proportional to the gap between the age women start menstruating and the age at which they have their first pregnancy. Who knew!
Menstruation starts when estrogen (the female hormone) hits a certain level in the body. Interestingly the production of estrogen in the body is related to the body mass index (BMI) (defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height).
As families start to become more educated and are more well to do, young women are hitting the BMI threshold earlier (as they have access to better diets), therefore we see young women hitting puberty much earlier, the age has progressively lowered from 18 to 16 to now around 11.
At the same time women are making an active choice of putting their carriers first and choosing to start a family at a much later age. Thus increasing the gap.
This phenomena is highly correlated with the how well to do the society in which they live are. In the past Europe and the US have been the primary victims of these cancers but as the developing world catches up to the developed world it inherits their problems too.
Studies show that the cases of breast cancer in Indian cities are growing at an exponential rate.
The graph looks like this, this is not the original graph just a py plot simulation
If you are looking for an interesting read check out The race to clone BRCA1 in 'Science', which documents the fascinating story of discovering the gene.
Dr King's work shows that individuals who have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation are at a very high risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. Infact these people have an 80% chance of developing these cancers over their lifetimes. 80%. Let that sink in.
Complex Structure of the BRCA1 RING domain and BARD1 RING domain
credit: By Emw - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8763313
But my mother and grandmother did not have these issues! It is not just the women!
BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 can be inherited from the paternal side too. Also men carrying these genes are predisposed to developing prostate cancer in their lifetimes. [The new England Journal reports that 15% of patients suffering from prostate cancer have a BRCA-2 mutation]
THE SOLUTION
Knowing what we know how can we help ourselves? The answer is early testing for these genes. The BROCA gene panel can be used to conduct a simple sequencing which costs about $225. If the patient is a carrier of the either the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene then Dr King recommends a salpio oophorectomy around the age of 35-40 i.e. the surgical removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes to lower the estrogen levels in the body. This will significantly reduce the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. PARP inhibitors have also know to be helpful.
If there is one thing that you take away from this post let it be this: get yourself and your loved ones tested for the BRCA 1 and 2 genes. It is just $225 test which can change your life.
"Every breast or ovarian cancer patient with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation detected after diagnosis is a missed opportunity to prevent cancer. "
Thank you Dr King!
Update:
Dr Priya Mathur, a PhD holder in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics from the University of Chicago weighed in with the following advice:
My concern with advocating for BRCA testing for the general population is that it can lull people into a false sense of security. It is critical that those with a family history of BRCA-mutant cancers be tested because these mutations drive an aggressive form of hereditary cancer and steps can be taken to prevent it. However, the vast majority of breast cancer is sporadic, or non-hereditary, which means that even with a negative BRCA test result, a person carries the risk of developing sporadic breast cancer. Early detection via routine screening is the best way to improve outcomes, BRCA1/2 screening is not a substitute for routine mammography and self-screening.
Having had the wonderful opportunity to intern at the Athena Research Center in Athens for a little over 6 weeks, I pen down some observations that struck me as different when compared to the Indian way of life.
The Travelling Book
Whether it is the metro, the tram, the bus or the train in every coach you will find at least one Greek reading a book, oblivious of her surroundings, the motion of the vehicle, the general banter and the overall chaos. Lost in another dimension.
Smoking
Now coming from a land which shows crass anti-tobacco advertisements before every screening of every movie, this is a little surprising. But a LOT of Greeks smoke, the brouhaha about the associated lung cancer does not seem to have reached Greece.
The Lottery
Now this may be associated with the economic troubles that Greece is undergoing, but it seems Greeks have a thing for the 'idiot tax'. You can find lottery ticket vendors on side walks, metro stations, the famous squares, basically anywhere.
The Seating Arrangement
The coaches of the metro and the busses are designed to encourage social interaction and inculcate a feeling of belongingness. The seats are placed facing each other. Even the place to stand in busses is designed in a circular manner.
Sun Glasses
They are ubiquitous age no-bar, place no-bar everyone dons a pair of shades. Never have I ever felt that my sunglasses were worth it, until now that is.
Coffee Love
Greeks are incomplete without a coffee container in their hand. No matter if the day is just starting or if it is well past sunset, students, office goers, senior citizens everyone loves their coffee. People even have special coffee holders on their work desk, and it is quite normal to have a coffee cup on your desk and to keep sipping it throughout the day. I have even seen people sip their favourite beverage in buses where others do not have a place to stand.
