Ride a Rickshaw in Kolkata!

Click the play button (lower left) for a ride in a motorized rickshaw down the streets of Kolkata. Ed, a Fulbright-Nehru scholar and friend in Kolkata, shot this on his way to Presidency College, where he is teaching. He takes this ride twice a day.

The video doesn't do justice to the thrill of it all. Turn up the volume to hear the sounds of Kolkata. Notice Ed's iron grip on the rail!

Ed has a much wordier blog than mine and you should visit it when you have a chance: http://edoshea.wordpress.com

Kshitij 2010 (Jan 29-31)

Kshitij was a 3-day Techo Management event that took place in multiple locations on campus.  Like Spring Fest, it was totally organized, planned, and funded through student efforts (for funding, students found international sponsors, like HP).

One of the speakers was George Kourounis. His show broadcasts on TV stations around the world. See a sample episode at http://www.angryplanet.tv/Sample.html or buy a DVD set of an entire season.  What a really cool guy!  He said he feels lucky because he is doing what he likes, and it turns out it's also his job!

Kshitij 2010

Chris Phillips, from Imperial College in London, is working on disappearing technology.  His demonstration was similar to the disappearing cape in the Harry Potter movie. Who said Harry Potter was fiction?

Robin Chase was voted one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. She created Zip Car, a very successful car-sharing company.  Her key to success? Look for places where there is excess capacity and then figure out how to use it more efficiently. An analogous situation to Zip Car -- bed-sharing!  Here is alink to Robin's blog if you really want to appreciate her innovative thinking! http://www.networkmusings.blogspot.com/

Kshitij 2010

George Kourounis and Chris Phillips were staying at my Guest House, so I got to chat with them.  Here we are in a picture.  Robin Chase is also in this picture, but Chris made her disappear!

Kshitij 2010

One of the most inspiring speakers of Kshitij was Shekhar Kapur, director of such films as Bandit Queen, Mr. India, and 2 Oscar-winning films -- Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. He talked about creativity, among other things.  Take-home lesson: If you have an answer, that's not creative; if you have a question, that's creativity.  When going in on the first day to direct a movie, he likes to inspire deep self-doubt in himself and create a sense of chaos.  This allows him to dispose of all prior biases and plans and forces him to figure out that moment.  He is the first person I have found who seeks self-doubt and chaos.  To learn more about him and his work, visit his blog:
http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/

(Jan 25) TO MY FOLLOWERS
Thanks for your support - You are all appreciated!

(Jan 21-24) SPRING FEST
Spring Fest is the most incredible student-organized festival for students I have ever witnessed. There are literally scores of activities that go on from morning until late at night. Many activities are competitive, involving skits written and performed by students, competitive dancing, academic quiz shows, but also pure fun! Spring Fest lasts 4 days.

Parking was tight.

Rope walking and rock climbing.

Face painting with paper ornaments.

Rock bands and dancing.

Can you spot the student from Germany?

(Jan 22) No Parking Sign

(Jan 22) Here is a typical (perfect) meal: on the far left, butter fry dal (I think the "butter" is ghee); to the right, makhan wala paneer, which has the characteristic homemade cheese chunks in a spicy tomatoey sauce; in the foreground, naan bread; and a Pepsi. I can't begin to tell you how tasty all of this is. Here are also a couple of views of a typical campus restaurant. All are out in the open. It hasn't rained at all since I have been in India.

(Jan 21) This evening I had an informal meeting with some of the Research Scholars (doctoral students) in Humanities and Social Sciences. What a delightful group of students. After saying a bit about my background, I asked them to each ask a question - personal or academic. Questions included: Is there localization in brain functioning? How do I prepare students for research? Can we effectively transform qualitative research into a quantitative format? What were my thoughts about taking patients into their future life through hypnotherapy? Our meeting lasted over an hour and it was one of the most enjoyable things I have done so far in India!

(Jan 20) FOR BETH

This is a garden outside the Humanities building. In the center you may spot the blue morning glories. I'm sending these to my wife who loves morning glories!

