Science and us

What is the aim of science? It might sound odd coming from someone who makes a living out of it but sometimes I do wonder what the aim of science after all. No, this is not a “science versus religion” sort of question that has popped into my brain. I am trying to look back on my modest experience in this field. I just am trying to make sense of what I have been unable to make sense of yet.

Take for example, the 1000 genome project which will eventually sequence a small proportion of about 1000 human genomes with high accuracy. Among the populations whose DNA will be sequenced are Yoruba in Ibadan, Nigerian, Japanese in Tokyo, Chinese in Beijing, Utah residents with ancestry from Northern and Western Europe, Luhya in Webuye, Kenyan, Maasai in Kinyawa, Toscani in Italy, Gujarati Indians in Houston, Chinese in metropolitan Denver, people of Mexican ancestry in Los Angeles, and people of African ancestry in southwestern U.S. It sounds fantastic and there is obviously a wealth of information that we can as scientists garner from such a study.

But wait- before you consider the ethics of this study -let me assure you that these people will be anonymous and will not have any medical information collected on them. In fact, “the scientific goals of the 1000 Genomes Project are to produce a catalog of variants that are present at 1% or greater frequency in the human population across most of the genome and down to 0.5% or lower within genes”. In lay man terms it means, by the end of this study we will have a capacity to look at variations in a particular stretch of DNA across different populations. So what will that information mean? If I know which sequence variation is associated with say diabetes in a certain population, I would be able to better predict your risk of getting diabetes if you happen to have that sequence variation AND if you happen to belong to that particular population. I know the smarter ones among you have already figured there is a missing piece here. If you collect no medical information, what inferences can you make about the variations apart from say frequency of these variations in a given population? None in this study. So what’s the point? - It is a pilot study. This will give us the opportunity to build capacity to do cool stuff that I just mentioned. But wait, the reason they won’t be collecting medical information is because they haven’t figured out the ethical issues yet (I think).

Ethical issues such as: should I be charged a zillion dollars more by my insurance company because I happen to be an African with a particular variation which has been shown to be associated with (say) diabetes in 80% of that population? Or worse, will I never get insurance? More than that, will the doctor be required to tell me even though I am asymptomatic that I can develop this at one point in my life? If he does, how will I survive? If he doesn’t, is he being fair to his profession? You get the picture. We don’t know at this time whether such problems will manifest in future. What we do know is we don’t know how to deal with them if they arise. And don’t get me wrong here; I think it will really be invaluable in understanding and hopefully finding treatments for a number of diseases. But here we have a group that is equipped to open this pandora’s box. Is the very essence of science this impartial observation? One that doesn’t look at the consequences of the observation? Let me know if any of you have a clue. In the meanwhile, I am praying that Gujarati Indians in Houston are genetically far removed from other NRIs.

Hazar rahe mudke dekhi kahi se koi sada na aayi

There was sunshine, waves and the deliciously salty humid heat; there was wind like there is nothing but that and sands that gleamed like diamonds under the cloudless sky.There was fragrance whose colour was white and a person whose name was love, friend, guru and God.

There were jasmines and music, tropical forests under the moon of August. There was the aura of home and smells of eons begone. There were tears of passion and tempests of gloom - all of which would dissolve in the embrace of one person who was love, friend, guru and God.

There was poetry in words, in a touch and a smile or even a mere glance. Majestic operas in a fleeting caress;the mystery of birth and the glory of death reveled through each moment spent with love, friend, guru and God.

And there were lies, betrayal, hurt and mockery. There was death in the name of life and no life beyond that death. There was no element that was not afire; no ounce of mind, body or soul that did not yearn to disappear in the all encompassing flame of desire. There were the torrents of monsoons and the fires that threatend to destroy the world.

A wild flower; a Mango plucked from a treetop in a thicket; fear of snakes and the thrill of sheer abandon. There was worship, there was peace. And there was life in the company of love, friend, guru and God.

One day, God was pleased with my worship. Saying "No more cycle of births and deaths for you my beloved because you have arrived at the very heart of this creation", He broke the charm of life.

Now there is silence - all encompassing. And of feelings, who can say?

