Wimbledon 2012

Thoughts post Wimbledon 2012:

Immaculate lawns, players in pristine whites, audiences at their finest and history at its tallest. Where else but for the Wimbledon Championships is this possible? As the most prestigious lawn tennis tournament enters its 136th year; it shows, as the ad goes, that there is more to the event that just prestige.

As the Rolex ad says, Wimbledon whites are more than just tradition, the green lawns more than just courts, games much more than wins and losses. What makes the Wimbledon so special can probably be demonstrated by drawing a parallel with the Ashes from cricket, the UEFA Championships from football, the NBA for basketball or just about every sport in its highest glory and spirit.

In its 136 years of existence since 1877 when there were just 22 people for the men’s draw, it has gradually established itself as a tournament which is titled as forever legendary. What makes it stand apart is the fact that in all these years not much has changed. The Queen of England still graces the All England Tennis Club with her presence, the whites remain, the grass courts are still kept the same and, spectators continue with their same strawberry and cream as they watch matches: the old charm is retained.

Only have the players changed from Rod Laver or Bjorn Borg or John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras or Roger Federer; or from Navratilova to the William sisters to Li Na. But the spirit of the game, the solemnity of the event, the sincerity of efforts, the beauty of the game, the weight of history remain, as inscribed in the gates to Centre Court with the lines

“If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same”.

Each game has its own Wimbledon, as in; every sport has one moment where who wins doesn’t matter, where playing precedes winning; where records are meant to be broken but the spirit of the game never is. And that is again what makes Wimbledon so great, the fact that it can translate into different games because at the end of the day it is greatness which is its hallmark, not a volley or blistering backhand.

It really doesn’t matter who won the finals on Sunday, because that is not what it is all about. Rather, it is like the Rolex ad:

When is greatness achieved?
Is it when you win your first tournament?
When you achieve a lifetime’s ambition
Or when you inspire others to be more
Or maybe when you ask yourself what is next?

Find x

You have hopefully read the blog post titled 'In search...Of a fictional character'. You would then remember that it was originally written as an essay on a prompt by the University of Chicago. I am a fan of their prompts. They are simply too good! I am going to write essays on as many of them as I can, because they are so thought provoking, offbeat and interesting. This is the first of the lot. I know it is a bit too long, but please read on!

Find x

We were first introduced in Grade 6, me and x. As a variable that is; I have known x as an alphabet longer. I was nonchalant about this new acquaintance since I found mathematics’ penetrating arms into the realms of language quite annoying. I thought math should stick to numbers. I wasn’t particularly fond of math back then.

X then, to me, was just something which was a part of a question you had to solve. Find x. So you made x the subject of your equation and solved it. Period. I have been doing that ever since. The equations have become increasingly complex and x has made its appearance across different subjects. Evidently, x isn’t exclusive to mathematics. But what is most interesting about this simple little alphabet is the fact that countless people have been on a quest to find it. Through time, notwithstanding borders, across fields, despite setbacks and aided by answers.

X began as a representation of what you had to find in an equation: one value for linear equations, two for the quadratic ones. Eventually, x was also the velocity of the given body as it approached relativistic speeds; it was also the heat of formation of a compound; it was the refractive index of flint glass; it was the number of cells undergoing mitosis; it was quite simply, the representation of the unknown. It is used in the same fashion: to represent a mystery or a question, to represent an unknown something. In fact, the original reason as to why and how x came to represent the unknown involves ‘the something’. From what I understand, algebra in its original form in Arabic meant ‘the something’. But when these concepts reached Europe and Spanish scholars tried to translate it, they realized that the Spanish language didn’t have the required corresponding sound for pronunciation. By mutual consent, they turned to a certain Greek alphabet. And when those Spanish texts were converted to Latin for the rest of Europe, they assumed the form of ‘x’.

I never realized how closely I had begun to associate x with the unknown till I noticed that x was on my to-do list. The list quite simply said ‘find x’. I had instinctively used x to represent something I was supposed to assign a value to. I was researching spoilage rates and contamination levels for tomato. I wanted to know how many tomatoes from a given known quantity fell prey to decay. Was it 10 out of every 100? I needed to find a value for an unknown. I needed to find x. Simple, isn’t it?!

By a combination of convention (Descartes’ book in 1637) and habit, even in any scientific equation with multiple variables, the unknown is always represented by x. I am sure you have often heard or said “Say x was to do the following…” Again, x is representative of the arbitrary unknown. But I have begun to wonder. What is x?

I have come to believe that x isn’t the unknown. It is the representation of the unknown. Is that different? I believe so. X, by this belief, isn’t what you want to find; it is what makes you find it. It is not the answer, nor is it the question. X is the purpose behind the question. X is the drive to ask and then to know. We don’t fulfill a question by finding x. We fulfill our curiosity to know. X is our curiosity.

