Author: Ipsita Sarkar
My Expedition from Local to Global- Being Scientistic: A Session with Dr. Tanzila Mukhtar “Dr Kalam, how did you decide to be a scientist?”, I asked our former President and legendary Scientist, Dr Abdul Kalam, when I was in 9 th Grade at the Parliament. He answered cryptically with another question, “When I was a kid, I asked my mother how birds fly?” This was how Dr Tanzila Mukhtar’s Expedition from Local to Global happened. At the Parliament, she was just one of the 15 wonder-struck students representing her home, Jammu and Kashmir. The answer at that time seemed vague but inspiring to Tanzila, who did not know that it was going to be a prophetic one for her. Like the flying birds, she would be all set to migrate from her cosy home nest in Kashmir to the scorching concrete jungle of Greater Noida for higher schooling to the sambhar-idli IT land of Bengaluru for her under-graduate studies to the scenic mountain peaks of Switzerland and hiking through the neat alleys of San Francisco to pursue advanced learning and a career in Neurobiology. On 19 th July however, Dr Tanzila Mukhtar, a Kashmiri Post-Doctoral Scientist and Neurobiologist based in San Francisco in the United States, returned to her home Jammu and Kashmir virtually through a Zoom Webinar, guiding around 100 high schoolers from the Kashmir Education Initiative (KEI) on moving out of their comfort zones, being curious and competitive, facing challenges in their academic and professional lives and about her own passion in Neurobiology. Dr Tanzila began the session with a flashback of her school days, how she had always been a bright student who was on the forefront of all extra-curricular activities as well. Thanks to her zeal and enthusiasm, she got the opportunity to meet key political leaders such as Dr Abdul Kalam, the State Education Minster of Jammu and Kashmir. At the end of it, she would receive certificates of encouragement that was going to help her in the journey ahead. Post her father’s transfer and facing infrastructural challenges in Kashmir, Tanzila shifted base to Greater Noida to stay with her Khaala (Aunt). Here, even the annoying heat and a 10-kilo weight loss failed to stop Tanzila from diving deep into the Sciences and chase an assortment of extra-curricular dreams ranging from Singing to Debates, Quizzes, Essay Writing to becoming a Sports and House Captain and even the Head Girl in Grade 12. In school itself, she was one of the 10 students selected from over 700 in India to write for the Junior Edition of Times of India, who would then be further be awarded the Times Newsmaker Award and meet the then Chief Minster of Delhi, Smt Sheila Dikshit. By talking about her accomplishments at an early age, Tanzila encouraged the youth of KEI to always give it their best shot. Whether their resources were minimal on not, they had to make the most judicial use of the platform they had and work hard towards achieving their goals. She then spoke about how her journey in Science started. She was always an inquisitive person, asking deep penetrating questions. It was probably this innate curious nature of hers that drove her towards looking at the innermost molecular mechanism of things and wanting to study the development of brain through research rather than going into the conventional Medical Practise. After her stint in Greater Noida, she travelled south to pursue BSc in Chemistry, Botany and Biotechnology in one of the leading colleges, Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru. Much to her delight, apart from the food fusion here (welcome idli sambhar!), there was an exciting cultural fusion happening here, which made her even more adjustable and open to new experiences. Even amidst a cosmopolitan atmosphere with students from all over India and the world, Tanzila continued to be a College Topper and the only one in her college to win the prestigious Goldman Sachs Global Leadership Program Award. Her secret to doing spectacularly well was having a foresight, being an avid reader and learner and being respectful to her teachers. And nothing stopped her, not even her father who raised concerns about her choice of subject. He insisted that joining the IAS would have been a safer and a better bet. She could have been another Shah Faisal. But Tanzila, as strong willed as ever did not agree. She had to do something that would make her happy. And that made all the difference. After her graduation in Bengaluru, she applied for many scholarships to different universities in the West. She was not successful in all, but she kept trying. She packed her bags and moved to the University of Sheffield where she did her Masters. Her debut abroad was not easy- it started with about of sickness and an emergency appendicitis surgery, with her anxious parents’ phone calls urging her to come back, could have easily put her on the backfoot. Instead, she utilised this well- earned Scholarship chance to work extra hard that impressed her inspiration and mentor, Dr Verdon Taylor. She returned to her second home, Bengaluru to pursue a PhD with mice in inSTEM under the guidance of Dr Ramkumar Sambasivan. Later, she reunited with her Professor Verdon Taylor, in the Department of BioMedicine, the University of Basel-funded by Swiss Govt Excellence Scholarship program, and completed her PhD in Developmental Neurobiology with Summa Cum Laude-the highest possible Grade that one could achieve in Switzerland. It was a proud moment for her! Like Bengaluru in India, Basel in Switzerland became her second home. Her journey onwards, she was offered a Post-Doctoral position by the reputable Professor Arnold, the Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Centre for Regeneration Medicine in San Francisco. Here, she got a chance to work with the most brilliant minds in the field globally. In San Francisco, she enjoyed Christmas parties, travelling, eating pastries, walking through the neat uphill and downhill lanes, looking at the Pacific Ocean as much as researching stem cells. Back in the virtual Zoom hall with the KEI students, to many in the audience having a keen interest in studying Research, she spoke in depth about her Stem Cell research. She talked about what a stem cell was, the other cell types such as the pluripotent cells, iPS cells, transplanting neurons, ongoing work on treating Alzheimer’s with drug testing and neuron transplanting, the difference between a human brain and mouse brain and how it could help in the study of brain development, etc. The Scientistic Session ended on her motivating the students to never back down and keep putting in 100 % efforts to succeed. She answered questions on dealing with depression to creating opportunities in schools that lacked infrastructure even during a conflict or a lockdown. Refuse to be a victim and never sit still , she said, utilise a break to set a goal, read more and discuss articles and books with like-minded friends and classmates, start a volunteering group, organize events and competitions in school that you are passionate about. Most importantly, step out of your homes and explore your competition and social ties in faraway lands to be the best version of yourselves! Dr Tanzila Mukhtar may have been miles away from her home in Kashmir, but her experience, and positivity made her an inspiring role model to the KEI young leaders, back home. She agreed to guide them in their road ahead and even sang a Kashmiri folk song to much applause. And in her encouraging voice, the youth found their own hopes and dreams echoing away, from very far, yet very close. All they had to do was listen.