The
Harvard Feeling
HARVARD- a name that exudes
confidence, if not smugness! More than just a name, it is now a global brand in
the educational sphere that many aspire to possess, but a few find accesses.
Nevertheless, one can always dream to get a feel of it, if he or she manages to
reach down to its many corridors in a sprawling campus dotted with brick
edifices of the Georgian era.
Founded in 1664 at
Cambridge - a small township
in the scenic banks of the meandered Charles
River,
Harvard
University epitomizes the
cradle of the American Intellectual Renaissance. Over the years,
Cambridge - often referred to
as the
“Boston Left Banks”, has grown manifold to be a metropolitan city
with mesmerizing blend of history and technology. Interestingly, however,
Harvard continues to retain its unique identity amidst the urban conglomerate
with no dilution of its past legacy. In the last 340 years or so, not only has
it been a symbol of American thought but a global trendsetter in a diverse body
of human knowledge- from Public Policy to Philosophy.
Its bustling yards
and sprawling lawns bear the footprints of world’s foremost thinkers of
19th and 20th century. Its gothic style churches and the
old libraries stand as mute witness to the geniuses of the past and present who
have made this place their home and contributed significantly to the mankind.
Just a look at its long assembly line of Nobel Laureate production – 40 so far-
will leave you awestruck. As you look beyond your shoulder in one of the
numerous quaint little cafes that dot the landscape here, you can never be sure
whether the shabbily dressed bearded man sitting on the next table is not a
Nobel Laureate, like the schizophrenic John Nash.
While in
Boston, one cannot afford
to miss the sight as well as feel of another imposing institution – The
Massachusetts’s Institute of Technology (MIT) of
Cambridge. What Harvard is to
Arts, MIT is to Science and Technology. This icon of
modern science shines right on the bank of Charles
River, which separates
Boston and
Cambridge. It is here that
radar technology was born. Since long, many breakthroughs in diverse fields of
science and engineering have been scripted and demonstrated here inside the
quiet precincts of the world-class research laboratories .It is here that three
undergraduate students wrote the famous RSA algorithm, which drives the world
Internet commerce and saves your ATM card from malicious hackers. The
technologies of the dreaded ICBMs of Cold war to the intelligent Tomahawk
Missiles of the Gulf war were all designed here by the best of the American
brains. When you walk on its silent corridor, a feeling of humility is likely to
engulf you. Then you may possibly whisper to yourself: “Walk slowly, for the
most brilliant and creative minds from around the world are at work beyond the
walls”. Once inside this venerable institution, you can feel the brain center of
a superpower.
It may be difficult
to believe that 70% of the city’s population is academia. No wonder, why
Boston is widely referred
to as the Intellectual capital of America. Even as a tourist, one can easily sense
the reality while enjoying the trolley tour on Boston’s historic Freedom
trail. Invariably, you will come across an old but smart driver (captain) who
will amaze you with his/her commentary describing the intricate details of
Boston’s history and geography belying the common perception that an Yankee
usually thinks that the world is an oyster. Believe it or not,
Boston city has the unique
distinction of producing 137 Nobel laureates –an astounding figure by any
standard that is nearly seven times that of the share of Asian continent!
The setting sun was
making a golden handshake with the azure blue waters of Charles
River. Sailboats were
competing with one another to the laughs of merry-making tourists. The joggers
on the riverside - old and young, with MP3 wearable plugged firmly to their
eardrums, were getting ready to complete their final laps.
Boston was preparing for
one more night.
As I dusted myself
from the MIT lawn to make my way to the Marriott Residence Inn at
Kendall-MIT
Square, the forgotten pages
of Indian History blinked before my mind’s eye reminding me of the Nalanda and Takshila.
Alas! My Harvard
feeling will be a short-lived dream, as I would be bidding adieu before the
winter sets in Boston.
Contributed
by Santosh Kumar Pattanayak,
IRAS-‘88 at Kennedy
School of
Government, Cambridge.
1st
October 2005