Police Vans
Greece is going through an uneasy transition, there is no denying that. Fully armed police vehicles cruising away on the streets are an ugly reminder of that. These vehicles look like what India's riot control or Rapid Action Force look like. Every policeman that I have encountered be it in Syntagma square or at a random metro station is fully armed, with an automatic rifle and a bulletproof vest. This struck as odd to me and I mentioned as much to Fanny (a friend from France living with a co-intern) and she said that this was not very different from what she sees in France. In India we have our fair share of armed policemen and paramilitary forces at important places like the airport but the local beat policeman walks around in his khaki with just a baton for enforcing the letter of the law. This is both encouraging and sad at the same time.
Renamed Cars
This was funny, walking down the road you encounter cars that you have seen all around you since your childhood but strangely enough they don't have the same names. Your routine Santro is called Atos. Incidentally you see this across car manufacturers, plus you see a lot of the same models that you see on Indian streets unlike the US. This kind of makes you feel at home in a weird way.
The Flag
The flag of the Hellenic Republic is loved by its citizens, you can find it prominently displayed from houses on vehicles even in commercial shops and on the carts of small vendors. Seeing such patriotic display of the flag was a refreshing change from how the Indian flag is treated. Inspite of the freedom that the flag code provides to Indians the use of the national flag is still restricted to mostly government officials. Another interesting titbit about the the Greek flag was shared by Eva, the ever cheerful intern from Cyprus on our long train ride from Athens to Kalambaka. Apparently the stripes of the Greek flag represent the syllable of the patriotic cry which loosely translated into English mean 'Freedom or Death'.
Early Bakery
One of the fun parts of living in Athens and indeed travelling around Greece was their bakeries. These are small scale local bakeries which are typically run by a single family they open super early in the day and it is not surprising to walk into an empty bakery around 11 in the morning. They only make a limited quantity of fresh baked goods, which people grab on their way to work. I can never forget the apple pie I ate for breakfast in the town of Kalambaka at the base of the Meteora monasteries. There was only one bakery in the entire town and everything was still warm from the oven.
Sunset time
This was a little unsettling in the first week, we know that the sun did not set in the erstwhile British Empire but evidently it does not set till 9pm in Athens either. Indians are used to a pitch dark sky by at most 7 in the evening, but a 9pm sunset gives you the opportunity to better utilize the day.
No spectacles
I don't know if it is their diet or their lifestyle but almost no Greeks wear spectacles!
Hand Fan
If you thought that the hand fan was limited to Japanese women and karate fighter, think again. Hand fans are ubiquitous in Greece, where ladies flip stylish ones out in the metro or on a crowded street and seek relief from the heat.
Past Pride
The Greeks are rightfully super proud of their rich cultural heritage. Talk to any Athenian about the civilization that gave the world democracy and geometry among other things and you are bound to see her eyes light up.
Time indicators for buses
This simple innovation helps relieve a lot of stress for the city commuters. Almost every bus stop has an electronic indicator that estimates the number of minutes remaining for the corresponding bus's arrival. What improves the efficacy of this system is that these estimates are accurate within a margin of one minute. This really helps you plan your travel instead of waiting indefinitely at the bus stop hoping that the traffic gods smile at you.
In interest of the reader ever finishing this post, I am splitting the list into (at least) two parts. Second part to follow soon.
Happiness is sought by everyone. I would like to discuss some philosophies that guide people towards happiness.
One school of thought that I completely agree with is that happiness is internal. Too many of us spend too much of our time looking for happiness in external experiences. Some of us link it to our success in our work or love life. Some of us start to find happiness in our material possessions. Too many of us start to link success and happiness to how others perceive us. However any happiness that can be derived from these sources is just ephemeral. It ends as soon as it begins, and then we crave for more of the same to get our next fix and the cycle continues. However true happiness lies inside you. Ancient Indian sages loved the analogy of the Kasturi (Musk) Deer. This deer species famously smells this wonderful fragrance and falls in love with it. They spend their entire life running from one end of the forest to another in search of the source of the fragrance, in vain. The deer do not realise that they themselves are the source of the fragrance. So it seems do humans not realise that they themselves are the source of their own happiness.
Another philosophy is that true happiness is achieved by being content with what we have and where we are, in finding peace. This to me is a very dangerous school of thought, which if it had become popular earlier, humans would not have ventured out of the cave. Human evolution on the zoomed out scale and your personal development and upward social mobility on the zoomed in scale, rests on the promise that you work harder today than yesterday. Put in more hours towards your goal. Which is impossible to do if you are fully content and 'happy' with where you are. You need to have the hunger, the burning desire to work towards a better tomorrow.
