I don't know ...

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

- Mary Oliver


If I know to compose poems,I might have written something like this to describe the last few weeks as I was spending alone to over come my "India Blues", the silence of Paris and in the struggle to settle back in Paris after the 3 weeks trip to India. For godsake, I finished three years in Paris, by this time I should feel at home here..Hoping not to to complain any more, when I have such wonderful friends to fill weekend with fun and laughter...(who)hhu, the new Chinese member of our lab made a delicious Chinese dinner for us(the best Chinese I ever had)...after the dinner the whole lab landed in the boss' kitchen, hiding there to give him a surprise for his birthday. That was the most exciting and successful surprise party that I ever had. ... thanks to little Martha and Giorgio... not only helped us with the surpise party but also helped us to revist our childhood with their Pictonary, word game. French movie,Indian Lunch,Italian Coffee,Chinese Dinner and British Birthday...All in a day!

Happy new year... again!

Before I start writing my stories about India, once again New Year wishes! this time the Chinese new year! Came back to Paris last week and Paris welcomed me back with a big silence and this colorful Chinese New Year Parade and a nice lab outing (after a looong time). Thanks to the new members of the lab, again adding more diversity to our 'international lab' ;now we have new Italian,Indian, Chinese and basque country ...above all thank Buddha its all boys...so less problems in future...you may not hearing me complaining about my lab too much... we already started planning to have a international dinner party... seeing all good signs for the new year and for the last year of my Phd.

Never too late!

My first entry for 2008 from my home land.... India is treating me very well, having lots of fun and food and few emotional breakdowns...lots of stories tell and photos to share, but before all I just thought of wishing you all a very happy new year, I know its bit too late...but I was just waiting to wish when I am really happy. Right now siting in the National Center for Biological Science (NCBS) the very place where I started my Bioinformatics journey, recalling my good old days along with my old and new friends...perfect time for my first 2008 entry!!!

Sleepless nights …

Sleepless nights…. It is strange to feel the same was as three years before. Three years before around the this time, I got the confirmation for my PhD in Paris, spent few weeks of sleepless nights, fighting the society for my freedom and final exit , with dreams and nightmares about venturing into this huge city without knowing a person . Landed in Paris with the enormous amount of freedom, that gave me courage to fight this western society from imposing ways to misuse my freedom. Now few more weeks to go for my vacation to India, suffering from the similar sleepless nights with dreams to see the places where I grew up and the friends who were with me during my final struggle, also nightmares about taking back home this freedom that have become a part of me. Will my society welcome me with this freedom which they never wanted to see me with?

Experiencing such conflicts and depression, no wonder the closing lines of the movie , 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' got tears in my eyes yesterday.

“Unmarried, I have no master. Childless, I am mother to my people. God give me the strength to bear this mighty freedom."

Christmas Pilgrimage ...

I know...I wrote yesterday that I have lots of work to finish, but for Christ sake its Christmas. I took a day off and ventured into one of the region of France that I have not been before, Centre (Val de Loire ) . This region is well know for its castles (châteaux ) of Loire Valley. Today I went to a small pilgrimage village called Chartres; just few hours away from Paris where you can find this calm village. Beautiful Cathedral , considered to be one of the finest Gothic (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres)standing in the middle of a little town traversed by a small river and covered with a very thin layer of snow. Hmmm! Its difficult to say wheather the cathedral is adding a spritual peace or the cold, snowy winter is adding peace to this little village. More Pics