Classic Car Rally in Lindau, Lake Constance

Narayani Ganesh
04 July 2013, 07:07 PM IST

The first morning on June 30, a Sunday, in Lindau, the picturesque town on the banks of Lake Constance in Germany, I decide to take a pre-breakfast stroll and am pleasantly surprised and excited to witness a Classic Car Rally being flagged off. I can see several Indian students – part of the contingent of 22 young researchers from India who are here to participate in the Lindau Nobel Laureates meetings, also lining the street. The students are supported by the Department of Science and technology, meeting and interacting with 35 Nobel Laureates and during the second week, by the DFG, the German Research Foundation that will take them on a tour of high-end research institutes in Germany.

A student of Indian (Tamil) origin, Ashok Kumar Junior -- 'AJ' as he calls himself – is awed by the beautiful gleaming machines, being admired by one and all, and that too in perfect condition. (see pictures). AJ is researching low cost rapid diagnostic tests that are minimally invasive, for medical conditions as part of his Ph D work that he is doing at Harvard, Boston. Though his Ph D is in applied physics, he is working with the chemistry group (which is why he is here in Lindau as the theme at the 63rd Lindau Nobel Laureates meeting is Chemistry). His parents are both medical doctors in South Dakota.

Among the total of 600 students from around the world selected to converse with Nobel Laureates here, apart from the 22 from India, there at least a dozen or more students of Indian origin selected from their countries of residence, including US, Germany, Taiwan and others. Says a student from India, "It is a wonderful opportunity not just to meet with eminent scientists who are so senior to us and so accomplished but also to meet with our peer group from other countries – where some of us are likely to go for post doctoral studies."

Enjoy the pictures!