(Jan 20) Here is a picture with my sponsor and his wife in their home.

(Jan. 20) Today I was graciously invited to my sponsor's home to celebrate a "puja," that is a worship, of the goddess Saraswati Panchami, the goddess of education and learning. This is not the biggest puja in the Hindi calendar, but certainly apropos for the students and faculty of the Institute. To celebrate, we had special Indian dishes. I can't possibly say what they are called, but they included many fruits and a rice dessert, and were quite delicious! The pictures show a special altar before which my sponsor and wife pray daily, as well as a larger altar in the living room.

(Jan. 14) This is Howrah Station, the main rail terminal for Kolkata (Calcutta). It is across the river from Kolkata because at the time it was built, the British had not yet constructed a bridge across the river. The current Howrah bridge is the second largest cantilever bridge in the world. I came to Kolkata to visit the USIEF (Fulbright-Nehru) office, which is in the American Center. Because of security restrictions, I could not take photos at the American Center. It is one of the few places in India where you can find side-by-side framed pictures of Biden, Obama, and H. Clinton (very heartwarming for someone away from home).

(Jan. 14) A couple of vendors in Kolkata.

(Jan. 14) Couldn't get a train out of Kolkata, so took a bus instead. Here is our driver. The bus company is Jai Dada.

(Jan. 10) Went to a nearby town to look for an electric teapot. Can you spot the calves?

(Jan. 10) Off the main street, a well-maintained dwelling, cute little girl, and motorcycle. A temple.

(Jan. 9) I have arrived on the IIT-Kharagpur campus. Meet my facilitator, Mukesh, a grad student in Marketing, extremely bright and friendly. He speaks five languages, but I prefer English! In the background are decorations for Alumni Day, a gathering of IIT grads from around the world.

(Jan. 9). Here you can see the market on campus, with a variety of stores. Also, an example of a typical eatery - not very fancy, but yummy dishes!

(Jan. 9) Grounds people doing some landscaping. And the friendly taxi drivers on campus.

(Jan. 7) This is the Qutb Minar in Delhi. It should qualify as a wonder of the world. It stands 72 m and is constructed from red sandstone and marble in a lock-and-key construction. It actually has a stairway to the top! To the right, in the image above, you will see the first mosque built in India. Through additional construction, the Qutb Minar was surrounded with additions and extensions to the mosque. Our guide pointed out the qualitatively different nature and quality of construction of the Qutb Minar and surrounding buildings. The Qubt Minar (minaret) has few of the architectural features of a true minaret, leading to the suggestion (not to be found in the official guidebook) that the Qutb Minar was built by Indian scientists prior to the arrival of Islam to India.

(Jan. 7). The Qutb Minar complex was built on the site of a Hindu temple. Materials and artwork of Hindu and Jain origin are evident in the Afghan architecture. In the image above is an iron pillar that preceded construction of the mosque complex. The pillar may date from 375 A.D. It is so pure that it has not rusted in 1500 years. Belief has it that if you stand with your back against the pillar and wrap your arms around it, your wish will be granted. Unfortunately, my wish was denied, as the pillar has been roped off in recent times.

(Jan. 7) There were lots of schoolchildren visiting the Qutb Minar the day we were there. They all seemed happy to see us, even posing for a picture. A boy walked up to me and said several times, "My name is ____." I realized he wanted to know my name, so I said My name is Roman.

(Jan. 7) An oft-visited spot in Delhi is India Gate. This monument is dedicated to the soldiers from around India who lost their lives in WW1. Carved in the monument are the names of the military regiments and their places of service. India Gate is near the President's mansion.

(Jan. 6) This is a view of Red Fort from a distance. This site is popular with visitors to Delhi and with residents as well. While walking through, we observed schoolchildren on field trips. Notable was a display of watercolor and line drawings of indigenous individuals who lost their lives in the Uprising of 1857. Below is an intricate metal door, typical of the craftsmanship found throughout Old Fort. Also, a direct shot of the sun through the thick city air.