I am a physicist and a Sanskrit scholar.  I was born in the eastern State of Orissa (currently Odisha) on the coasts of Bay of Bengal in India. I have been a resident in the United States since 1974. My native area was called Kalinga in historic times and the inhabitants were known for their architectural and artistic skills.  Still earlier, they were engaged in maritime trade with the lands on the other side of the Bay going further upto Vietnam and Indonesia.  

 

In the summer of 2015, I and my friend Prem Nagar left Boston to attend the 16th World Sanskrit Conference at Bangkok.  I stayed on a few extra days in touring Thailand and Cambodia and spent three weeks in India before returning.  I thought to narrate my story to my grand-daughters Shivani and Shalini, who are 9 and 7 now.  A few friends suggested that I should make it a general commentary which I did. 

 

I have been associated with various Boston-based education and cultural institutions and currently serve as the President of India Discovery Center, Inc., in Lincoln, MA.