Some believe that true happiness is achieved by helping others, by donating time and effort. By performing selfless acts of kindness with no expectations of a reward. Though this is a noble pursuit and no doubt brings a pure form of happiness with it. I have experienced a higher plane of happiness. Tread with caution, because once tasted the other forms seem too bland to enjoy. This happiness is the happiness of hard work, of blood and sweat, of creating something, of discovering something, of knowing that you gave your hundred percent, of not leaving any stone unturned, of not having any regrets, of doing your best, of affecting lives, of changing lives, of making a difference. And then finally looking back at the journey with pride. This is true contentment, this is true happiness.
Trust in yourself, fate or a higher power. Trust that everything will turn out okay, nay everything will turn out awesome. In my opinion, 'Let the fear of failure not keep us from trying' is a perfect phrase to ascribe to for the difficult circumstances that you will find yourself in : Sometimes we worry too much about how things will turn out and are either overwhelmed by the complexity of the task at hand or are engulfed in the belief that we may not be able to make it. It is imperative to ignore such thoughts and focus.
The very first step is planning : think long and hard about what do you want to achieve and why do you want to do it. Consider all possible factors, this is one of the most important phases. Talk to people who have made it. Voice your ideas to your mentors and take their advice into consideration. Reach out to other successful people in your field; let me let you in on a secret : most successful people are good human beings and more than willing to help motivated individuals, you just need to ask them nicely.
After considering all of this, make your own decision for the right reasons. And once you have decided on a path, stick to it. Don't let self-doubt fool you into lowering your expectations, which is bound to happen when you are faced with challenges that any goal worth achieving would present. This is the time to believe. Trust in yourself and your abilities and drive. Trust in fate, you are destined to achieve greatness. Trust in a higher power, God will help you. Trust in anything you believe, and trust that you will achieve your goals. Do not let self doubt eat away at your dreams. Trust and put in work.
At the end of the day it is the only action that matters. Work towards your goal, and you will find yourself closer to your goal with each passing day. The steps need not be and will not be significant, in fact you will not even notice that you moved forward in the grand scheme of things. But keep your head down and keep working, after all it is the drops that make an ocean.
You must keep in mind that not every action will lead to an instantaneous reward, in fact 99% of your effort will seem to go to waste. But that is not the case when you are mindful, with each attempt you are learning something which makes your next attempt better in some small way. You need to actively look out for opportunities and seize them with an unapologetic fervour. You need to keep shooting arrows after arrows, you never know which one will hit the target. And it will hit the target, believe me.
For instance, I have been applying to good summer programs in artificial intelligence for over six months now, and none of them seem to materialize. Some of the applications got very close, even to the last stage of reviewing, but did not come through. Rejection is hard, and it is difficult to not take it personally. I mean who believes letters like "Thousands of meritorious applicants applied to our program this year, but unfortunately we have a limited capacity.....This decision does not reflect on your caliber....we are sorry.....apply next year". But you know what, they are true! Of course merit is one of the main factors but so is luck. Chug along and finally you will receive an email at one in the night saying that you have been accepted to participate in Astro Hack Week 2016, a summer school cum unconference being organised by some of the best institutions in the field, University of California Berkeley, University of Washington and New York University, in Berkeley. After the jumping on the bed stops and you are finally able to explain to your friends why have you been smiling the entire day like an absolute and utter fool, you will begin contemplating, and that’s when self doubt begins to creep in. Am I really good enough? Was this an administrative mistake? I surely do not belong here! You will not believe how common the Imposter Syndrome is, and how powerful it can be. The best way to fight it is to recognize it. To realize that almost everyone feels this way, and this brings us back to trust. Trust in yourself and your abilities, it’s about time.
Here is a small guide to have a positive productive day, you know the kind of day you feel you are greater than yourself and part of a larger whole. The kind of day that you have too rarely. The day where you can feel the life force flowing through you. The day you have your chi with you.
Eat the frog in the night
Do something that you have been putting off for some time the night before. This need not be a huge task, even small symbolic tasks like doing the dishes that have been lying around for a couple of days or tidying up your work desk can be enough. Its raison d'être is to motivate you to get out of bed and start your day on a positive note.
Have a reminder of your previous night's achievement ready by the bedside, so that you see it first thing in the morning
Wake up early, sunrise early
Witnessing the calm environment and nature rejuvenating and restarting can be contagious and inspiring at the same time.
Have a clean workplace ready where you can organize your thoughts have a paper or app handy
Have a full belly
You need fuel to do all the awesome stuff you have been planning, don't you?
Take a review
Step back from the daily banalities and look at the bigger picture.
