THE BEGINNING OF A TALE: NCBS AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A FRESH GRADUATE

“A very professional and fastidious place to work in, with a very strong and dominating work culture. Not for the faint of heart”- Anonymous 

Well maintained lawns, spic and span corridors, beautiful buildings, state-of-the-art labs, sophisticated infrastructure, tasty food, lively people and above all-stimulating research work. That about sums up the first impressions of NCBS by first-time visitors here. A place that will tend to increase your fetish for research.

My first visit to the NCBS campus was during the interviews into the PhD programme. I fell in love with the place at first sight. I got bowled over by the warm reception we got and by the beautiful landscape of the campus. It transported me into another world. I felt I was in a foreign university except that the majority of the people there were Indians. It gave me the distinct aura of being in a corporate company (reminded me of the summer internship spent in Dr Reddy Laboratories).

I managed to get through the interviews (partly luck and partly common sense).I therefore embarked on another journey of my life when I joined NCBS in August 2011. At first, coming from a large campus like IITM with its huge student population and where the campus never seemed to sleep, I felt intimidated by the eerie calmness and serene environment outside the labs. But that, as I learnt later, can be deceiving, for within the walls of the building, thev labs are always brimming with activity, despite the lateness of the hour.

During the first three weeks of our programme, an orientation programme was conducted. It focused on every important aspect that was playing a major role in running NCBS and keeping it in good shape. At the core of it was the introductory session by the PI’s who presented and explained the ongoing work in their labs. We were also introduced to the other non-research, but equally important facilities in NCBS. The fact that equal importance was given to all branches of NCBS impressed me.

As the days passed, I begin to observe, and thus, learn more about NCBS. The people were very friendly and also very professional in their work. The help desk attends to the requests of many people without taking much of their time and so does the civil authorities. People, apart from the regular research students, right from the gardeners, electricians ,janitors and housekeeping staff work around the clock to make NCBS look young (literally). The best part about it is their efforts do not go unnoticed.

The thing most fascinating about NCBS is the quality of its research work. The research work being carried out here is one of the finest in India. As put in the words of a certain NCBSian, “What amazes me about NCBS is that the researcher has the freedom to follow his passion and the questions that intrigue him the most”. Although limited to life sciences, it makes the best opportunity of the principles of chemistry, maths, biology and physics by applying them to living systems. The research is integrated, intertwined, and interdisciplinary and proves the saying that “Science is one”. It strives to expand its research areas within the frontiers of biology yet make the chemists, physicists, mathematicians (non-life science students) feel at home with their work.

The faculty members were very eager in explaining about their work. The friendly interactions we had with them were instrumental in helping us to settle down quickly without any room for feeling homesick.

NCBS is unique just like any other institute. Part of this uniqueness lies in its well established scientific community which comprises a network of scientists all over the world. It provides an ideal opportunity to interact with eminent scientists’ worldwide working on a wide array of scientific problems. The conferences and workshops are one way of learning new skills as well as increasing our curiosity. The problems and questions set forth during these seminars leave us intrigued with the mysterious workings of living systems. It also serves as a platform to reach new heights in science, with its diverse collaborative projects and sending research students abroad for conferences and workshops.

The seriousness of safety issues here dawned upon me only after we were made to write a biosafety exam, as well as, presented with a fire safety drill. A lot of emphasis was put on every minute safety detail.

With the orientation programme coming to a close, the students were now in a dilemma of choosing their labs for pursuing their rotations. With the wide array of options available, it sure was hard to make a final choice as all seemed equally interesting. Of course, as I had been waitlisted, my lab had already been decided.

The sports complex at NCBS is worth a special mention. With its polished wooden courts, the well equipped gym, the water of the swimming pool sparkling like diamonds in the sunlight, it makes for a refreshing change of activity. Apart from providing rejuvenation to both the body and mind, it serves a certain purpose for the researchers-to vent out their bottled up frustration in the form of an interesting game of badminton or squash. I was no exception and I started working out at the gym within a week.

It was a refreshing change of food from the stereotyped sambhar, dal and rice typical of Chennai’s cuisine, to the cosmopolitan cuisine of NCBS which offers a variety of dishes. For the first time in two years, I felt the need not to miss a scrumptious breakfast.

The library, I have to admit, although not as huge as the Central Library of IITM, is a relaxing and cosy place to let one's scientific ideas be born, thanks to the wide number of journals-both in electronic format and hard copies, to which it has subscribed. Apart from the diverse scientific journals, a number of popular textbooks covering every aspect in science, can be found all in one place. It is a wonderful place to sit back,relax,and read through a novel without being interrupted.

It has been one and a half months since I joined NCBS. There is still so much about this place that remains unexplored. Time is spent juggling between attending seminars, course work, lab work and working out in the gym or playing badminton. The numerous seminars conducted daily in the institute, or the workshops once in a while keep the interest alive and helps breaks the monotony of graduate life.

A long journey lies ahead of me, a journey during which I hope to explore unchartered territory in the frontiers of science, expand my ever-increasing reservoir of knowledge, make contributions in the field I choose to work in, and last of all, a journey which is bound to put my patience to test. The real story starts here.