Does this make x any easier to find? On the contrary, this just turned x from an assigned representative of the unknown to an intangible. Then, x is no longer the number of rotten tomatoes or the refractive index or even the answer to the good old quadratic. That is why despite having found it so many times, and in so many forms, we still strive to find it. We are inspired by x, by the desire to know and understand.

Or probably, this new perspective makes it easier to find; it is then everywhere. It is in Stephen Hawking’s simply stated desire to know how everything in the universe functions. It is in a newborn’s questioning gaze of the world. It is in those angst-ridden lyrics which question purpose and reason. And of course, it is in those math questions which we solve by the dozen.

But this brings forth a more fundamental question. Does finding x involve knowing WHAT is x, or does it mean knowing WHERE is x? I am not so sure. I think x is purpose, the drive to see and to seek, to expound and to explore. X isn’t the person to a ‘who’; it isn’t a reason to a ‘why’; it isn’t an explanation to a ‘what’ and it isn’t a story to a ‘how’. It is what makes the who, the why, the what and the how. It is what drives the question mark. And as to its whereabouts, I think x is simply everywhere. Curiosity doesn’t really have a fixed residence, does it? But, if I believe I know what is x, and I believe I know where is x; I have found x, haven’t I?

The very basic nature of this elusive little crossed alphabet makes me think otherwise. Do I seek to know? Do I ponder over a question and seek an answer? Then, I haven’t found x as yet. I don’t think I ever can. I am always going to have another question. I love the question mark a bit too much. Are we, collectively, ever going to find x? Unknowingly, finding x is a daily, recurring, non terminating mission. You want to know something every day; you try to find x every day.

Till we lose the question mark, we will never find x. It is all pervading and always evading. X, the ever popular representation of the unknown, is what gives us purpose. Just imagine a day without feeling the need to know something. And that is why finding x is a global and eternal quest. We are always going to want to know. We are always going to ask. We are always going to find x, aren’t we?

Class of 2013

March 30, 2013. That was my last 'official' day in school: my Valedictory Ceremony. The Saturday remains a special and unforgettable day for obvious reasons: leaving school is momentous, for school has been memorable. I had the honour and privilege to speak at on this occasion, a traditional address to fellow classmates, teachers, parents and the school, as a whole. I hope what I spoke does justice to the privilege entrusted:

If hope could be held, if purpose could be pledged, if pride could be proportioned, delight could be determined and gratitude be graded; then today in our courtyard, the cup would have truly overflowed. In our attempt to capture this definitive moment of our lives; the gravity, the poignancy, the magnitude of the occasion is lost on none.

Today, we stand facing multiple choices. However, unlike most times before, these choices regard matters of lifelong consequence, matters which will impact what we make of ourselves. Strongly linked with these choices is also uncertainty of what lies ahead, of what is yet to come. For us, this occasion is marked with a plethora of conflicting emotions: joy at having successfully reached an important landmark in life, reluctance on leaving such a cherished sanctuary, apprehension about the future and fear of something rather unspecific.

But despite the vague uncertainty, there remain a few things which are certain, which aren’t unchangeable.

Firstly, that we are fortunate to stand at this crossroad equipped with a fairly large skill set, thanks to our school. In its own way, school has been a well guarded cocoon, a different world altogether. It has been, and will remain a world of adults who work to teach, guide and mould countless students under their care; a world of passionate, concerned and loving teachers, a world safe for us to grow, fall, learn and relearn, a world of fond memories and happy ideas. It has also been a world with vast windows and open doors, for us to see and seek beyond. And it is this which helps us as we ponder over choices and I realize it will be this exposure and change which will help us later in life. And for all this and more, I am grateful—gratitude is definitely not an afterthought.

This elevated standard of our learning brings us to the next certainty. We must do something worthwhile, something which is never devoid of purpose. It is probably odd to state with conviction what possibly lies so far ahead, when the immediate future is shrouded with none of it. But regardless of what we choose; we must, and we will, do something worthy of what our education has gifted us. I am not sure what, and even less sure of when. As we mark our paths, we must strive to achieve excellence and purpose, to work with a ‘total passion for the total height’. We shall henceforth carry the badge of being SNK graduates, a tag which holds immense promise for it puts us in a league armed to enforce action to ideas. For our teachers, parents and all individuals who made this possible, it is a badge of responsibility, promise, pride and hope. They believe that we can, it is upon us to actually do.

Another thing which is irrevocable is that we’ll miss school! It has been home to such nice memories after all! I am going to miss so many things, small and big, that it is almost impossible to single out any one. The collective state of confusion we feel today just bears further testimony to the same: a powerful sense of camaraderie, belonging and attachment.

