Leaving paradise made easy

K. VijayRaghavan
National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India.

It has been widely alleged that the (San Francisco) bay area is paradise on earth, to which many flock and few wish to leave[1]. It must therefore be the ultimate in hallucination that Indian biology’s first organized recruitment méla should begin at the University of California at San Francisco. This—the constant flying in the face of logic—has always been a serious problem with India. My friend Jim Spudich, a Professor at Stanford, told me about Obaid Siddiqi asking Arthur Kornberg many, many years ago about the wisdom returning to India[2]. “What do you think about India?” Obaid is said to have asked. Kornberg, never one to pull his punches, instantly shot back: “I’d give it six months”. There are many interpretations of this answer, but I would not be surprised that Kornberg was actually giving India a life, or half- life, of about 6 months. Yet Obaid returned to stay and work in India (I should say that he returned from New Haven, which is not a difficult place to leave, some say[1] but in the 1960s was just like the bay area was before California started going broke) and started a Molecular Biology Unit at a Physics and Mathematics Institute: The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. There were several other remarkable pioneers in Indian biology, who led the development of research institutions and university laboratories. In Calcutta of yore, A.K. Roy Choudhary who worked with Hermann Muller and A.K. Mukherjee who worked with Hans Beerman started research in cytogenetics. G. N. Ramachandran’s work at Madras University was the beginning of a group that would move to the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and set up its Molecular Biophysics Unit. What characterized these pioneers (and many more I do not have the space to mention in this brief write-up) was that they went back to develop laboratories with no promise of infrastructure, resources or funds. In the period around Indian independence, few but the privileged left India and those who went back did so, as an eminent bureaucrat put it[3], because they had a misplaced sense of patriotism or because their mother lived there. They made few demands of the system, on getting back, and the system made no demands of them.

Today’s India is, of course, very different. Indians of many diverse backgrounds go abroad for studies and work. India has learnt the huge value that this community brings to its growth and development. The involvement of the Indian Diaspora and of the many friends of India in the growth of Indian research in general and in the biomedical sciences in particular is not only useful, but also essential. India has made huge investments in institutional development in the past few years. The cry that is often heard is “Where are we going to get quality people to work in these new places?” Obviously the excellent pool of researchers in places such as the bay area is a valuable resource. Yet, today’s India cannot and should not rely on patriotism and family to attract talent back. And, many Indian institutions realize this.

To get you to think of working in India as a real possibility we need to of course make sure that research resources and infrastructure are available in plenty. But, this is the easy part. If you are to be attracted to a place, it must provide a vibrant, challenging and demanding intellectual environment. It must let you be yourself and give you the space to drive your research. Your colleagues should want you to join and provide you all the help you need to get started. The campus should be bubbling with bright students and postdocs. The best and the brightest from all over the world should be frequent visitors. You should have the flexibility to travel the world. Key social and family issues need to be addressed: A pleasant work environment, child- care facilities, transport, housing, cultural opportunities etc. Who would not like to go back to such a place, even if it is a bit distant from the bay- area? Who would not like the opportunity and the resources to build such places? The developing ‘bio-clusters’ in Delhi and Bangalore afford such opportunities but there are also many more places in India that you can join, shape and insist on building- well!

I would like to end on a personal note[4]. I don’t particularly feel that I am any particular kind of Indian or even an Indian. I grew up without extending roots or loyalties and would feel equally uncomfortable everywhere. Yet, the adventure and warmth working in India has provided has been truly scientifically stimulating and, (between you and me) emotionally rewarding. I truly feel that India today has put forth the possibility of building quality science by not just investing funds but by the exemplary effort many talented individual both inside and outside India bring to its effort. This latter aspect brings a sense of adventure and excitement while investment in laboratories allows the possibility of frontier research being done in India. On June 11, 2009, you will hear colleagues from Delhi and Bangalore tell you about opportunities at their locations in particular and in India in general. Remember that these people are committed to not only getting you to start a lab in India, but also to make sure that you have a happy and successful one. Change is never easy[4], but take a big leap: There’s an Indian trampoline waiting to make sure that you don’t crash and an adventure waiting to happen when you land.

References.

1. Baseless-Rumour, W., Unsubstantiated feeling that there is no better place to live and be a scientist than the San Francisco bay area. Imagine, 2009. 1(1): p. 0.
2. Apocryphal-Tale, I., Reminiscences over volatile material. Pub Crawling, 2006. 1: p. 0-0.
3. CantTell, I., Top 10 reasons why people return to India: I can't count beyond two. Diaspora, 2008. 1(1): p. 0-0.
4. Cliche-after-cliche, T., Why can't people be original? Naturally, 2009. 1(1): p. 0-0.