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In 1970 I came here. I was at the University of Massachusetts studying

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industrial engineering. You know first it’s, it’s obviously a huge change. But it’s an easy change. 

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You know, to September, weather was beautiful. UMass is just a 

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gorgeous place. And then we were in this graduate dorm called Prince House.

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There was a very stark difference from how things are done at IIT (Indian Institute of Technology)

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and how they were being done at UMass, in the sense that

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at IIT it was kinda very structured and the professor were a lot of talking

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and very little discussion. And I came here and suddenly there’s a lot of discussion

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a lot of focus on understanding things. So it was like a…it was like a new world!

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And it—it was so motivating. I still remember being kind of wide-eyed, that—“My God,” you know,  

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“How come people are, students are talking so much? **laughing** Am I allowed to talk?” 

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And it took, I think it took a few months before I started to open my mouth. 

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But it was very easy, I must say. It was not a difficult transition to—

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See if you think about it, you go from the village, to Chapra, to Parthna, to

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IIT, to UMass. Each time, you know, in some way, things are getting just a little

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easier, **laughing** actually each time.  So it’s fun sometimes to go back. So when I go back to India?

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You know, so I go to…sometimes I go to Karpur then I go to Parthna, then I got to Chapra then I go to the village. 

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Then I come back. So you kinda almost have to become a different person, in each environment.