What kind of a day has it been? What kind of a day do you want it to be?
Think about one of your achievement that you are proudest of
It is okay to gloat!! This is not only for your self esteem, but you must resolve to strive to better this achievement.
Read some good positive get-out-of bed-change-the-world writing
Quora can be a good source
Have a nice calming relaxing bath.
It is not only a great way to de-stress but also an awesome opportunity to collect your thoughts. Many great ideas are a result of soothing baths (read Archimedes)
Time Management
It is imperative that this morning routine be totally stress free, so make time for it accordingly.
Have a phrase that exemplifies your goals, intents and ambitions.
Repeat it every time you need to step out of your comfort zone and need that momentary insane courage to do it.
Think about what kind of a person you want to be
Your dream/ideal self, now incorporate some small part of that ultimate personality into your day. Sounds simple right? It is. For example if your ideal self is a well read and well informed person you can debate at fancy parties about the country's fiscal policy, stream the news in the background as you get ready for work. That's it, you have taken a step towards being that awesome person.
Work when your productivity is at its max
Work smarter not harder. If you are lucky enough to have flexible timings, use them wisely, if not demand that you be trusted with them. There is no point sitting on your desk and staring at the monitor for hours, or gossiping at the water cooler, or reading mind blunting social media crap. Time is the rarest commodity, you only get so much of it. Do not waste it. Give your all to what you are doing. When you are working, you are working.
Always say Yes!
This is a lot more difficult than it sounds. We are wired to say no to new things and stay within our comfort zone, it takes active effort to say yes to things. Go further than your call of duty, go the extra mile, take the first step. Being complacent is our natural state. Summon the 2 seconds of insane courage and see the magic happen. Make Yes! your new default.
Smile
Smile and be kind to others spread the positivity and cheer. There is no feeling better than this, trust me!
So I have been meaning to start a blog for quite sometime now. For years, if I am to be completely honest. Invariably every summer vacation during my college years, has started with a resolution to write a blog, and invariably it would sizzle out as the days passed and I became complacent and got used to the comforts of the ‘Home life’. The farthest I have gone is to create a webpage on blogspot, but that has been the sum of my actions. This time it will be different.
I haven't finalised the theme for this blog, yet. So this inaugural entry is going to be a haphazard amalgamation of my unstructured, random thoughts. The motivation to write is a complex one and has many levels. Firstly it would be really cool to discuss the thoughts and ideas I have with my friends and more so with strangers whom I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to interact with without this blog. Secondly It would be fun to document my decisions and mistakes as I make them, which may someday help others who decide to tread a similar path, after all dear reader the wise are those who learn from the mistakes of others.This is a really strong motivation, as I strongly believe in the concept of ‘paying it forward’ where in you try and help those who come after you, as a way to thank the people who came before you, for all that has made you, well you. Thirdly and more selfishly, to my dismay I have been noticing that my writing skills are slipping, becoming rusty and are in need of wear, this is an attempt to remedy that too.
Through a tinted window
Okay so enough of general banalities, so what’s up? This entry is being written on a super fast from Manipal to Mumbai, as I return home. A chatty TTE and a beautiful country side stand witness to my incessant typing. Let us talk about inspiration.
Inspiration is a very powerful tool. I believe taking random instance of momentary motivation and turning them into fuel that keeps you going through the darkest of nights is a very vital life skill. All of us have goals, aspirations and ambitions in life, but why do the majority of us end up not realising them? The answer is a lack of persistence. All of us know what is right for us and what is not. What will further our cause and what will not. Then how does this rationality drown into oblivion in our daily lives? The problem is we do not see the big picture. It is very important to take a step back every once in a while and look at the bigger picture and as Randy paunch puts it very eloquently in his last lecture - “do not let the urgent drown out the important”. As a side note if you haven’t watched the Last Lecture, you definitely, positively, absolutely should. It has the potential to change your life, in-fact I recommend that you watch it once every year. But I digress.
The beauty about this phenomena is that it is very easy to implement once you are conscious towards it. Anything however seemingly unrelated to your goals can act as inspiration. Do you want to know what is the best part? The universe presents you with amazing opportunities daily, you just have to pick them. Here are some instances of momentary inspiration that have help convert thoughts into action.
Heavens
Pale blue dot, is a picture taken by the Voyager 1. Incidentally Voyager 1 is the first man made object to escape our solar system and become venture into interstellar space. The famous Carl Sagan had the following reflections on the pale blue dot photograph.
