vithal puja

22-year-old becomes youngest IIT teacher

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: IITians often liken the generation gap between themselves and their teachers to that between MS-DOS and Windows. This semester, however, the students on the Powai campus can look forward to someone much closer to their age: a physics teaher who has just entered his 20s.
At 22, Tathagat Avatar Tulsi, who has never studied in a classroom, plans to ask his students how they would want to be taught. “I have never taught in a class. But I believe I can come down to the level of a student and help them understand the subject,’’ he said.
Having completed high school when he was nine, his graduation in science at 10, an MSc in Physics at 12, and his PhD in Quantum Computing from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, at 21, Tulsi says he is going to write to the Limca Book of Records to include him as the youngest faculty member in the country.
Having achieved a lot pretty early in life, Tulsi may seem like a young man in hurry, but he has set a huge task for himself—to come up with an important scientific discovery, which will probably lead him to his ultimate dream: to own that shining piece of gold with Alfred Nobel on the obverse.

The “wonder boy’’, who suffered humiliation in August 2001 when a delegation of scientists taken by the department of science & technology to Lindau in Germany for an interaction with Nobel laureates, suggested that he was not a thinker, but a “fake prodigy’’ who had “mugged up’’ theories. Putting that behind, the Patna boy will stay on the Powai campus in the faculty quarters and work towards achieving that dream.
That “not-so-distant’’ goal is probably why Tulsi chose teaching over a vocation. “I want to pursue my research and at IIT-B, I will have the leisure to continue my research and one day set up a lab focused on quantum computation in our country.’’ Going to foreign shores is currently not on Tulsi’s plans. He chose the Powai college over Waterloo University, Canada, and the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal, both of which had also offered him teaching jobs.
Dr Tathagat Avatar Tulsi, an erstwhile child prodigy, is all set to become the youngest faculty member of the Indian Institute of Technology at Powai in Mumbai at the age of 22. He is set to join as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics from next week.
The whiz kid completed his high school at the age of nine, followed by B.Sc degree at ten and M.Sc at the age of 12. At the age of 21, Tulsi completed his doctorate in Quantum Computing from Indian Institute of Science.
The Patna boy had to turn down offers from Waterloo University in Canada and the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal to come and teach at IIT-B. In 2003, the prestigious Time magazine named him among the world's seven most gifted youngsters.

‘ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MAKE TIME’

... says Yash Birla, who shed his business suit to reveal a body and mind developed by a belief in himself

