Moment

Last week was a pretty hectic one. It all started last Friday. As I was working over a recently started problem, something struck my mind. There was a thing I could use to solve my long standing problem which I was about to wind up as it hadn’t moved an inch further in the last seven-eight months. This was a problem which we encountered in September 2010. We struggled over it for nearly three months but to no avail. We could neither prove nor disprove the result we were interested in. Finally, in December we decided to put it off indefinitely. But somewhere at the back of our mind, we had a feeling that the result must be true. So, I continued to have a look at it in-between. We were almost convinced that no existing techniques could solve this problem. So, I tried to develop something new to cater to this situation. But of course, it’s not a child’s play and that’s why I couldn’t progress much in that direction, though I used to work over it at least twice a week.

And then, last Friday the thought came that I could mould the things to fit in the existing setup. And on Sunday, the eureka moment came. I was thrilled to see the solution. Things fitted in so nicely as if it was just a jigsaw puzzle, made to give you a correct picture once you get a trick to fix it. I was experiencing something which Erdos would call a proof from THE BOOK; more elegant than we could have ever imagined. Over the next few days, the process of refining the arguments continued, to make the things more rigorous. And now, we have an almost surely correct proof for the almost sure convergence we were looking for.

That was a moment, when I could experience the joy of creation. Artistically, I have never been much creative nor do I have much of an aesthetic sense. But I used to enjoy making things when the directions were given. That’s why I think I love Mathematical things…. you can create something new even when you are restricted by the existing rules and regulations . Here’s the latest instance of my effort of creating something - the 3D model car made from the fevicol box (which contained the guidelines) with the measly accessories. (Blue and black pens to substitute for the colours. What else a doctoral student in Statistics can have, especially while staying in a hostel ? )

But now, I think I need to form a new set of rules for myself. I couldn’t resist the temptation of completing this car, when I saw the picture and wasted more than an hour in it. Right now also I am writing this post when I should have been working on the three assignments that I am expected to submit this week apart from my regular research work. Enough of the celebration for the newly discovered result; off to work now….