« Background on Malegaon · Main · Calling all designers, the Mutiny needs you! »

September 08, 2006

Sexy Desi Geologists (Reprise)Science

Someone want to let me in on the secret that is South Carolina? It was the only state of the union that, until recently, has a capital forgotten on almost every geography bee and prompted one to think of secession and stars-and-bars. Suddenly, everyone from my boss to a close friend is interested in purchasing property there, and this patch of Southern Appalachia is turning into quite the desi magnet. Not only has a doctor friend set up shop in Columbia, but has invited my very eager brother to do so as well.
VJ-portrait2.jpg

I considered it all a coincidence until the discovery that famous geophysicist, Pradeep Talwani, is a professor at the University of South Carolina and director of the South Carolina Seismic Network, and Vijay Vulava has joined the faculty of the College of Charleston as an environmental geochemist. Hmmmm … the thot plickens.

Hark, what light through yonder passport photo breaks? Move over, Michael Manga - there’s a new sexy desi geologist in town. Unfortunately, like Michael, Vijay is married. His wife, Sirisha Vadlamudi, is an electrical engineer who specializes in virtual and augmented reality (sound familiar?).

Not to be excluded from the running is UTIG’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

While you investigate the South Carolina riddle, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more kannu-candy at the upcoming SEG conference in New Orleans.

maitri on September 8, 2006 12:37 PM in Science · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post



55 comments

 1 · siddhartha on September 8, 2006 02:35 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

the secret is mustard-based barbecue sauce. don't hate til you try it...


 2 · beige sage on September 8, 2006 02:39 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

I guess I'm with you on that........ this guy is considered "sexy"? I'm not feelin it.


 3 · Amba on September 8, 2006 02:46 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

He's cute enough, in a desi nerdboy type of way. Those are some fierce eyebrows, though.


 4 · Beige Sage on September 8, 2006 02:48 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Eyebrows like that are great to work with. You can shape them anyway you want.


 5 · hairy_d on September 8, 2006 02:57 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

is this a covert attempt at sepia destiny?

does one have to get in a punkthi?


 6 · chick pea on September 8, 2006 02:59 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

SC is where it's at...
Charleston... Columbia...Greenville (or G-Vegas)...


 7 · Kush Tandon on September 8, 2006 03:03 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

SC is where it's at...
Charleston... Columbia...Greenville (or G-Vegas)...

Which one? Pradeep is at USC, Columbia.

His brother is even more famous, Manik Talwani.

I know both of them quite well personally.

Maitri, I never been to a more boring meeting than SEG. I am not kidding. AGU, AAPG are more colorful.


 8 · razib_the_atheist on September 8, 2006 03:06 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

brown + rox = desi geologist


 9 · chick pea on September 8, 2006 03:19 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
SC is where it's at... Charleston... Columbia...Greenville (or G-Vegas)...

Which one? Pradeep is at USC, Columbia.

SC--meaning South Carolina in General..
The REAL USC is in Southern California :)
Go Trojans......


 10 · siddhartha on September 8, 2006 03:24 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

on the real, though, if anyone gets a chance to go to charleston, sc it's a fascinating and beautiful city. there are actually some very deep historical connections to india. in the 18th century charleston was the richest city in north america thanks to its port. it was the key point of entry of a number of goods including rice, some varieties of which came from africa and others from india. it's very likely that there were some ships that sailed the whole distance from, say, calcutta to charleston. certainly some of the wealth of that city came from trade with the east indies. anyway, it's a great place; if anyone goes, let me know and i'll pass on some dining recommendations.


 11 · Abhi on September 8, 2006 03:25 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

There should be a post about a sexy desi geologist every Friday. It is a good way to go into the weekend and it really brightens your foul mood when you have just learned that all the data you have collected on your rocks in the past month has been contaminated and you have to do it all over. Blech.


 12 · chick pea on September 8, 2006 03:27 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

abhi:
bummer about your project... ugh. go sexy geologists!

sid:
likley headed up to charleston in a few weeks.. will love recs, thanks! (remember veggie friendly!)


 13 · siddhartha on September 8, 2006 03:27 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
all the data you have collected on your rocks in the past month has been contaminated and you have to do it all over

not what they mean by getting your rocks off, eh? sorry to hear, that definitely sucks. take a deep breath and maybe have a beer before going back to it. perhaps some of the monkeys could be dispatched from the bunker as research assistants?


 14 · cauvery on September 8, 2006 03:36 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
director of the South Carolina Seismic Network, and Vijay Vulava has joined the faculty

OK, I really couldn't think of anything intelligent to contribute on sexy geologists (though I have to agree, we have no clue on what's sexy apparently)... so I've decided to remain juvenile...is it just me or does Vijay's last name sound like something Seinfeld would have thought of.


