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punctuated by tea times and a lunch break. The
smell of hot “parippu vadas” wafting through the
air as you climb the stairs leading to the cafeteria is
an olfactory core memory for sure. Washing down
these yummy vadas with steaming hot “Chaaya”,
while engaging in a fervent scientific conversation
with my colleagues, was certainly a favorite part
of the day for me. With scientists ensconced in
the many high chairs around the dining table, not
only was many a great scientific proposal born,
but also terrific (and sometimes terrible) jokes
shared. It was not uncommon to witness serious
scientific conversations happening at one table
while hearing peals of laughter at an adjacent
one. What better way to foster creativity than to
mix science and humor?
Ramkumar Hariharan, PhD For another, the RGCB library was where the
more geeky ones amongst us usually hung out.
One cannot but remember the warm, welcoming
I turned 38 this year. Publicly announcing your smiles of the librarian and the helpful suggestions
age to woo an audience, especially when you of the library staff. Maybe it was the books or
are middle aged, is a foolish thing to attempt maybe it was the friendly library personnel, but
and seldom works. While not a ripe old age, can’t spending time at the library was always a pleasant
I be excused for beginning to get into the habit and scientifically stimulating experience. For the
of looking at each decade of my life to reflect on uninitiated, assuming this is still true, the library
the most exciting and fun-filled memories? My is literally (and figuratively!) one of the coolest
thirties have been filling up with sweet memories places on campus to escape the brutal summers.
of our moving to the US and of rising, or more It was March 2017. My family, even after five years
precisely, trying to raise a happy child. Looking of living in Seattle, was still battling winter blues.
back on my twenties, perhaps the strongest and However, personally, despite the overbearing grey
most exhilarating of all my memories are centered skies and the seemingly endless drizzle that is
on RGCB. So, which are the core memories that typical of Seattle, I was feeling quite excited. For
stand out and, why? good reason too, because I was in the final stage
interviews for a very senior position at one of
For one, remembrances around the excellent RGCB the top cancer research institutions in the US. It
cafeteria make up a disproportionate slice of the was a demanding position, one where I would not
memory pie. Cafe, tea, lunch...hmmm? I suspect only be crunching big data to make predictions,
this is in part attributable to a pleasant remnant but interacting with cancer researchers, software
of the British rule — any Keralite’s typical day is engineers and oncologists to gather the data
