A teary smile

    I stare outside the window....not actually seeing the peaceful little city covered with a blanket of snow. Scenes flash before me; scenes from a decade ago; 8000 kms from where i currently live. I smile to myself and close my eyes…… a tear rolls down my cheek…. I miss home….

A year ago, I lived in a beautiful chaotic world that was home. I never cared about picking up clothes from the floor; had my parents to put food in my mouth as I ran about the house collecting my stuff before rushing off to class; never remembered taking my towel to the bathroom, because my mom was there to bring it for me.

Now, looking back, all this time I am away from home, I can’t believe I’ve changed so much. The metamorphosis from this gawky girl that I was to the woman I am now. It’s been an amazing transformation. All the new experiences; the encounters; places I travelled; the continents I have walked on; the people I’ve met; Sometimes amazing; Sometimes not.

I’m ready now. To step out. To go back to where I belong and jump headlong into the vast expense of human chaos. To take on the world with my bare hands.

And, when I go back home, I know it’s not going to be the same. But I’m sure my parents would be proud of the woman that I am now!

My tryst with Biotechnology

I wish I had an exciting story to narrate when people ask me why I chose Biotechnology. But unlike most other students, I didn’t choose it for the fascination I had for Biology or because of how I marvelled at the minute intricacies of nature. I chose it because I liked taking apart the legs of bugs and putting them back again as a kid and felt this would give me more opportunities to pursue my hobby.

But soon into the course, came the time when I actually fell head over heels in love with Biotechnology. I used to go extra miles to read new interesting things that I’ve never heard before. Then during one period I started obsessing over it to the point where I convinced my friends that nothing on earth can be as exciting as biotechnology. My biggest achievement was when my mom started referring to fruit flies as ‘Drosophila’ on a daily basis like it was the most natural thing for a mom to do.

Before long, my undergraduation came to an end and I was at crossroads as to choose one field to narrow down for my masters. I really had no idea on what to go for because all of them were dear to me and I didn’t really prefer to weigh one over the other.

My first love, which was Genetic Engineering, beckoned me to the wonderful world of fooling around with genes. It is almost as if God gave us a few building blocks out of his own lego kit to play with.

Bioremediation was a clean sweep (quite literally) and Biofuels tempted me with these awesome stuff to run your car on instead of the boring petrol.

Immunology remained close to my heart because it taught me how entirely different individuals (antibodies) can get attracted, complement and bond perfectly with each other.

But everytime, it was Microbiology that always reassured me how I am surrounded by millions of these little guys even when I feel lonely. Who can resist the allure of these cute tiny things?

The most tempting area was Bioinformatics and Systems Biology which keeps reminding how brilliant human brains are enough to create artificial systems that can actually surpass our wildest dreams!

I always thought Animal cell culture was wacky and more my kind. Because, for starters, it involved growing a part of a living tissue on a dish. And second, the fact that certain cells like HeLa cells can live forever(immortality mania) is like straight out of fiction.

After spending so many sleepless nights wondering what subject to specialise in and if I would hurt their feelings by picking one over the others, I decided that all of them were equally interesting. So I went on to do my Masters in Biotechnology as a whole once again, at the University of Glasgow in UK.

In a few more months I will be in those crossroads once again to choose what I want to do after my masters. So till then, I am going to live my Homo sapien life to the fullest and bond with the delightful little moulds that are currently infesting my bathroom! They look like “fun-guys” ;)

Tales of Blood and Sweat

In recent years, there has been a lot of reports on illegal migrants crossing seas to get refuge in foreign lands. Desperation due to poverty, terrorism and unemployment are the main forces behind this surge in perilous crossings. Unmindful of the dreads awaiting them at sea and the unwelcome lands, millions sell their properties to hire unworthy sea vessels to find a life abroad.

Tourists watch a dead migrant lying on the beach in Greece

This has led to a lot of disdain and enforcement of tougher policies by the affected countries that fear the added responsibility to provide food and shelter for innumerable people seeking asylum might put a strain on the country’s distribution of wealth and employment for its own citizens.

