Pratik Ray's ruminations

about starting on research:
"So what should you do if you didnt have "luck". Well, first of all, there should be a resolve not to trash your discipline unless you have given it a good shot - meaning, dont think of switching lanes too early. Secondly, think clearly about what you are passionate about (in my case, it was numbers, math and geometry). Then talk to professors to see whether you are able to tie up your passions in any research field (IMHO, you should be able to do this!! That's the beauty of research). I cant over-stress how important this step is. Thirdly, walk through the library. Look at books that professors havent ever suggested. Often such books turn out to be specialized books and may be a bit tough, but, they have the advantage of offering you a glimpse on how things may look at the research level. No professor at undergrad level asks you to browse through the "Physical Metallurgy Vol 1,2 &3" by Cahn and Haasen. But having done just that, I found an useful article by Walter Steurer on quasicrystals, which helped me fuel my interest on. Lastly, keep your eyes and ears open for research projects. Nothing matches gaining experience on the job. So, working on a research project part time in your college, or a summer internship in a research lab helps you no end."
I found the whole post interesting and to some extent, it corresponded with my experiences. In my case, I suddenly developed a passion for mathematics after reading books like E.T. Bell's "Men of Mathematics" and started browsing through books outside the curriculum. An unfortunate side effect was that I found the university studies stultifying and stopped attending classes. After a couple of years at home, I realized that it was difficult to do research at home unless one was exceptionally talented. I went back to university, this time to a college where attendance was not strict. When I became a graduate student, I was determined not to be guided. I was lucky to get in to place (TIFR) where it was possible and in addition there were lots a of friendly mathematical discussions. I would read notes and books on Topology and browse through research papers which often I could not understand, but that gave a feeling for what was going on and the type of problems to look at. Tpwards the end of thirs year, I started finding problems that seemed approachable and slowly research career started. Pratik's comments about 'passion' and browsing through somewhat ununderstandable research papers resonated with me.

Perhaps there are disadvantages too for this kind of 'do it yourself' approach. Rather very late, I found that the advantages of working with others. Somehow, it seems to bring an extra intensity, awareness which makes the work much more than the sum of two people's work. I felt that at least in my case, the work which satisfied me most in terms of solutions to problems that bugged me was joint work.