 15 · Maitri on September 8, 2006 03:56 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
all the data you have collected on your rocks in the past month has been contaminated and you have to do it all over

Drink out of the carton by accident? This is why I'll never be a geochemist. But, wait a second, aren't you working on morphometrics? How did your data get f'ed up?

apparently I have no idea what women find sexy ...

I've never been into desi guys, but this look really works for me, eyebrows and all. BTW, he's a runner, too.


 16 · Suraj on September 8, 2006 04:01 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Desis=Docs,Techies,Layrs,Potels....but,Geologists??? guess they are the "Unexplored" GEMS.


 17 · Beige Sage on September 8, 2006 04:10 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

I'm curious as to those who think this man is "sexy"... what is it that defines "sexiness" to you?

To me, a man who looks like he might be good in bed is "sexy".

Otherwise their are good-looking people who are not sexy.

Take Aiswarya Rai for example. Nobody can say she is "ugly". She has a pretty face, for sure. But she does not have a "sexy vibe", in my opinion.

Sexiness is something related to, well, sex. If they look like they know how to make good love to a woman, then a man can be considered "sexy".

In my opinion, the guy pictured here does not look like he would be good in bed.

That does not mean that he is not however. Even sexy looking men who look like they are good in bed, like John Abraham for example, may in fact be lousy lovers.


 18 · brown_fob on September 8, 2006 04:14 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Beige - The school bell is ringing...time for your math class.


 19 · Beige Sage on September 8, 2006 04:17 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Brown FOB

Mera masti spoil mat karo yaar....


 20 · hairy_d on September 8, 2006 04:24 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
Otherwise their are good-looking people who are not sexy.
i agree with that. it's a matter of personal taste though ... my gong really bongs for marisa tomei and mandira bedi... and ms rai is kind of cold to me.

hey... it's friday yaar. slow day.


 21 · rads on September 8, 2006 04:26 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Sexy? Entirely based on his looks?! Okay!!


 22 · Suraj on September 8, 2006 04:26 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Beige Sage said:

what is it that defines "sexiness" to you?

May be that his last name goes well with "Vulva"?


 23 · razib_the_authentic_brown on September 8, 2006 04:27 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

can't we move beyond these western influenced preoccupations with with "sex" and "sexiness" and emphasize spiritual nobility?


 24 · metric on September 8, 2006 04:31 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

"To me, a man who looks like he might be good in bed is "sexy"."

LOL! What is with the funny quotes today?!? Is it b/c it's Friday?


 25 · Beige Sage on September 8, 2006 04:34 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

I'm with you Razib, spiritual nobility can also be sexy!

In fact, a man can be the hottest thing to ever have taken birth on Bhumi Devi's lap, yet if spiritually he's about nothin, then he ain't sustainably sexy.


 26 · Beige Sage on September 8, 2006 04:40 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)


Suraj # 23 -


It all depends on if he knows how to work his last name.



 27 · Maitri on September 8, 2006 04:45 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
can't we move beyond these western influenced preoccupations with with "sex" and "sexiness" and emphasize spiritual nobility?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA

No.


 28 · Venkat R on September 8, 2006 04:47 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

one could only imagine the uproar if we started nominating hot desi chica's on the web ;-)


 29 · Maitri on September 8, 2006 04:52 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Venkat, do it! I scoured the web this morning for a hot desi female geologist and came up with big fat eggs. Surely, I can't be the only one! (Typing from floor as head got too big for body.)


 30 · Shruti on September 8, 2006 04:52 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
There should be a post about a sexy desi geologist every Friday.

Or just a sexy desi every Friday. Or, if no sepia destiny tab, how about a sepia hottie tab?


 31 · razib_the_authentic_brown on September 8, 2006 04:55 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

sepia hottie tab

lable it "cinnamon love" (that's my nickname).


 32 · Shruti on September 8, 2006 04:57 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Self-assigned, Razib? ;)


 33 · Beige Sage on September 8, 2006 04:58 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

I don't know about "sexy", but most of the pics I've seen of the Sepia crew here are good-looking. In fact, I would say all of them have a charm in their face of some sorts. But then, that could be said for all human beings, I guess.

My question from the beginning was what are such attractive, intelligent, witty, financially stable (or well off), men and women in their thirties doing still single? Does it bother them? Is it a sign of our times or something deeper?


 34 · hairy_d on September 8, 2006 04:59 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
lable it "cinnamon love" (that's my nickname).
more like cinnamon glove i am sure.

 35 · MG on September 8, 2006 05:06 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

btw..whats the point of this post?


 36 · Kush Tandon on September 8, 2006 05:17 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Venkat, do it! I scoured the web this morning for a hot desi female geologist and came up with big fat eggs. Surely, I can't be the only one!