Another shot

This is yet another shot at capturing the mood of my favorite city. Mid day in May.

Hyderabad Blues!

This not-so-perfect photograph of a not-so-perfect-yet-the-best-place-on-earth is my favorite.

Does racism exist?

Long long ago, in a beautiful city of castles, rivers, universities and foreign army camps, there lived a student- alone, struggling to survive in the land of an alien tongue, in quest of her niche in the big bad world of logical abstractions (go figure that out). One day, she surprised herself and another of her loner friends with an Indian meal she packed for lunch. Here's the scene:
Gorgeous sunlight pouring in from the windows. The views outside?
Wisps of white in the azure sky,
Swans fidgeting with pieces of bread in the nearby river,
Students walking with cold coffee and ice creams in their blissfully warm hands,
Two ladies sitting at the table in the pantry;
One of them - an Indian and the other was from eastern part of Europe (never mind the nitty gritty - just need to know that eastern Europeans are somehow not European enough in some people's view).

Enter, the boss.

"Hm.. the whole pantry smells spicy!"

(Me..Gloating inside!..)

"Hey....don’t eat the rice, you will turn brown you know?!"

(Me...Still giggling. in sheer shock)

Aeons later, when I think of this scene, I still smart. Not that I feel humiliated or feel the need to have got back to him with an appropriate answer at that point. No it is not about not having retaliated. It is about the paradigm that still holds true. You can say whatever you want to the Indians. They won’t make a fuss about it.

When I read the controversy about an Indian "racially abusing" someone, I must say I was laughing. Not to say that Indians are not "race conscious" - how many of us know our compatriots who would bend backwards to appease those of the fairer skin? But please, give us a break will you? We can’t think of racism sir (we do think a whole lot of other things though)- after all, we Indians come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors.

Oh, and you can’t say everything you want to an Indian. Not anymore.

A snow covered mountain

I am the mountain that is forever capped with snow.
No sunshine can ever melt my coat of ice
No wind can blow these whisps of white away
nor can any storm ever wash off this aura
From summer through the howling tempests of the autum,
I remain untouched and aloof.
..Watching from high above,
the mean hearts of men.
Laughing at their prodigality-
Laughing at their platitudes-
Laughing at every scene that occurs in human lives
which I had seen being repeated..over and again
through the ages;
Laughter and tears;
anger and fear
how long have they been playing
this very act again and again?
Will they never tire?
I am the mountain, a mere block of stone.
Life from here looks absurd in this repetitiousness.
How do you feel ay man?
Do you feel at all?
or does my snow cover your memory too?

(P.S: all these "poems" were written in my teens when life was at its best and so was existential angst.- for whatever they are worth, I decided to put them up here)

Pachauri and Patil

Nature magazine’s “newsmaker of the year 2007” is an Indian. No not the Indian with a different passport or an Indian who lives abroad and holds its values dear to his heart- but one who breathes the same dusty air and who is enraged by the traffic every morning as each of his compatriots. Rajendra Pachauri, the economist who runs the India based energy and resources institute TERI and who as the chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has shared this year’s Nobel peace prize. The interviewer asked him if he “felt hopeless” when he voiced his frustration about the (Indian) system that is “hopeless at looking beyond the immediate interests of the individual”. His reply will not fail to move anyone who holds India dear – “No. Not at all. I just feel that we need to work harder and harder”.

Contrast this to this year’s biggest let down – our own beloved “woman” president (to most of us uninitiated Indians, wasn’t this touted as her biggest qualification for the post?). She was featured too only this time in the editorial of Indian express- regarding her love for her kith and kin : 9 “family” members are taking an “official trip” with her down to the Andaman. They had to cut 60 trees in this regard to make way for a helipad as the family to too big/lazy/whatever-you-can-think-of to take a 40 km road trip. Hail Pratibha!

If you ask me, I still feel hopeful- that this generation of presidents and prime ministers will all vanish and give rise to those that would fill us with hope for the future. If you want to call wishful thinking, who knows, santa might well be on his way!

Here’s to a joyous Christmas 2007 and to hope in the hopelessness.