Why is all this relevant anyway to April 25th, 2008? Because, after the completion of the Human Genome Project, April 25th is declared as National DNA Day, in America. Various universities contribute in creating awareness about molecular biology as a field and prospective career. Online chat rooms are conducted by NHGRI from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm EST. NHGRI Director Francis Collins and various other researchers across the institute answer questions, doubts and concerns of students, teachers, other researchers and general public nationwide. Chat room for this year is closed already, but archives of previous years’ chat rooms are available here: http://www.genome.gov/20519689 A careful look would let you know that questions raised were not only technical but sometimes ethical, legal, even curious about personal life of a researcher. Questionnaire also included ‘favorite DNA jokes’ such as- What did one DNA helix asked to the other DNA helix.. “Hey, do these genes make me look fat?” In my recent years of active research in molecular biology and metabolic engineering, I never came across such DNA jokes. I guess this is what it takes to be a leading researcher at a world famous research institute. Ability to sustain sense of humor; any ‘active research’ tends to kill that.

This year’s program has a targeted high school kids as the audience which needs DNA awareness. Various universities participating this time are Miami University in Ohio, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Wisconsin Department of Health and Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC). The programs include presentations and games providing vital basic information about DNA, its structure, function, role in evolution, introduction to RNA proteins et al. What is most intriguing is a performance organized by OCCC entitled Ferocious Beauty: Genome, presented by the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. I seriously think that such programs will create an interesting blend between molecular biology, genomics and dance-theater. May be universities should start offering double major in Genetic Sciences and Dance or Theater. It would be a new career option for clueless high school kids.

All in all, I think this day helps an ordinary struggling researcher to understand exactly how knowledge of DNA can open doors to new career paths and to know what it takes to become a leading researcher from a struggling ordinary one.

When you say a story of Mughal king and his Rajput wife; you still can’t separate from your imagination the idea of seeing great war scenes, strategic thinking of a king, his master mind endlessly making plots and weighing options to extend the reaches of his empire.. And with this expectation when you go the theater, you see war scenes, you see horses, you see elephants and you see men… There is no War!!! There is no “Today is the day, where in the history of mankind our names shall be forged in golden words for eternity, today we fight for our vision, our dreams and our kingdom!” message in the hearts and eyes of the soldiers, there is no “War. A field of darkness! Arise. Arise!! Spirits shall be shaken, shields shall be splitten.. A red day and the sun rises…. Rise now, rise to ruin!! Don’t fail in us” message from the emperor to his army which is standing by the him with all its courage and valor to achieve the victory even at the stake of death… One word ‘Akraman‘ does not do the same magic. Their minds are not intoxicated by war as you would expect them to be! No worrier in the entire history of India ever fought without armor! No Rajput or Maratha king ever rode to the war wearing his ‘Darbar‘ uniform! No dust floating in the air, no sweat and blood on the bodies of fighting soldiers!! I am wondering which war let alone in India but across entire globe was ever fought so elegantly that there is no blood, sweat and mud?? Most big battles in those times were fought on open ground like ‘Battle of Panipat‘. Certainly this could have been filmed way better in this era of advanced computer technology. (watch Charge of Rohirrim at the Pelennor fields from Lord of the Rings- Return of the King- http://youtube.com/watch?v=0f6vv0gjGBE&feature=related) A perfect choice of background music, the inherent sounds of classic wars such as clattering of swords and shields, cheering, roaring and screaming of men, riding horses and their swift movements, precise camera angles; are the keys what makes war scenes so magnificent. The director seem to have missed this altogether!!

In Jodhaa Akbar, you see a total waste of good acting by Hritik Roshan as Akbar due to sheer lack of good cinematography and strongly defined character. Its like any other bollywood love story just happened to be set in the era of Akbar. Every other character is doing what they are told to do. Noone except Hritik seem to have related with the character they are intended to play, with the exception of Ila Arun, who does a complete justice to the character of Maha Manga. Many hindi movies in the past have portrayed grandeur and magnificence along with good acting when they wished to and their was a fineness in the visual quality of the cinema. The scenes, the way they were shot, the angles chosen, emotions captured in the camera create an impact on the audience. (Remember- Devdas for the magnificent ambiance of the sets, Sarkar for precise camera angles to emphasize emotions and portray actions of the chacacters, Lakshya for filming of small battle scenes and the mountain climbing by handpicked soldiers) All the budget of this movie however; seem to have blown up in the Tanishq jewelery for Aishwarya Rai (Not Jodhaa.. The character demanded rich and royal appearance, not necessarily real gemstones and diamonds), so there probably was no money for good quality stunts and technology. Entire movie you wonder why choose Akbar-Jodhaa? If it had to be a love story it could have been a story of some college kids or if it had to be big it could be between CEO’s of some multinational, but why give it a historic significance if you have no intentions (?) and means (?) to depict it even to its minimum? With a director of Lagaan and Swades, you certainly would expect a better product at the very least par with other Hindi movies, let alone Hollywood. His third movie, it may be a hit on box office or it may make money overseas; but when one thinks of quality cinema, this movie would make its mark as one of the ‘worst made’ movies in Hindi film industry in long long time!

