Where Do I Come From? A Journey from Calcutta to Paris

People often ask me where I'm from, and it's a question that's become more complex over the years. The simple answer used to be Calcutta (now Kolkata) or India, but like many stories of migration and movement, the reality is much richer, and not so simple.

The Beginning: Banlieues of Calcutta

I was born in the banlieues - the suburban areas - of Calcutta, West Bengal, India. It was in the sprawling, green, and quiet yet chaotic neighborhoods on the southern part of the urban metropolis of Calcutta that I spent my childhood and teenage years.

I grew up pretty comfortable and sheltered in the Calcutta in the 1990s and 2000s. Growing up there in a somewhat stereotypical manner, as I was, meant being immersed in aspects of culture - like literature, science, cinema, or politics - through my formative years.

The Academic Journey Begins: Kanpur

At 18, I left home for the first time to pursue my undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. This was my first real experience of being away from family, of adapting to a new place and culture.

Kanpur taught me independence and introduced me to the world of engineering and science. It was here that I first discovered my fascination with understanding how things work at a fundamental level - a curiosity that would eventually lead me to neuroscience.

European Adventures: Lausanne and London

After completing my studies in India, I went to Europe. First stop: Lausanne, Switzerland, for my Master's degree at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Life Sciences and Technology. The internationality of the environment, the new academic culture which got me introduced to biological research, although from a computational perspective, and the stunning backdrop of Lake Geneva and the Alps provided a completely different perspective on life and work.

From Switzerland, I moved to London for further studies. London was yet another revelation - a global city with incredible diversity, where I could find familiar Indian food around the corner while being at the heart of international research. The city's mix of tradition and innovation, its acceptance of different cultures, and its role as a global hub made it feel like a bridge between my past and future.

Finding Home: Paris

Finally, I arrived in Paris for my PhD and now postdoc work. Paris has become more than just a place I live - it's where I've built my research career, where I've learned to navigate French bureaucracy (a skill in itself!), and found myself in a way, intellectually.

Working in French research institutions has taught me about different academic cultures, the importance of work-life balance, and the value of long, philosophical discussions over coffee. Paris, with its rich history of scientific discovery and intellectual ferment, feels like a fitting place for someone interested in understanding the brain and behavior.

What "Home" Means

Today, when people ask where I'm from, I realize that I carry pieces of all these places with me. I have:

• The intellectual curiosity and love for debate from Calcutta
• The systematic thinking and problem-solving skills from Kanpur
• The precision and internationality from Lausanne
• The global perspective and adaptability from London
• The philosophical approach and appreciation for culture from Paris

Each place has contributed to who I am as a researcher and as a person. In neuroscience, we talk about how the brain integrates different inputs to create our perception of reality. In a similar way, I think our identity is shaped by integrating all the places we've lived, the people we've met, and the experiences we've had.

The Ongoing Journey

Migration and movement aren't just about changing geography - they're about constantly adapting, learning, and growing. Each transition taught me something new about resilience, curiosity, and the universal human capacity to build connections across cultures.

As I continue my research in Paris, studying how brains adapt and learn, I can't help but see parallels with my own journey of adaptation across cities and cultures. Both involve plasticity, learning from new environments, and finding ways to thrive in unfamiliar territory.

Perhaps that's what makes us human - our ability to carry our past with us while continuously adapting to new environments, much like the neural circuits I study in my lab.

This is part of an ongoing series about the intersection of personal experience and scientific research. What places have shaped your thinking and research?