We mark boundaries and map out our countries. We try to develop our own land without looking at the dying just outside our borders. Little do we realise that the land we live in, is not our own! Humans have a life span of about 80 years…. 100 if you are lucky enough. People come and go… In the wink of an eye, generations change. Civilizations rise and fall. In the little time that we live, we try to mark out boundaries and claim ownership for the lands. MAN DOESN'T OWN THE EARTH or any part of it for that matter!

But it’s the Survival of the fittest, like it’s always been. The rich and the healthy own the land while the poor are left homeless without basic necessities. To all those people who think asylum seekers and refugees from poorer conditions should not be allowed into YOUR land, What if it’s not YOUR land???  Whose land was it before you existed? Whose land will it be after you are dead and gone?

Aylan Kurdi-Humanity washed ashore :'(

The sad plight of the refugees is worser than any of your saddest days! If those hungry and scared people are ready to dive into raging seas and monstrous oceans in unsafe boats to travel to unknown lands of hypocrites, along with their children and new-born babies, think about the far more dangerous situation they face at home!! How can anyone with a heart turn away those people who are simply trying to secure their basic right to live!!

Omran Daqneesh- innocent kids caught in the cross hairs of the world's power struggle

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has said of Syrian orphan refugees, “I don’t think that orphans under 5 should be admitted to the United States at this point.” Could Christie look Omran in the eye and tell him he has no home in the United States?

We have failed Aylan Kurdi. We have failed Omran Daqneesh. We have failed all the other unknown children affected by war. We have also failed our own children, by leaving behind a disgusting world to live in.

Let all countries open their gates and welcome these strangers. They might be different from us; they might be of a different colour; they might speak strange languages; but they are just like us, people trying to save themselves and their children, only more scared and hungry!! Hope God opens the eyes of everyone with hardened hearts and let them welcome the refugees with open arms and selfless love!

Confessions of a wannabe scientist

You don’t have to study Science in school to be a scientist. Just look at the world through a child’s eye; you will see things, you never saw before!!

My experiences with Science started out of curiosity. Starting from wondering what would happen if you pluck out a cockroaches’ leg to now, trying to figure out why Cancerous cells don’t die, it’s been a fun ride!

Science is amazing, fun and full of surprises! Given below is a list of things you can do with Science:

·         You get to blow up stuff and blame it on Science. It’s so much fun!

·         You Cannot sit back and enjoy a movie because it is scientifically inaccurate. And every 5 minutes, you are jumping up to swear at the director.

·         The more you study science, the more you look at all the wonderful things in nature, the more you go deeper into life’s core, the more u realise God’s greatness…

·         You know you have gone too far when your Mom calls the fruit fly, a ‘Drosophila’, instead of ‘the fruit fly’, like a normal person’s mom!

·         You get to make drugs …legally!!! And nobody questions why ;)

·         The ability to self diagnosis. Since you study diseases and symptoms, you will not need a doc to tell you what disease you have. But I always felt I had all the diseases on earth, bcos every little pain that is usually dismissed as nothing by a normal person, will be the symptom of a thousand diseases to the paranoid wannabe biologist.

·         You can play with genes and create a mutant organism!! That’s the coolest!

·         People might think you are crazy. Actually, you might really be crazy! But isn’t Science worth giving up ur sanity for!

·         The DNA might look boring to a normal person. But a wannabe scientist knows that you can do cool things with the DNA like fold it on itself to make smiley faces!!

"DNA folded back on itself to create shapes - DNA Origami"

·         You see bacteria everywhere. You might be unnaturally clean and insist on washing hands every 5 mins or totally dump cleanliness and live in a pig sty. There are none of them in-between. But you will not get queasy working with disgusting looking mould or slimy creatures.

·         You are usually dressed for comfort over style. Usually sloppy but some Scientists kick ass with their fashion sense.

·         Work under an actual scientist for a while, and you will soon learn to swear under your breath!!! ;)

<this article is a bit partial towards biologists; sorry for not including the other wonderful areas of science>