PEOPLE

AS SCHOOL CAPTAIN, TASHI NAMGYAL NARESH AGARWAL AT HOME IN ACADEMY, GANGTOK, SIKKIM - 1994 MILTON, MA, USA - DECEMBER 2015

#MyStory WITH COMPUTER ENGINEERING BATCHMATES FROM NANYANG Naresh Agarwal TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, SINGAPORE – AUGUST 1998 epithets. I seek to fall in line and to fall mother gave up her ‘ghoonghat’ (veil) a Director in a Boston hospital. My WITH SIBLINGS IN GANGTOK, SIKKIM - EARLY 1980S out of line, to look for one in the many, of twenty years. She didn’t let her 7-year old daughter is feisty as well. Naresh Agarwal is an Associate Professor at the School and the many in the one. Class III education in Hindi (and lack My female colleagues, Dean, Provost of Library and Information Science at Simmons College, Back in Boston and a week later, I of knowledge of lower case English and President at Simmons are all Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Growing up in M.G. Marg, continue my reflections. My thoughts alphabet) prevent her from becoming fearless and feisty women. We need to Gangtok, Naresh stood First in class throughout his go to my childhood years. “Panibapu, the first Marwari woman (save for make more of them in Sikkim. suno ho ke” (Pana’s father, are you the old lady in Chotta Bank) to start At TNA, I had a simple formula for school days at TashiNamgyal Academy (TNA) and topped there?) – I think of my grandmother a shop in Gangtok. From cardamom standing first in class – not letting my the Class X ICSE exams, setting a new record for TNA in calling out to my grandfather. I to groceries to sarees to fitted clothes teachers proceed if I didn’t understand 1993. He became the School Captain, the Best All-Round grew up in a joint Marwari business to Tibetan curio, she tried it all. This something. I tell the same to my student, and topped the Class XII ISC exams. His journey family (that traded in ‘badielaichi’ paved the way for many more women students today. I greatly respected all spans Singapore and the US, where he now lives. He can – cardamom from Mangan) as the to open shops or accompany their my teachers and looked up to them. I youngest child in a family of four girls husbands in their shops. It was my was praised and loved both at home be reached at [email protected] and three boys. My family had moved mother’s faith, compassion for others, and in school, and this propelled in to Sikkim from Rajasthan in the first and fearless conviction that has been me the desire to not let those down The journey so far… My co-passenger in the flight is a few years of the 20th century. I’ve one of my profound influences. At who expected a lot from me. I painted, lady who has her dog in the bag in front heard accounts mentioning 1902 and 73, she continues to be feisty and a created crafts and participated The word journey is a loaded of her seat. She’s a tad sad for having going back tolate 1800s. Patriachy was businesswoman. regularly in elocutions and debates. word. I’m beginning to write this on had to pay $125 for carrying him along strongly entrenched with my mother Not only did my mother ensure The more I participated, the less a short plane journey from Boston to in the flight. “These airlines”, she says, deciding to give away her eldest son my school education in TNA, she also inhibited I became. New York City. As the pilot announces “charge for everything. Next time Indian (with large bits from Singapore to her husband’s elder brother and his ensured I go to Singapore. Gender A big day for me was in June 1993 the beginning of descent, this journey they’ll charge for boarding early”. I and the US), Sikkimese, Marwari wife, naming her youngest son for equality and helping fearlessness in when I topped the Class X ICSE Board will end soon. Thus, there is the day- tell her that she’s found mention in my (with a large part Nepali), Hindu the wife of her husband’s deceased women is a major quest for me. I’m exams with 92% marks and a new to-day journey that you travel, or one write-up - both as a way of informing (with major influences of the Gita, younger brother, while keeping all the married to an equally feisty woman school and state record (which has now that spans a few days. The days then and seeking informed consent. She Buddhist principles of suffering, and daughters. who went from a Marwari family of been broken multiple times). Suddenly, become weeks, which turn into months asks if I’m a writer. I tell her, “No”. the common essence of all religions), It was after my grandfather’s death four girls (all highly educated), topping my picture was in newspapers. My and years. The years turn into decades Again, who I am a much bigger inclusive, secular, liberal, son, brother, in 1982 (my eldest, married sister also ICSE at Loreto Convent, Darjeeling, mother bought me and my brother and then a lifetime. There are countless question to grapple with – a professor, husband, father, colleague and friend. passed away in 1988), and the joint becoming a doctor, to pursuing medical Titan watches. Two years later, that journeys within these journeys. teacher, researcher, computer engineer, Yet, one is often deeper and beyond the family structure crumbling, that my residency in New York to becoming made me a contender for the coveted

