The magical land of CMI
Hello, brave traveller of the interwebs! You have had a long journey so far. You have witnessed the vast lands of quora questions, sailed through the endless oceans of blogs, traversed the cold deserts of facebook posts and trekked the high mountains of youtube videos. I see, you are still unsatisfied. You have not found the answers you were looking for.
A passion for Mathematics in your eyes, a problem-solving demeanor and a career-curiosity! Ah the one I have been waiting for! Looking for a home, aren't you? A place where you are not odd, have people who can understand your language of dots, and crosses, and alphas, and betas, and epsilons, and deltas. A place where you can be you. Now, you are wondering how I know this. Let me tell you, not a lot of travellers come to this land, and those who do, are just like you - hungry for knowledge, curious for answers and tired of those muggles who don't understand that the sum of natural numbers is a twelfth of the negative unity - and I, the creator of this land, guide them to a place they can call home. Traveller.. o dear traveller! Take some rest. Relax, and drink some water. While you repose, allow me to tell you about this magical place.
Far south, in the land of temples, Bharatanatyam and bad pani-puris, lies this place called 'Chennai Mathematical Insitute', or as some call it affectionately, 'CMI', a home already to a few hundred like you. The inhabitants of this place, however small in number, live in almost perfect harmony as a family. Everyday they hone their skills in what are called 'lectures', and learn from mystical wizards referred to as 'professors'. These professors are some of the best and most experienced of your species this land has ever seen. Their knowledge of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics is unparalleled in all of this land. Each of these professors handle about 8-10 learners. After the days’ lectures are over, the inhabitants have ample time in their hands to explore the world around them and find their true potential. The inhabitant not only learn, but also closely witness and even take part in spellcrafting, sometimes also known as 'research'. The guardians of this place, some call them the 'administration', are the friendliest of their kind. They will guide you whenever required. You should be warned that the learning will not come easy. The inhabitants are always in war with the tough assignments and the mighty quizzes. You will have to practice your skills outside the lectures, interact with fellow inhabitants and learn from them too. Professors will guide you, but the effort will be yours. Your life will be difficult, but fun and exciting.
Ah, life.. what do I tell you about the life there? In one word, CMI is paradise - beautiful, clean, green and peaceful. The inhabitants live in what they call 'hostel'. Two of them share a room in the hostel. Few have settled in the library - a room filled with all the books you will ever need, and the computer lab - a room filled with computers used for working when the sun shines and for playing games when the moon glows. Every inhabitant has countless sweet memories of this place - eating maggi and talking to friends in the night canteen at 2 AM, playing basketball, volleyball, cricket and football, watching late-night movies, and having spontaneous dance parties. I must say, the place is worth visiting just for the hostel.
It is unfortunate that one can not stay at this place forever, for a traveller has to continue his journey of life. But with the knowledge gained and skills learned here, the traveller gets stronger, and is prepared for the journey ahead. Many embark on a path to advance studies in places like MIT, Princeton, Oxford, Stanford, ENS, IISc, IMSc, TIFR and more, and still many others go on to explore the worlds of huge MNCs earning big money. It is fair to say, no one leaves the place empty-handed.
You might now be wondering how to reach this place. So, traveller.. let me warn you again, the path to this place is not easy either. One of the two gates to this place is guarded by the 'entrance exam' monster, and not many can defeat this monster. But don't lose hope, dear traveller, for the other gate is unguarded. Those who have conquered the national olympiads may enter CMI directly through this gate. The bravest and the most courageous of the entrants are awarded with 'scholarships' to support their stay.
Now that you know about this magical place, and how to reach there, you have to decide if you want to set on this arduous journey. But if you can trust me for one thing, let me tell you that CMI is worth all this pain. I hope you have rested well, and would like to continue your expedition in search of home. I wish you all the best for your journey, and I am sure you will find what you are looking for. Do well. Bon voyage, traveller!
Disclaimer: The article was written for the Raise a Mathematician Foundation's blog.