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I Traded a Gallbladder for a PhD

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August 2024 I packed up everything I owned from my small apartment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said goodbye to Louisiana State University, and moved 742 miles (~1200 kms) north to Charleston, Illinois. I was stepping out of the life of a full-time PhD candidate and into the dual chaos of becoming a full-time assistant professor, all while still being a PhD candidate. It was like jumping from one speeding train to another that was moving even faster. I had a new office, new courses to teach, a new academic environment to get used to, and a dissertation to finish — all at once. The semester was a whirlwind. I was juggling a full teaching load, research, service duties, and, on top of it all, racing against the October 31, 2024, deadline to submit and defend my dissertation so I could graduate in December 2024. After four and a half years of navigating the ups and downs of a PhD, I thought I was approaching the end. Or at least it felt that way. I stood at a crossroads with only two opti...
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PhD in Everything but Majoring in Disappointing Society at 31

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Birdsong. Coconut trees swaying. Overripe mangoes smashed on the road, run over by early morning vehicles. Ants are already at work. Tiny insects buzz around the pulp. A few birds hop down and start pecking at what’s left — their breakfast sorted. The sky is just starting to turn gold. A light breeze moves through narrow lanes still half-asleep. DAY 1 — THE CURIOUS NEIGHBOR Location: Panicker’s Lane. Trivandrum, Kerala – Early morning I walk beside my father — Achan (that’s the Malayalam word for father), at 6 a.m., matching his steady pace. He does this walk every single day. This is my first time joining him in two years. As we pass one of the familiar houses, our neighbor — shirtless, lungi casually folded up, newspaper in one hand, tea in the other, is already settled into his usual spot on the veranda. He sees us, smiles, and calls out with casual ease: “മോള്‍ ഇങ്ങനെ ഒക്കെ ഒറ്റയ്ക്ക് നടന്നാൽ മതിയോ?” (Implying: “Can a woman really go on like this alone? Don’t you need someon...
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