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School Captain’s position – something States. I found the people extremely than 25. I’m really hoping the current I’d never imagined growing up. Some honest and forthright, a quality I TNA will find ways to reduce its class people from the Marwari community greatly appreciated. I thrived during sizes – a prerequisite to going back to congratulated me for being the first the months in California. As one of the its days of glory, even as it marks its Marwari school captain of TNA two key people working under the Chief golden jubilee in 2016. (perhaps, after Vijay Singhi in 1972). Strategy Officer, I evaluated gaps in I learned how to write research That made me uncomfortable, yet I technology, brainstormed innovative papers and got funding for travel appreciated a minority community’s ideas, recommended solutions, and to conferences in Hong Kong, New identity pride. created prototypes for other teams Zealand, China, Tokyo, Canada, At the end of my final school year, to continue. The September 11, 2001 Russia, US and France. Some of these I was awarded the Founder’s Medal for attacks in the US happened during that travels were combined with my role Best All-round Student. In early 1995, time. I also worked for a few months in as Chair of the Association of Pacific my eldest brother got a book from the the Hyderabad office of the company, Rim Universities (APRU) Doctoral Community Centre Library which and was very pleased to experience the Students Network – an organization talked about scholarships in India work culture in India. consisting of 45 universities from 16 and abroad.My friend Siddhartha Back in Singapore, I worked as an countries. I also held an exhibition encouraged me to apply for a 100% R&D Engineer in bioinformatics and of my paintings, did modeling scholarship for undergraduate studies then in Digital Cinema. I travelled to assignments and bit roles for Singapore in Singapore offered by Singapore Mumbai and to small movie theatres television, and worked with a famous Airlines and Neptune Orient Lines. across Maharashtra and Madhya sculptor to build a marble sculpture for “Naresh, if you don’t get this, I’m not Pradesh in India to install digital my school – the School of Computing. sure who will.”, he said. Sometime cinema servers. The company had For my PhD, I wrote a 280-page later, my schoolteacher, Mr. Pandey, signed up with Adlabs to digitize doctoral thesis and defended my thesis brought me a newspaper clipping of cinema theatres in India. It was a in 2009. the same advertisement. work I loved. Not only did I get to see By 2008, my wife had moved After an application, I was invited WITH HIS COLLEAGUES FROM THE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND many Hindi film stars and directors, I to New York to pursue her medical to Hotel Taj Bengal, Calcutta (now INFORMATION SCIENCE, SIMMONS COLLEGE, BOSTON, USA - MAY 2014 also got to experience India up-close. residency. The final part of my thesis Kolkata) for two written tests and an My time in Los Angeles with the was written there. A big next step (my interview (the first time I’d seen a five- world. I thought, “So, this is what they Packard. In the final year, I ran for and and air-tickets to India twice a year, company saw me work and interact daughter was born by then) was finding star hotel). I travelled alone to Calcutta mean by ‘foreign’”. served in the office of the President and contribute to the wedding of my with Hollywood-associated firms of a faculty position in the US. The first and met many smart students gathered S i n g a p o r e w a s e x t r e m e l y c l e a n , n e a t of the Debating Society. While I had youngest sister (along with my first Technicolor, Dolby, Disney, Warner year I tried, I had a campus visit but there for the interview. I thought with and efficient. When my roommate at been a star student in Sikkim, in salary from my first job). Brothers, etc. to determine new digital couldn’t make it as I still wasn’t close all those people, there was no way I the Nanyang Technological University NTU, I was one among the stars. The As the scholarship came with cinema standards. to finishing my Ph.D. could get the scholarship. I decided to (NTU) and I went to class the first scholars from across India in different a bond to work for 6-years in a I thought of going back to studying The following year, with a large just be myself in the interview. Later, day, we were late by a few minutes years formed a 100-strong mini India Singapore-registered company, I and doing an MBA but that didn’t number of interviews (e.g. 14 in one, 17 when I actually got the scholarship and and knocked on the door. After a few of young and smart people. They worked in Singapore startups as a inspire me. Finally, as they say in in another) scheduled in four research reached Singapore, I noticed that none minutes of no response, we went inside provided a sense of community, even software engineer. In my first job, I Vedanta in the quest for God, “Neti, conferences, I was first invited for of those people who had interviewed and found another door. Beyond that, as I tried hard to forge friendships worked in a team to develop Voice- neti” (not this, not this), I stumbled a campus visit at Simmons College, with me had made it to Singapore. we saw a huge lecture theatre (more with the local Chinese, Malay and over-IP software, handling voice calls across academia by a process of Boston. After two days of one-on-one I became one of fifty students like a movie theatre) with hundreds of Tamil population. I graduated with with 6-million registered users. elimination. Married by now, I joined interviews and a public talk, I was selected from all over India that year students, with the professor at the very a Bachelors in Applied Science In the year 2000, after about two the National University of Singapore offered the position of a tenure-track (from supposed tens of thousands of end on the stage. We were a batch of (Computer Engineering) with Honors. years of working, I went through (NUS) as a Research Assistant for a Assistant Professor. Just before joining applications) to go to Singapore on 350 students in Computer Engineering What the scholarship provided me my quarter-life crisisand started professor, and also started my Ph.D. Simmons, I was also able to help scholarship. There were a number of (with ten students from India on was a chance to be independent at the questioning everything. I had achieved part time in 2005. To streamline my resolve a 19-year old property dispute fi r st s – my fi r st t i me t o a n ai r por t ( Net aji scholarship). The educational pattern age of 18 and not having to take a single whatever I wanted to – topping my efforts, I combined my research area back home, which assured peace for airport of Calcutta), the first flight ever was very different from the small class rupee from home. Any college in India school, becoming a software engineer, with the work I was doing as Research all, mending of relationships, and was (the Singapore Airlines international sizes and the personal interactionI’d would have been more expensive. buying a computer. I thought anything Assistant. I scored a perfect GPA of greatly satisfying for me. flight), and the first landing on foreign experienced in TNA. The huge class Along with monthly expenses, my else (whether a car or a house) will 4.0/4.0 with 5 A+s and 3 As in the Tenure-track implies that you have soil on the morning of July 8, 1995. sizes ensured almost no student scholarship money allowed me to be just another thing and will not courses I took. I made sure I did the five years to demonstrate excellence When the then modest Calcutta airport participation (though there would be buy a small refrigerator, a $3,300 make me any happier. American readings beforehand and not after the in teaching, research and service – the impressed me so much, Changi was a tutorials and labs with fewer students). desktop computer (with the brand new psychologist Abraham Maslow called class. This was key to my exceling three facets that make up the life of a sight to behold. The countless lights, Those were four rigorous but Windows 95 with color display and it self-actualization. in class. I thrived in the small class- professor, and get reviewed at many the carpeted airport floor, the fixtures fun-filled undergraduate years, with multimedia speakers, 8 MB RAM and In 2001, I moved to Santa Clara, size format. Even in Simmons where I different levels. Tenure implies a job and the people, all seemed out of this a 6-month internship at Hewlett 1.6 GB hard disk :-), music systems California, my first trip to the United teach now, the class sizes are not more for life and promotion to Associate

