Journeys for Knowledge

These posts are long over due, but finally I can recount for you my most recent adventure, a three week trip back to India. As for my absence for the past few months, I have been busy looking for a thesis idea due to the ample freedom my supervisor has given me. Needless to say it was very exhausting but I’m happy to say I have a topic to pursue now, but more on that later.

My trip to India was broken up into three main parts: Delhi, Pune, and Jaisalmer. My first stop was New Delhi, where I stayed with my grandparents in their newly renovated tower at Pamposh Enclave. My Nana has a profound love for literature and history, so he always enjoys challenging and teaching me when I visit him. As such he organized a tour of sorts throughout Delhi, to immerse me in the history I had never had the chance to see.

The first major stop was Qutub Minar, a archaeological complex known for its impressive freestanding tower. This site would be my first glimpse into the deep history hidden within old Delhi, a fact that was hard to forget given my Nana’s tour guide like narration. After spending so many months studying physics without end, it was refreshing to learn about history again. It was even more fun to see Nana immerse himself in this knowledge again, exchanging theories with me on how the complex might have been populated, and even sharing his expertise with complete strangers due to their curiosity. While other tourist sites like botanical gardens and parks can be peaceful, there’s a sense of mystery to archaeological sites that cannot be made artificially, it simply must develop through time and ignorance.

The next day we headed for the Red Fort, the last stronghold of the Mughal Emperors and a still garrisoned fort by the Indian Army. As such, the fort is much better maintained than Qutub Minar and far more protected from visitor interference. Although the fort is certainly imposing from the outside, it’s still remarkable how expansive the complex is inside. Once through the outer walls, I forgot I was inside a fort until I came to other side to finally see the other walls. It’s heartening to see numerous school groups come through as well, learning about the history and culture all around them that stretches back centuries.

Another extension of this culture is a long tradition of studying the stars, even without the aid of telescopes. Our next stop was the ancient observatory of Jantar Mantar, which housed structures built with such precision that they could map the travel of stars to it. Of course as a scientist I am always fascinated by how my predecessors conducted their observations, but a book recently sent by my mother provided some very interesting historical context. These brief moments where I can feel the harmony between my passions for science and history are what I live for. Regardless, our final stop at Humayun’s Tomb was fascinating if only because it served as precedent for a style of architecture in India that would culminate with the Taj Mahal and was built by the great Akbar.

In between all these trips, I was showered with pent up love and affection from my grandparents and all my nearby relatives, many of whom I had not seen in over a decade. India has never truly been a home for me, nor do I imagine it will become one in the near future, but so long as there is family I will still feel like I belong.

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