Long Walks On Leafy Streets

6/19/2016 Kansas Ave NE, Washington, DC.
Today is fathers’ day. I don’t know if it is really necessary – it seems to help a lot of businessmen, for sure! – but it is nice to have a day when one can appreciate what fathers do and if it helps some people make money I will not protest. I am very thankful for all that my father has done for me. I wish I could have taken him and my mother to more places in the US and abroad after getting my job. But I have taken them myself or provided them with the opportunity to travel and see places, and that makes me feel very good. In the late 90s I took them on a trip to New York City. We visited the World Trade Center, which was still standing at that time. Early In July 2001 we spent a week together in Singapore where I attended a conference on number theory. We visited a big national park in the middle of that island not more than 30 miles long. In July 2007 I took them along with my then ten-year-old nephew Nitin to Boston and nearby places. The highlight was going whale watching.
Nitin and I ran from one side of the boat to another to watch the whales but my mom got sea-sick a little bit. You can see some of the pictures from those trips on my flickr site. To get there click on the little photo at the top and then on “Pictures” and browse through the albums.

I have also taken them to the beaches in this area several times. In fact my father and I used to go camping in Assateague Island almost every summer. The last time we did this was in June 2009, just a couple of weeks before I met Nicole. It was a bit rainy during that trip and he was a bit miserable. I realized that he was getting a little too old for this. I wish I had been more sensitive to his needs but I guess even at this age it is hard for me to think of him as someone who might need my help and care. But it was good while it lasted. He really enjoys walking and the ocean. He grew up in the coastal town of Alleppey in Kerala. In his youth he enjoyed swimming and bathing in the temple pond near my grandfather’s home and also visiting the beach with his friends. On our visits to Assateague we spent most of our time at the campsite and the beach. We would eat at one of the Chinese restaurants because those are the only places where we could find vegetarian food. We also enjoyed walking on the boardwalk in Ocean City. I think I got my love for nature and for hiking and biking from my father. I still remember him helping me learn to bike on a playground near our home in Coimbatore. My mother is more into spirituality, our traditions and family. Perhaps I got my inclination towards spiritual matters as well as interest in organizing events for people from her.

It was from my mother also that I got my interest in doing math. I enjoy doing calculations in my mind and the challenge of solving problems. I enjoy understanding the details of the patterns amongst numbers and the creation of the structure of concepts like bricks in a building resulting a beautiful edifice. I cannot say I have done much beautiful mathematics in my lifetime but I have certainly enjoyed working on it. The enjoyment of learning and working on mathematics is rewarding in itself but if that were not enough there are these moments when you come up with an idea that solves a problem you are working on for a long time and everything comes together. It is like you have been wandering in the desert for a long time, chasing mirages and losing your way in the sand many times but all of a sudden you climb up on a hill and on the other side you see a lush oasis with beautiful trees and gardens. Quite an exhilarating experience.

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