Years in Boston
Nagabhusan served as an engineer in Durgapur, West Bengal. He came to Boston in February of 1970 to attend MIT. He stayed in Boston until the Spring of 1977, when he moved to Columbus, Ohio. He lived in Ashdown House, a singles graduate student dormitory in MIT campus on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge. He got married in 1972 and stayed in the graduate student housing Westgate for two years, after which he rented an apartment in Somerville, a neighboring town. His Boston years were memorable to him and he made many good friends. The daughter Sangeeta was born in Boston in March, 1977.
City of Boston seen from MIT
Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Named in 1630, the city has retained the reputation of being the educational and cultural center of the US all its life. Known for Boston Tea Party and the Minutemen soldiers, Boston has been a beacon of liberal ideas in the US. It has been the home of several US Presidents and many learned scholars.
Harvard University was established in 1636 and has continued to be one of the highly ranked institutions for undergraduate education in the world. MIT was established as a technical school in 1861 and excelled in its prepation and analytic training of the students. With a healthy competition between the institutions, the students are showered with resources in proximity unavailable anywhere else in the world. Other educational institutions like Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University and Brandeis University have followed.
Besides education, Boston is a major health care center in the US. With an old cultural tradition, the area prides itself as a home to thousands of students who come to town for studies every year. Mnay students stay back as professionals adding to the cultural diversity to the landscape.
Adam's Bridge connects City of Cambridge (north) to City of Boston.
The city of Cambridge is across the river from the city of Boston. Though established at the same time with Boston, it went through various reorganizations to be be finally incorporated as Cambridge in 1846. MIT was the first major institution in Cambridge though Harvard University had already been in operation a couple of miles down the road.
While Boston was a port town with various capitalistic and political maneuvers, Cambridge remained a more open and cosmopolitan town tolerating race, diversity and personality. With the influx of a quarter of city's population every year, Cambridge maintains a colorful youth in its social outlook and urban customs.
Nagabhusan arrived in Cambridge as a new graduate student in January of 1970. New students coming from abroad are called "foreign students" in the Cambridge vocabulary. A "foreign student" has to operate as any other student except with a tight budget. From its ealy inception MIT has been supportive of foreign students particularly with the import of engineering students during the war efforts. Students from India have a strong presence in MIT campus through their good academic work, discipline and high industry.
Ashdown House was the graduate student dormitory for single students from 1937 till 2008. With students from all around the world it is a srong confluence of intellect and scholarship. Nagabhusan enjoyed his stay in the House. Mr Manmohan Subudhi, another student from Orissa, was already in residence at Ashdown House when Nagabhusan arrived. They became neighbors and life long friends.
Nagabhusan got married in the Spring of 1974 and moved to the Married Students' Housing in the Westgate apartments that year. In early 1975 he moved to an apartment in the neighboring town of Somerville. Nagabhusan left Boston with his wife Rajakumari and daughter Sangeeta in the summer of 1977.