April 8 is a very significant day. On the
morning of this day Prof. Dr. Ramachandra or simply Dr. Ram as he is
better known was deeply concerned. One of his (presently)12th grade
students Madhavan Venkatesh was under pressure. For those already
familiar with CFRCE, Madhavan's name is synonymous with creativity of
the highest order. Together with Vasudev Shyam, also in the 12th grade,
Madhavan has been working on the very frontiers of Modern Mathematical
Physics. Both Vasudev and Madhavan
have written papers of a very high class encompassing the most
sophisticated Mathematical methods that go by the name of Differential
Geometry, Symplectic Geometry, Presymplectic Geometry, Lie Groups and
Lie Algebras, not to speak of Loop Quantum Gravity and Shape Dynamics.
Perhaps
less known is the fact that they have been in correspondence with some
of the most renowned Physicists of the present century. Vasudev has been
corresponding with Prof.Julian Barbour, Henrique Gomes, Sean Gryb, Tim Koslowski and Flavio Mercati. His work has received appreciation from Prof. Lee Smolin, Prof.Jorge Pullin, and Prof. Parampreet Singh.
Madhavan has been corresponding with Prof.Jorge Pullin, Prof. Carlo Rovelli and Prof. Fernando Barbero. His work has received appreciation from Prof. Jorge Pullin and Prof. Parampreet Singh.
Vasudev
Shyam has been invited by Prof. Julian Barbour to the "Leibnitz
Institute for Theoretical Physics," or simply, "College Farm," where he
is to be in a select group of six to seven experts on Shape Dynamics.
The irony is that he may not be able to make it due to delay in his
Visa. Even though Prof. Julian Barbour has personally written to the
Consulate, the Visa is still pending.
Now coming to the significance of April 8, on the morning of this day, Dr. Ram received en email from Prof. Abhay Ashtekar. Prof. Ashtekar wrote to him that he
had been hearing about Madhavan from Prof. Jorge Pullin and Prof.
Parampreet Singh. He had learned that Madhavan had been forced to
concentrate on his regular school studies. He certainly did not want to
interfere with Madhavan's parents as they would be better acquainted
with the practical aspects of undergraduate careers in India than he
was. But if it helped strengthen Dr. Ram's case with Madhavan's parents,
and or encourage him, he could feel free to quote him (Prof. Ashtekar)
as saying that he found it most remarkable that someone in the 11th (as
he was just two months ago) standard was doing research at that level.
Prof. Ashtekar also wanted to thank Dr. Ram for
fostering the growth of bright young minds and that he was following
with interest the paper that Vasudev and Madhavan had submitted to the
"Journal of General Relativity and Gravitation," that would soon be
appearing.
Dr. Ram immediately had the solution to his
problem, that is, to support Madhavan in his research. But in spite of
Prof. Ashtekar's permission to quote him, he felt very hesitant. He had
always felt like the German Mathematician Franz Newman that, "The greatest luck is the discovery of a new truth. To that, recognition adds little or nothing." But he also recalled the saying that, "if, for the sake of a higher cause, you have to use something of it's power, it is one's sacred obligation to do so."
He also realized that Prof. Ashtekar spoke not only for Madhavan but
for all those exceptionally creative young minds who year after year
lost their battle to the unenlightened educational system and the social
pressures.
Therefore, after thinking about the best possible
way to go about it, he spoke to Madhavan's father about Prof.
Ashtekar's email. Afterwards, he disclosed a little of it to others at
the Centre with the hope that it would inspire the younger students who
were on similar paths as Vasudev and Madhaven. But he refused to quote
the email in full anywhere as it was too personal.However, he agreed to
allow part of it to be posted in the CFRCE blog with the intention that
it may inspire and send hope into the hearts of aspiring students.
So,
we don't know and may never know what exactly Prof. Ashtekar wrote to
Dr. Ram but from what he mentioned, it is that the Cause for which
Vasudev and Madhavan are working is absolutely worth supporting and
nurturing.
In Dr. Ram's experience, there are many students who
could hope to be like Vasudev and Madhavan. But they very soon succumb
to social pressure that for the most part is unenlightened, it's only
justification being that the crowd follows it. The price to pay for that oversight is loss of the geniuses that society laments no longer are coming. For, how could they? They are nipped in the bud, even before they have anything to show!
