To ma'am with love

By Rishikesh Sinha, New Delhi

Friends, I am taking the status of being the owner of this blog to write on myself, describing a period of my life, which holds a special place for not other than good reason, misconception and remorse.

Good reason – something had happened with me which I always aspired for; misconception – there is something whenever it is mentioned, I had to bite the bullet; remorse – yes, I feel remorse in that period. I never wished her, a blunder on my part, but I cant put the clock back to that period which had taken seven years ago while I was in college. It is due to the remorse part I am jotting down my feelings.

Since childhood, I had a dream becoming a scientist. Names like Newton, Einstein, Madam Curie, Heisenberg…the list goes on were my idols. I always revered them, dreamt of them.

For this to materialise, I must come come up with something new, something innovative. My journey to keep my dream intact, un-corroroded from the uncreative, money and status driven society; if I go on describing it how we people give value to the critical bent of person, this post would not be enough.

At last the red letter day of my life came with the publication of two mathematical findings in the form of articles on Palindromic numbers in a student journal called Junior Mathematician, published from Chennai.


The two publication, consequently, brought the Assam Tribune to give a space of one column short write up devoted to me. Interestingly, the reporter Abhijit Bora who tool my interview, later I found him in the classes of Gauhati University’s Department of Journalism and Communication.

Coincidentally, in the same year LCB College, where I was studying my graduation, was celebrating its launch of an official website, which happened to to be the first college in the northeastern part of India having its online face.

On the day of the website launch, it was decided one among the three students of the college would be felicitated, in full public glare. I along with the two more students were there in the fray. The names of the other two students were Deba deep Bhattarcharya and Deva Saikia. Deba deep Bhattarcharya carried a long list of prizes in the debating field of Assam, while Deva Saikia had his name because of his contribution to NSS.

Sitting on the two mathematical publication and supported by one column write up, I was confident that I would be the one who will go on stage, not sharing the Dias with anybody [my dream – not sharing].

It was April 22, 2000, the day was clear and sunny, the college showed full attendance of the students, showing full of activities. In the makeshift auditorium there was no room to sit.

And after the customary ritual of throwing light on the website, the Principal of the college Dr GC Choudhury called my name to come on stage after brief description about my work.

While he was describing about my work, inquisitive eyes of of the faculties were on me, their pointing towards me. For me, this particular moment was very much embarrassing, embarrassing for being the centre of attraction.

I still remember, as soon as I went on the stage and was felicitated with a gamaocha, there was not a single clap from the audience. An eerie silence pervaded the whole affair. May be my achievement was out of their common comprehension.

And after this grand day, the mathematics department organised a seminar to highlight my work, where I have to speak about my work. I was fortunate enough to describe the whole affair behind the this goal.

So I carefully prepared my script expecting the presence of students and faculties of the department . As soon as I started reading from my tight-script, I saw Ms Rita Sinha, a Bishnupriya Manipuri, sitting in the front, I never expected her presence in the Mathematics department seminar since she was not from the department. She was from the computer science department. I did not wish her, “Good morning” though I wished everyone present there.

It seems “simple” that I did not wished her. But that simple looking “wish” I failed to utter. This mistake has remained in my consciousness like a heavy stone.

Seven years has passed by, still I feel guilty of myself, of my act. The only explanation I could give is that as her name was not included in my script , lest I missed the whole sequence, thus ending up making a blunder. Ms Rita Sinha might have forgotten the incident, might have forgotten that there was a boy called Rishikesh Sinha. Here through this platform, I say “I apologise for my mistake which was not intentional”.

The sorry part of the whole story is that though I have added two more publications on Chebyshev polynomial still I miss the whole ecosystem that was so special in my first streak with success and remorse.

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