Amidst this change in our responsibilities and expectations, amidst our aim of contributing meaningfully, amidst the mixed feelings on leaving school; the best we can do is that we ‘Take only memories and leave only footprints’.

In search...Of a fictional character

I wrote this essay as a part of my application to the University of Chicago for Fall 2013. Waldo is a fictional character in a series of books for children. The aim is to find him (wearing his characteristic striped shirt) from among a plethora of other amusing and odd collection of objects and people. For reasons I hope will be apparent, I am extremely fond of this essay. It is the product of a lot of discussion with my parents, grandparents and teachers; a product of lot of thought, emotion and effort.

So where is Waldo, really?

Is he hidden among the countless animated objects, masked by images of symbolism, unseen till you really hunt for him? Or is he always just there, peeping from behind tents, dancing in circuses with an amused grin? Is he always in that characteristic striped shirt of his? 

Who is Waldo really?

Waldo is definitely more than a fictional character from a fictional series. He is a manifestation of the unknown and unfounded, constantly being searched. To me, Waldo is a manifestation of the ‘hidden you’. He is all that one can be, wishes to be, strives to be, but isn’t yet. Waldo may be visualized as a mini-version of yourself or as the angel-devil role-plays in Tom & Jerry. He exists, but is hidden. Often, you are unaware of his existence and oftener, you choose to ignore it. The Hindi poet Kabir has described a kind of Waldo, in one of his most famous couplets. He speaks about a musk deer that searches high and low, curious about the source of the famed scent. Little does the deer realize that it is the source, and so continues to search ignorant of its own capabilities. While Kabir wished to illustrate that God lies within, I feel his couplet answers questions about Waldo’s whereabouts.

So, where is Waldo?

Quite simply, he is within. While the world looks for him amidst clusters of unnecessary details, he lies nonchalantly, in no hurry to reveal himself. He isn’t going to make any efforts, nor is he going to budge an inch out of his hiding place. You will have to walk the extra mile, penetrate deeper, reflect more, question oftener and pursue harder. Because, Waldo lies within.

But, just the way Waldo hides differently at different points in the book; everyone has a different Waldo which they find at different times, at different places, doing different things. So while Pele’s Waldo lived on the football grounds, Federer’s Waldo lives at Wimbledon. My father’s Waldo stays in a classroom, my mother’s sits at her table with her as she helps people with their troubles. My aunt’s Waldo accompanies her as she travels to distant villages to create opportunities for women empowerment.

So, where is my Waldo?

I am looking for him. I know he is within, so I am not looking through the unnecessary clusters. I think I know what he does. He stays in a world of logic and thought, resides in a place called a laboratory. Through a series of experiences and events, I have come to realize that I would love to pursue scientific research. One of my teachers has molded my view of the sciences significantly. When the Nobel Prize for Biology was announced this year, he explained how biology was based on chemistry, which has been known to depend on physics which is said to be applied mathematics. So, he would say that science isn’t demarcated by subjects, but is one unified whole. I strongly follow this belief of his. I love physics for its logical analysis (my favourite being classical mechanics), chemistry for its reactions and aromatic structures (benzene’s the best!), biology for its relevance in understanding the world (genetics specially fascinates me) and mathematics for its sheer beauty in figures (I love calculus). But, what I have learnt to appreciate the most is the interface where these meet, at a point whose coordinates aren’t really known, but aren’t the assumed ‘random point in space’ either. My Waldo is somewhere at the intersection. He doesn’t know which road to take, but he isn’t lost. Just a tad bit confused.

My Waldo loves it when I give him his place of honour. This happens when I go out of my way to understand, to explore and to know. It may be through experimentation, through trial and error or through questioning. He appreciates when I discover something myself. In Grade 10, I had developed an outlandish mathematical ‘theorem’ of my own. It was an elaborate idea, linking the even powers of the number five and the last two digits of the exponential product. Though my find was already known to mathematicians (crushing my hopes of having a theorem of my own!), my Waldo was glad of my curiosity and joyous discovery.

So, what I am going to do with my Waldo?

Since I have found my Waldo residing in the laboratory, I am going to give him a free hand there. He is going to join me as I learn further and explore, as I challenge myself to do better and find greater purpose. Waldo is going to explore the depth of classical mechanics and calculus, organic chemistry and genetics, or a combination thereof. He is going to learn to create more, express himself better, write better, know more and know better. He is joining me on a roller coaster, and neither of us is complaining. Rather, we are enjoying!

Waldo is within and without. Within, he lies crouched as a manifestation of oneself. Without, he hides, waiting for one to find purpose and eventually success. You won’t find him without till you look within. And since he loves to hide and is different for different people, the red and white stripes may not always be the best indication.

So, where is Waldo really?

Find him! My Waldo lies within MY world of science and mathematics. Where’s yours?