Ironical~

I think I know now- Nature speaks in Irony!

Dr. M. Sundari as an Assistant Professor at IIT Roorkee (2004-2006).

This lady taught us Maths one semester: some really cool 'series' stuff (which I did not understand- but I knew it was cool) and she was one of the rare female professors in our institute, who would wear pants to the class. She was cool! Totally! I just did not know this back then.

Once upon a class: She was explaining some thingy and was deriving somethingy else. Somebody had a query and wanted her to step by step derive the equation 2 written on the board from equation 1. She looked at that guy amazed with an expression that immediately embarrassed me.

{A Digression: In general, teaching style at IIT Roorkee is extremely teacher-centric. Golden words are supposed to pour out from the teacher's mouth and kids are supposed to grab them and make best use of it. We, as students have an expectation to live up and beyond to. It is pretty brutal system compared to what we have for undergrads in most universities in USA. (But, darn it, it was so challenging. I loved it, totally!)}

Back to the class: The expression she gave him was not at all deriding or mocking, but I can only say how I perceived it and how it affected me. 

It probably started as a shock: "I cant believe he wants me to do it step by step." Transcended into disappointment: "Oh! Weren't these kids supposed to be smart enough!" And, moved on to: "Well if they are not smart enough, let me help them." 

So, she wrote three huge letters on the whiteboard:

DIY

It ain't over yet! Some of us (including me) did not know what this - DIY was supposed to mean. For a moment I thought it was some new theorem/variable/something/even an internet jargon (lol/gtg/etc.). We asked. She answered. She laughed. One thing for sure- she never had derision in her eyes. During her classes she was either waiting for the class to end or thoroughly enjoying the maths that she was teaching. 

She was formidable. We scoffed at her name: 'Sundari'!  huh!  (Sundari roughly translates as 'beautiful woman'.) We found it weird that a female professor would bike to class in a saree. We found many more wonderful things weird. 

Few more things about her that I learned when I was there at IIT Roorkee:

• She wrote the most amazing papers. We didnt know what that meant: impact factor etc., but we heard often that she was one of the youngest and most amazing mathematician in her field, across the globe.

• She wanted to leave Roorkee. She didnt like somethings. She didnt care about IIT name tag. She had other priorities.

• She had a daughter who had some serious congenital issues. And, I heard that Sundari was a very involved mom! She wanted to go somewhere in Chennai, probably because her daughter wasn't getting the attention she needed in Roorkee.

• I didnt hear this, but I always believed it: She was one darn brave woman- one of the 'you-might-toss-the-world-up-side-down but won't give a cent to anything' kinds. 

Funny how her memories inspire me now! Funny how I want to be like her- sort of:

a professor in saree or in jeans - in India- - all by my own calling. Living my own self-centered life. Protecting people I love. Just like her. Funny- how throughout her class I would lose line of her awesome-maths teaching. Funny- how I would doze off in the class of this amazing woman. 

At Present: Despite the past tense I have used, Sundari is thriving very well in Chennai Mathematical Institute. She is doing finest research and people all around the globe invite her for talks. She is publishing awesome research in leading Mathematical journals. And, I hope her daughter is doing good too!  
No heavy ambitions. No expectations. Just pure love for Mathematics. Not a care about recognition- prof in 'IIT' etc. She only does maths. And,  man! She does it well! 

PS: The past tense is to remind the fact that I knew her in IIT Roorkee 2004-2006, not as what she is now.