In any scientific system, changes in the environment cause changes in the way objects behave. Likewise in any given situation everyone reacts differently, which means every one choses different paths and their choices have impact on our lives. If this is a positive impact, we are only happy and willing to move on with a new change. But then why can’t we accept the negative impact with equal ease? Why does it trouble us deeply when someone doesn’t behave as we want them to??

At the same time, it is interesting that we are willing to take insults and disappointments easily. Is it because then we have something or someone to blame? Have a cause that affected my life in an unwanted manner?? The truth is we never get insulted or disappointed unless we want to. Similarly, we don’t even become happy unless we choose to. It is our choices at every single step that decide the course of our life and just ours. Not others. Because their choice do that job for them. Like Bazz Luhrman says in the Sunscreen Song ‘Our choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s!!‘ Once we figure this out, then whatever life may have to offer us, good or bad; we can deal with it without disturbing the tranquility of our own mind.

This got me thinking however even after our session was over. Being a tutor for undergraduate (read college kids, post 12^th) students here, I know that education (learning style wise) is better in India at least at high school level where they get the basics done thoroughly. Extensive use of index cards (read flash cards), open book tests and almost no emphasis by the professors on memorization make average undergraduate think that they do not need to retain anything they have learnt. But on the other hand, I have seen such diversity in the majors that undergraduate could choose over here; which for some reason I never got to see back home. Business, Engineering, and Medicine (usual in India) are here too but how about double major in architecture and civil engineering, pharmacy, History and Literature, oceanography, mathematics and geology, major in law and minor in Spanish, double major in Dance and Life sciences (how exotic)!!

I would have really liked to have more choices and flexibility when I had to choose my major. Sometimes even if a choice is available, it is looked down upon since it’s not the ‘hot’ field. It is considered such a disappointment even today for a really bright student (in math and sciences needless to say) willing to pursue Arts and Sanskrit as career. I really wish that Indians who usually like to copy western world for most of its (so called) modern (and wrong most of the times) things would take up some of really progressive and beneficial aspects of western culture.

Tear down the cheek, sure sign of pain

No reason why, no question pressing,

Yet empty, some piece is missing.

Find it, should be here round

Can’t be lost, until hope is sound!

Wonder what is real, hope or acceptance,

Why bother analyzing, bliss in ignorance.

If one is sad, someone else is happy still,

Which one to follow is each one’s own will!!

Associated with garam garam Chai and Bhaji..

With hot cup of coffee and a novel..

With comfortably sitting by window and blissfully watching rain drops pouring on ground quenching the dry, barren land..

With walking on the dark smooth black road with a closed umbrella in hands, smiling away at the people staring at you thinking of you as a fool, feeling the rain drops pressing against your skin..

Associated with biking in hills, completely drenched with wind causing your bones to chill and eventually halting at a tapari to have a cutting and smoke!

With jumping into the puddles and getting school uniform muddy..

With sitting outside on the porch with 80′s rock playing on your system..

With standing under the roof of some store and watching the bypassers struggle at keeping themselves and their belonging dry and safe, trying to adjust the umbrella to block the gust of wind..

With standing on the terrace with your love, looking at the sky full of rain drops and feeling the warmth of each other’s body…

With sharing your umbrella with someone without one and then having some good conversation on the way..

With watching the lightening and listening to thunderstorm while looking at the water trickling down the glass panel..

Rain is a witness to a new beginning as well as to endings.. It nurtures tenderness as well as precision.. There are so many such moments associated with this one natural phenomenon; you would think one life is inadequate to appreciate all the intricacies of its beauty! Every time it rains, my mind is full of old memories and they are always those special, tender ones. Not necessarily romantic, but always soothing. I wonder what is so peculiar about those water droplets that they make a human mind think beyond the routine!

P.S. Buffalo was darn cold when I put this together.. Temperatures were 5 F… :O