My moods - A collection of text musings
About this ebook
different phases of life. One day he fondly recalls his childhood pets, the other day he may be
searching for an existential answer. The canvas keeps changing, from the present to a flashback into
his past and catapults to the unknown future.
The narration is unpretentious, and straight from the heart. The reader can relate to his simple
narrative style when he talks about his childhood school, or the incident when the dacoits of
Nawada had actually apprehended him. There are instances from his college days, when he
experienced selling ice cream on the Mulchand flyover, or thoroughly enjoyed his field excursions.
Or, how he recalls his pillion riders!
In mall onder, he salutes our home makers, in unsung hero he praises his barber Ramu. He portrays
a righteous man of principle, in tailor Srivastav. We can actually feel that he was humbled at the way
he narrates a humbling experience.
In life o meter, he draws a parallel between a car’s fuel indicator and our lifespan! Sometimes he’s
exasperated, at the way we’re heading towards a wired society. He raises questions on the true
meaning of life. There is optimism, there are simplified narratives on tackling day to day chores;
where he draws inspiration from his technical background.
He’s lost some extremely dear ones and his closing lines ‘your Topse is all alone’ touches one and all.
About the author
Subrata Chattopadhyay, is an architect and urban planner and a professor at the Indian Institute of
Technology Kharagpur. Though he has spent over three decades in teaching, research and
consultancy at IIT, he feels that his journey has just begun. He firmly believes that being in the
company of his young students, year after year, keeps him alive and fresh in the mind. Surely, his
students are the greatest source of his sustenance and energy. He also fondly recalls his stint as
visiting professor, in Lund University Sweden, as among his most fulfilling experiences.
Subrata enjoys traveling and meeting people with an uncluttered mind. This helps him fathom the
real priorities of the people. While he is open to learning an appropriate technology, from a bamboo
craftsman in peri-urban India, he is equally at ease, in exchanging notes at the Media Lab in MIT.
His tenure as Dean of Alumni Affairs at IIT, connected him to one of the largest networks of alumni in
the world and he was simply overwhelmed to see their love for the alma mater.
If being in numerous boards, forums and committees, including being a Board member of SPA Delhi,
is his hardware side, his software side, if we may, is his passion for driving, writing, his interest in
country music, and above all, just being a keen observer.
Through his musings, he captures his experiences, shares his thoughts and also poses some
questions. This is not about H-index, this is not about citations. It is just passion to connect with
another set of actors; his readers.
