Varadaraja V. Raman, Professor of Physics and Humanities at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, holds a doctoral degree in Physics from the University of Paris. Author of several articles and papers on the history and foundations of science, both in scholarly journals and in the popular press, he has also devoted many years to the study and elucidation of Indian thought and culture to Western audiences, including children of Indian heritage growing up in North America. He is the author of Glimpses of Indian Heritage and Satanama: Hundred Great Names from India's Past. He is an Associate Editor of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism Project. Dr.Raman has studied a dozen languages, including Sanskrit, Greek and Latin, and speaks Tamil, Bengali, Hindi, French, German and Spanish. He combines mastery over science with deep sensitivity to religious traditions. His book "Nuggets from the Gita" was published by the Bhavan.

No matter how far or for how long one is away from the land of one's formative years, one always hears a friendly call from there. This is especially so when one is born in India, for there is something magically enticing about the spiritual beckoning of India to her distant children that has nothing to do with political allegiance or loyalty of citizenship.

Over the centuries people from the Indian subcontinent have sailed and flown to far off shores and made their homes, there in comfort and peace. But even when they have fully adjusted to the changing environment, they have seldom given up their ancient cultural roots. That is why Divali is celebrated, the ragas are enjoyed, Bharata Natyam is performed and the Gita is read to this day wherever Indians have settled down: from Fiji to France, from Cape Town to Columbus, Ohio.

During the decades that I have lived away from India, going back occasionally not only to interact with family and friends, but also to see the sights, hear the sounds, and smell the air of my native land, my thoughts have often wandered there. No, I have not been wallowing in romantic reminiscences, nor languishing in nostalgic dreams, but simply been feeling at my core the spirit of India that is still within me.

I have, for many reasons, adopted the hospitable United States, here to live and work and complete my days; and in no way regretted the decision.