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Professor. A ‘not strong’ in any one articles published by now (as well as with my teaching, research and category meant that you would have book chapters and other write ups). service, I hope to work on a synthesis to leave the university at the end of This entails scheduling a few hours of Bhagavad Gita commentaries – the sixth year. While many faculty of writing time each week. I enjoy something that I’d initiated a few years members go through a lot of stress collaborating with other international ago, and fulfil my interpersonal roles, owing to ‘what if I don’t get tenure’, researchers (with places ranging from including for my people in Sikkim. I I loved the process as I saw it as a Japan to Kuwait to Singapore) and also have a book contract to write a team of people invested in helping you scheduling writing sessions on Skype book in my research area of Context succeed. 2015 was a great year – with or GoToMeeting. in Information Behavior during my the getting of tenure and the US green Along with serving in various 6-month sabbatical in 2017. card, and the arrival of my second committees in the school and the As long as one is alive, we need to child. college, I have been active over the keep working, keep moving. We need Over the years, I’ve been teaching years in various capacities at the to find ways (in our own little ways) to courses in evaluation, technology, web Association for Information Science be useful to the people around us, and design, knowledge management, and & Technology (ASIS&T) – a 78-year to help improve the human condition. theories to Masters-level students. I old organization with presence in 50 Taking education seriously, learning teach both face-to-face and online. Each countries that serves as home for my continuously and empowering course requires extensive preparation professional and research work. My ourselves is the first step we can take in and changes based on feedback. At research quests lie in the fields of the direction of being useful to others the end of my classes, I also give a information science and knowledge during our lifetime. Through this, we happiness talk to my students. Swami management, where I investigate need to be happy and learn to have fun. Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Art questions such as, “Where do people ‘Panibapu’, the one who called out of Living, Iskcon, the Bhagavad Gita, go for information when faced with a to him, and Pana are all gone. Each has Kabir, ThichNhat Hanh, Eckhart certain task or need?”In 2012, I was a limited time on earth. We all have Tolle, Tao Te Ching, have been some awarded a Leadership award by the a song to sing during our lifetimes. of my major influences. Association, named after James M. We need to have the freedom and the Research requires a lot of time Cretsos, one of its former leaders. courage to sing this song (and ensure gathering and analyzing data, To all my young friends reading this freedom for others). Do not let any writing research articles and getting this, I’d like to repeat the words doubt or fear silence or weaken your it reviewed by journals. The process of my colleague and former Dean voice. Trust in life! Devote yourself to of getting each article published can Michele Cloonan when I told her that the present. The future will take care range from a few months to a year to I’d finished all my work. She said, of itself. Remember, there is nothing 2-4 years. I have about 37 research “Work never ends.” While continuing more important than the ‘Now’!

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