Mark Manuel I TNN

There are three Yash Birlas. The first is the Chairman of the Yash Birla Group of 20 companies, nine of which are listed entities, who goes to his Nariman Point office formally attired, drives a luxury car, attends business meetings. The second is the party animal, you see him on our Page 3, colourfully and sometimes crazily dressed, lovely wife Avanti on the arm, dancing like he’s intoxicated to house music. And the third is the Yash Birla I present to you here, the complete body and soul man, as much into pumping iron and building big muscles as he is into attending satsangs in Haridwar with kids Shloka, Vedant and Nirvan and spiritually walking the banks of the Ganges in search of nirvana. This Yash, few people even know of. He keeps this avatar of himself private. If you are not part of his core group, you have as much chance of seeing his body and knowing his mind as you have of, say, getting into his boardroom and bedroom.
I discovered him at the Birla House late one night. He had just finished his workout and was sipping a protein supplement, the body glistening with sweat from the effort of his training, every muscle rippling. That itself, I thought, was an inspiration and message to all working class wannabe gym rats who get out of exercising because they have “no time”. If the head honcho of a large business empire can make time even at 9 pm to keep in kickass shape, anybody can. But Yash also doesn’t drink, nor smoke, and he hates restaurant food. As for being “Page 3”... he admits he started trying to look good out of vanity... and he likes going to places to look at and meet interesting people and to be looked at in turn. “But I’m not the right person for the Page 3 tag,” he protests. “My ideal evening is at home, ghar ka khaana, perhaps coffee out with friends, the movie at the multiplex, the walk along Marine Drive.” Of the emerging body and evolving soul, he says, “What I believe in, what I propagate and follow, anybody can do at any age. Not much is required. All you have to do is make time. To be fit, you don’t necessarily have to do weight training, fitness is also yoga which can be done at home, spirituality is also meditation... an aspiration for satisfaction, getting in touch with yourself, discovering your true inner being, blissfulness comes when you get release from all mundane thoughts. It requires discipline, focus, to decide your own philosophy of life. But make the effort. It’s like brushing your teeth... make it a part of your daily routine. It can be done by anybody anywhere. Do what appeals to you with faith. Believe in destiny taking you to yourself. Be open...”
And it is this philosophy, this newfound passion for healthcare, that has taken Yash Birla beyond the corporate boardroom and into the wellness industry. Aside from his Yash Birla Group, he has initiated, invested and involved himself with Birla Wellness under which come ventures such as Evolve Medspa, Birla Kerala Vaidyashala and Birla Lifesciences with the Rebirth Stores & Spas and BirlaVeda innovative Ayurvedic formulations. “Everything we do at Birla Wellness is inspired by our enduring mission: to refresh the world… in body, mind, and spirit. To inspire moments of optimism… through our brands and our actions. And to create value and make a difference… everywhere we engage,” he says.
His Evolve Medspa is India’s first-of-its-kind chain offering scientific makeovers by renowned doctors specialising in cosmetic dermatology and surgery, and specialised dentistry; RAIH is the first of a proposed chain of hair and beauty salons; the Birla Kerala Vaidyashala treats lifestyle and chronic health disorders by ayurvedic medicines and oils; the Birla Wellness Store and the Spa Rebirth is a one-stop shop offering ‘Chant’ — a range of authentic natural products and services that invigorate the mind, body and soul, and ‘Nutrinext’ — a basket of health food products in contemporary formats, while the spa provides reflexology and other therapies customised to meet individual needs and health goals. “I set my own goals and am my own inspiration,” Yash Birla modestly says of this progress into wellness, “you may not achieve what you want, but if you really believe in something and want to do it, you can certainly achieve what you’re capable of...”

"VALUE HAS A VALUE ONLY IF ITS VALUE IS VALUED"

Very true. You don’t agree? Think of this….
What is the ‘value’ of “Padma” awards declared by Government of India? I don’t mean it in financial terms, but its overall weightage, relevance, meaning. Compare ‘Padma’ honour with ‘Sir’ OR ‘Lord’ honour given by British Government. There when ‘Sir’ OR ‘Lord’ is conferred to any person, then thereafter every single care is taken while addressing or mentioning that person in Public or even in private life.
Whereas we don’t even remember the name of the persons and which “Padma” honour has been awarded to him/her. Most of the times declaration of ‘Padma’ awards creates some or other dispute. Most of the times they are politically influenced, motivated and do not have any solid base.
Another example I give…..
Some time ago there was a huge noise created by the members of a particular political party over an issue of playing National anthem at the beginning of every show in Cinema Theatre. It might have been given them an advantage over the another political party during election campaign…. They got succeeded and playing of National anthem at the beginning of every show is made compulsory for each & every Cinema theater. Now my question is that thereafter any member of that particular political party or for that purpose any person has taken pain to check quality of print and the timing of National Anthem played at Cinema Theater?
Who ‘values’ for ‘such’ thing? Who has time for ‘such’ things? Once the political agenda of so called ‘Andolan’ is achieved, who cares?
Similar is the case of selling our own Tri-Colour flags, that too made of plastics, on the Independence Day & Republic Day by the street children, road side shops and even now by Malls.
Who cares? Who values?
Just think….. a hundreds of such things can be enumerated.
And then people just take pride in circulating, forwarding e-mails of how they know & care of things….
So if you don’t know how to ‘Value’ then don’t talk about Values & so on…