I was born on October 13th, 1982 at Kannur, a small town in Kerala state, India. My early childhood memories are at my Mother's place where i lived till 1989 as Dad was away working in Punjab, and we couldn't go because Mom worked in Kannur. I remember the time we bought our first television and people in the neighbourhood used to come over to watch `Ramayana', the great epic of Lord Ram which used to air on Sundays. There was also a lot of space around the house and sis and me spent a lot of time playing outdoors. I also remember learning to play chess from my grand mom who was the family champion then.

After two indifferent years of nursery school, i entered Kendriya Vidyalaya Keltron Nagar, my primary school, junior high and high school. As Dad was back, we had moved back to our small house. But, he was mostly away with regular transfers, and we met for holidays and vacations.  I grew to be a good student, mainly thanks to mom who left no stone unturned to ensure that we were successful at school. I had strong bonds with teachers like Mr.Mathews, Mrs.Sushama, Mr.Sahadevan and Mrs.Tanuja, and friends who shared 12 years with me like Shibu, Namitha, Sainath, Sreejith etc... which i cherish to this day.

Dad was back home owing to a favourable posting by the time i was in class 10 and he wanted me to prepare for the entrance tests to medical school. But, i had grown up  romanticising the life of a research physicist ever since the day mom handed me a book on Albert Einstein's life, and which i had read and re-read a million times by then. So, i
chose the closest that i could get my folks  to agree to, electrical engineering. Although i had great dreams about getting into one of the IITs (India's top technology school), it turned out i wasn't good enough. But my college didn't leave room for any regrets. It is regularly listed amomg the top 20 undergraduate electrical engineering programs in the country and also has a wonderful campus.

4 years at NIT Calicut, less than 100 miles from home, made me what iam today. I learned to think on my own and also grew to love electrical engineering, especially device electronics. The courses handled by Mr.K.S. Suresh Kumar  were especially great. I  made great friends too, like Devaraj and Anoop. Chairing the IEEE student branch in my senior year was an unforgettable hands-on experience in getting things done. Also vivid are memories of the evenings spent in a small SreeKrishna temple just outside campus. By the junior year, i had decided that i wanted to go to graduate school and be a lifelong learner.

Then, as a fresh graduate, i landed in the colossal sea of humanity that Mumbai is, and my first job at L&T Powai. In the switchgear division, my work revolved around designing releases- electronic and thermal-magnetic, as well as study of the electromagnetic field patterns during high current interruptions. But, work was far from my prime concern that year. Apping for grad school, a handful of priceless friends who will last a lifetime, discovering the real Mumbai that exudes massive energy and an indomitable spirit, falling hopelessly in love and experiencing wincing heartbreak defined 12 months of my life that was nothing like any before. It was also the year i started blogging; hopefully for good. The year also reiterated my belief that my education wasn't yet done.

Now, iam a grad student at Rutgers, in Piscataway, NJ, USA and leading the typical grad life juggling coursework and teaching duties; trying hard to find time to work in the lab, but not too busy yet to stop at night to look up at the stars...