Page 326 - AWSAR 2.0

302 || AWSAR Awarded Popular Science Stories - 2019 Ms. Oyahida Khatun
Veins are not in Vain!
Ms. Sreyashi Bhowmick*
Email: sreyashibss@gmail.com
Ibet this one’s a yellow topaz, he shrieked in excitement as he scuffed the stone with the tip of his index finger, while the other
contender waited for my refutation. It was late in the evening when I finally managed to escape the unbearable traffic, on my way back home from the university. And the moment I step into the cozy comfort of my home both weary and exasperated, I was greeted by two of my father’s distant relatives, who were eagerly waiting to resolve some of their weirdest treasure hunting problems. And before I could protest that neither was I doing a research on gemstones nor I had a keen interest in gemology, both the visitors settled with a preconceived notion that geologists are supposed to know everything about gemstones and can even analyse an entire chemical any stray misplaced stone in
one fleeting glance. Out of desperation and also to break the awkward silence engulfing me I said, “Geology is not only about drooling over gemstones, there’s more to it.”
For the past few years, apart from verbally certifying gemstones I had been given tasks to explain out the differences between zoology and geology in various social gatherings, but still some of my relatives claimed that geography and geology were the same subjects taught with different course names.
“So what are you researching on?” the most common question that is asked once anyone gets to know that you are a research scholar and in the most sarcastic tone when one doubts your ability as a researcher, especially if you cannot identify a gemstone.
* Ms. Sreyashi Bhowmick, PhD Scholar from Jadavpur University, West Bengal, is pursuing her research on “Fabric Analysis and Tectonic Stress Determination in the Rocks of Chitradurga Region, Dharwar Craton, South India- Implications for Vein Emplacement”. Her popular science story entitled “Veins are not in Vain!” has been selected for AWSAR Award.