Nondescript

Nondescript

I am no astronomer but when SR of my office volunteered to introduce me to the night sky of Kolkata I could not say no as I was thinking what is so special about the sky. I was wondering whether he would show me evolution of universe which is going on since eternity. Hydrogen and Helium together with Proton bumping in the nucleus creating new elements going down the periodic table after becoming heavier. I have read “A brief history of time “by Stephen Hawkins so all those myriad thoughts were racing through my mind.

SR as promised came to my flat in Golf Green with a nondescript gentleman in crumpled kurta and pajama. I did not bother much about that gentleman. SR was carrying a longish box. We all climbed up the stairs to the roof of our 11 storied flat.

SR opened the box and got busy in setting up a telescope with the help of the gentleman who to me at that time appeared as Professor Shanku of Satyajit Ray. I mean not physically as per Satyjit Ray’s sketch but in his simplistic behavior.

If I remember correctly the telescope was oriented towards norths as I was interested to see ring around Saturn.

SR and Prof Shanku ( i started calling him that mentally) adjusted a few knobs after having a deep discussion between themselves. Both looked through the scope and were satisfied.

‘sir you can see the Saturn with rings”.

“Do I take off my specs?”

“No, keep it !”

I bent down to the lower end of the scope and saw the spectacular rings around the planet through that, I was spell bound by that terrestrial sight.

“ The rings of Saturn are the most extensive planetary ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging from μm to m in size, that orbit about Saturn. The ring particles are made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of rocky material.”

Explained Professor Shanku and I was impressed by his knowledge.

Then both of them showed me Mars with two moons.

We were on the roof for more than one hour and they showed me Venus, Mercury , the milky way and finally a few constellations.

They had deliberately come after 8 PM so that all the planets are visible. We trooped back to our flat. My wife served them tea.

I did not know that more surprise was waiting for me. I had just returned from my UK trip and SR started asking me how was the trip.

I told them about my experience of England including the popular London tube.

Sipping tea professor Shanku started telling his experience of tube railway and informed that the tube of Moscow was better organized than that of London.

I was bowled out as I did not expect that non-descript gentleman to have travelled so wide. SR watched  bewildered look on my face and laughed.

“Sorry it is my mistake of not giving proper introduction of Dr.R, professor of Mathematics in JU and has vast knowledge of astronomy.”

I thought to myself that rightly I have placed him as professor Shanku as he was a man of science and gave respectful smile to him. He was feeling embarrassed by my reaction.

During that period  I had watched the Oscar winning movie “A beautiful mind” where Russel Crowe acted as Nobel winning mathematician Dr.John Nash ,who had done extensive work on Chaos theory. Dr.R informed me that he had met Dr.Nash in US and started explaining chaos theory and how psephologists use this for poll prediction. He gave a lecture which of course I could not understand fully.

I always wanted to meet a real intellectual and not a pseudo kind and was happy to come across Dr.R of JU and thanked Satyajit Ray for creating a carbon copy in his fictions. 

I wanted to share my experience of planetary system and Dr.R's knowledge of Chaos theory with others.

When i was posted in Bhopal i contacted SR and invited him along with Dr.R to BHEL to enlighten the  kids of six schools of BHEL,ladies club, officer's club and other employees.

Yes both of them came to BHEL,Bhopal with their that high powered telescope and shared their knowledge of planetary system , it was unique experience for those who attended these programmes.

In India people like Dr.R go unrecognized because in India the system of political patronage works. Watch those innumerable debates in channels and so called intellectuals occupying some important position in some institute which they never want to vacate and give way to younger generation.

I was invited by JU to participate in 100 years completion of their Electrical Engineering department after my retirement where one of the eminent Ex professors SD gave a presentation before my lecture. I often see him in TV connected with any technical discussion as expert but his presentations were straight lift from the articles appearing in the net, one has to simply Google it. He threw a question at me based on his latest knowledge acquired through web about use of permanent magnet in switch gears and incidentally i had read the same article so i shot back at him saying that his question was based on that article and the reply was also known to him. 

So much for Indian intellectuals the species which gained currency after private channels of TV came in.Now of course intellectuals have colors as per their political leanings so we often hear them called as Red,Green,Orange etc. For me that Dr.R still remains a true quintessential intellectual who does not sell his wares to get glamour and wealth, a nondescript to the core.