“ From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
The Pale Blue Dot
Just look up at the night sky and see the infiniteness of the universe. If you have been lucky enough to see the ‘Pillars of Creation’ in the Eagle Nebula through a telescope, you know what I am talking about.
The Pillars of Creation
One of my favourite quotes about space exploration, comes from the West Wing, when Sam Seaborne is asked why should the government spend taxpayer's money on a NASA program:
'Cause it's next. 'Cause we came out of the cave, and we looked over the hill and we saw fire; and we crossed the ocean and we pioneered the west, and we took to the sky. The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration and this is what's next.
President Bartlet from Aaron Sorkin’s ‘West Wing’
“ Every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we are reminded that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American Heroes, we will do what is hard, we will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars! ”
“ Our goal is not to cater to the least common denominator but to raise it. “
Manipal weather and scenic beauty
Reader who share the Manipal experience (my UG college) will relate to this instantly. Just one look at the beautiful surroundings with the perfect weather show you that the world and life itself is much bigger than your daily struggles.
The Destitute
You are lucky enough to be in a position where you are being briefed about what humanity has achieved before you it is your duty and responsibility that you either further it or use it to better the lives of the people who need it the most.
That poor old lady on the side walk is relying on you. I can talk about computer science, my tradecraft. I feel like I have a super power, never in human history have we had the power to change lives transcending geographical barriers by the push of a button. Affordable healthcare innovations, Predicting outbreaks using big data, technology to help the differently labeled lead a more ‘normal’ life, agricultural insights these are some of the applications of CS that are changing the world, I hope you are not among those who are stuck in the mini world of creating the next trending app or most visited website. More on this some other time. Meanwhile use your super power for the betterment of the unfortunate.
Crush
One of my favourite writers on Quora Dushka Zapata sums this up very nicely
“A crush is a pure lightning bolt of the best kind of energy. It’s yours to use any way you see fit. If it were up to me (since you asked) I’d suggest that you use it to wake up happy and create something. To fuel the courage to do less of what depletes you and more of what fulfills you. Use it to love yourself for exactly who you are. Use it as motivation to always be kind, even after a long day. Years from now, when you look back at the time you had a crush on a stranger, rather than thinking “boy, that was so silly!” I hope instead you remember what you felt as a source of inspiration. Inspiration is what a crush is for.“
‘We are here to make a dent in the universe otherwise, why even be here?’ is a very very powerful quote that resonates with me.
Hamilton
“If you stand for nothing Burr, what do you fall for?”
-Aaron Burr,Sir!
“ There is a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait “
“In New York you can be a new man!”
-Alexander Hamilton
“I know that we can win,
I know that greatness lies in you,
but remember from here on in history has its eyes on you”
-History has its eyes on you
“I am not throwing away my shot, Hey yo I am just like my country, I am young scrappy and hungry, and I am not throwing away my shot!”
-My shot
“ How do you write like tomorrow won’t arrive?
How do you write like you need it to survive?
How do you write every second you are alive?”
-Non Stop
Basically the whole musical is an unending source of inspiration. For the uninitiated, Hamilton is a musical on Broadway, created by Lin Manuel Miranda. It tells the story of the American founding father Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in the words of his nemesis Vice President Aaron Burr. You just need to listen to the whole cast album available here —>https://goo.gl/7igoYB
“For Camelot!”
Need I say more? For those who do not know Camelot is a musical (and now a TV series) where King Arthur and his advisor Merlyn establish a new order at the ancient Roman castle of Camelot. They go on to unite all of Britons and in turn become legends, because they offer a new form of politics, a politics of hope.
The eternal rashtriya kavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar has written many a classics, which are very moving and full of inspiring couplets. A favourite of mine is Rashmirathi (which is also available in an audio format on youtube)
"सिर पर कुलीनता का टीका, भीतर जीवन का रस फीकाअपना न नाम जो ले सकते, परिचय न तेज से दे सकतेऐसे भी कुछ नर होते हैं
कुल को खाते औ' खोते हैं
"विक्रमी पुरुष लेकिन सिर पर, चलता ना छत्र पुरखों का धर.अपना बल-तेज जगाता है, सम्मान जगत से पाता है.सब देख उसे ललचाते हैं,
कर विविध यत्न अपनाते हैं"
"उड़ते जो झंझावतों में,पीते सो वारी प्रपातो में सारा आकाश अयन जिनका,विषधर भुजंग भोजन जिनका, वे ही फानिबंध छुड़ाते हैं,धरती का हृदय जुड़ाते हैं."
Let me know what do you think about this piece in the comments below. Also if there is a specific topic on which you would like to hear my thoughts the comments section below is the place to shout out.
