THE MAN WITH A VISION

It was the month of October, we 54 students joined IISER pune, some had no other option, some because of motivation towards science and some because of that stipend which they were giving us. We didn’t knew anything about science. At that time there was a big question that people use to ask “yaha se nikalne ke baa acha paisa to milega na?”, IISER being an Indian Institute had given a good platform for many of us to dream.

                One day we got a mail from our director saying that there is a special seminar by Mr. Arvind Gupta from IUCAA. They have mentioned in the mail that this man is a B.Tec. from IIT Kanpur and now he make toys for children. We thought he must be an entrepreneur. We entered the seminar hall, jam packed, we found a place from where the speaker is visible, with full enthusiasm we were waiting for him to come.

                Clock hits 11, our heart beat fastened. We saw a middle heighted guy, in his mid 50’s entering the hall. He was wearing a khadi kurta paijama on bathroom slippers and carrying am old bag on his shoulders. Long beard looks like he has forgotten to shave.  We were shocked, we imagined a guy in suite, clean shaved and he was nowhere near what we expected. We started murmuring among us.

                The seminar started, we were still fighting the ghost of IITan we had in our mind. He was giving us a motivational lecture. He told us what he feels about the current education system. He said that “Science is a subject which should come naturally to every student but why is it that student fear science.”  We thought he is talking too abstractly but then he asked a question. How many of you think that physics is your passion? In a fraction of second 20 hands were raised. Then he asked them how many of you can explain working of a motor to a illiterate kid? People started looking at each other this time only couple of half raised hand was there. He called them and requested them to explain. They didn’t take much time to give up.

He said “Money is not everything, the pleasure I get in making toys for children is more than any other in this world”. This was really shocking for us. This is first time we met a person felt like that. Then he told us about what he calls as tragedy, “There are enough institutes generating a lot of knowledge and at the same time they are making things complicated”. He added that “I try to make them simple for my young friends to understand, through these toys.” Then from his bag he took out couple of magnificent toys and demonstrated their working and construction.

After that when he finished the seminar we felt a new energy flowing through us. Some of us went to IUCAA to visit his office following weekend. It was one of the best seminar I have ever attended. That day I realized that there are some people who devoted their life for a cause.