I think I can find (know) few of them, perhaps I'll find few of the geo South Asian female fatales (no promises though) as a distraction today and post it here. Maybe, Maybe.

There was a igneous petrologist postdoc at Caltech a year or two ago - I am even forgetting her name, it was a Bengali family name. She was quite good looking on an absolute scale (scientist or no). I do not know where is, etc.

Just a few female geoscientists. No endorsement by any stretch or means.
Zeshan Ismat is half Pakistani, half Euro American at Franklin and Marshall.

Mousumo Roy @ NMSU.


 37 · razib_the_authentic_brown on September 8, 2006 05:21 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

i don't think it appropriate that the motherz of our brown children should be objectified as sex objects. A+, not T&A.


 38 · Dharma Queen on September 8, 2006 05:22 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

He looks like a youthful Sri Ramakrishna.

So much for spiritual nobility being sexy. The dimple in the chin is cute, though.


 39 · hairy_d on September 8, 2006 05:23 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

ohhh thanks kush.

my tectonic plates just shifted


 40 · desitude on September 8, 2006 05:23 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

There was a igneous petrologist postdoc at Caltech a year or two ago - I am even forgetting her name, it was a Bengali family name. She was quite good looking on an absolute scale (scientist or no).


Did you try workin' it Kush or did you chicken out? If you're down on your luck, maybe you can hire Razib to be your wing man.


 41 · Maitri on September 8, 2006 05:24 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Oh yeah, how could I forget Mousumi Roy from the GSA days? And, Kush, when it comes to SEG, some of us ... believe it or not ... like it.


 42 · Kush Tandon on September 8, 2006 05:32 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Did you try workin' it Kush or did you chicken out? If you're down on your luck, maybe you can hire Razib to be your wing man.

Maybe, maybe I get Razib as my wing man. Damn this kid [Razib] is good.

Seriously, she was someone whom you would turn your head and bump into something if you just saw her on the street.


 43 · Beige Sage on September 8, 2006 05:46 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Again, exactly what is "sexy" about Mousumi Roy? Zeshan looks "cute", but I don't find any "sexiness" in Roy. Is it her profession that one finds hot?


 44 · Kush Tandon on September 8, 2006 05:49 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Beige Siege,

Please read what I said in my comment 37:

Just a few female geoscientists. No endorsement by any stretch or means.

I was highlighting of South Asian origin Geoscientists to Maitri. It was a tangential note.


 45 · Beige Sage on September 8, 2006 05:52 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Ok now I see that, Kush.

Do you have any connection to kamat's potpouri, by the way?


 46 · Kush Tandon on September 8, 2006 05:54 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Do you have any connection to kamat's potpouri, by the way?

Beige Sage,

Not specifically. They do list my blog as with many others, and I sometimes get referrals from their portal.

Otherwise, no connection.


 47 · Bollyhood on September 8, 2006 06:33 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

He looks 100% native indian. Bollywood would cast him as a villain or a servant. You gotta look like you have at least some muslim khan pathan blood to be considered sexy in India.


 48 · Maitri on September 8, 2006 07:09 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

The point of this post actually is not sexy but geologist which to me is sexy. It's a nice shot of feel-good to see that non-geeks, who clean up nice and have interests outside of their research, are making it in the sciences, especially the geosciences, today.

Let's change the topic a bit: Does one have to look like Michael Manga to be a desi who makes it onto People's Sexiest List?


 49 · Neale on September 8, 2006 08:38 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

I took geology iin class XII and on a field trip to some hills , which backed up against a a nude beach, the prof. kept talking about exposures. Nerdy as we were, we were more taken by the pun than the you-know-what .


 50 · DesiDawg on September 9, 2006 08:17 AM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Dayum....them eyebrows are somethin else. He may have more hair there than some people have on their entire torsos.


 51 · Rupa on September 9, 2006 03:13 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

WOW. I step out of the room for 5 minutes and look what you kids done! ME LIKEY. And ambition and intelligence are VERY sexy. I am admiring all of your big sexy brains right now. [And I second the vote for desi hottie every Friday!]


 52 · Jai on September 9, 2006 03:18 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Different strokes for different folks.

Whatever floats your boat.

And all that.


 53 · tashie on September 9, 2006 10:39 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

Yeah I don't see the sexiness. Looks like an Uncle to me.

But then maybe once one hears a geologist open their mouth and start racy science talk that's what gets the blood pumpin ;-)

As a Law geek I think I'll stick to Mark Darcy as a human rights lawyer in Bridget Jones's Diary :)


 54 · Shruti on September 10, 2006 02:39 AM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)
But then maybe once one hears a geologist open their mouth and start racy science talk that's what gets the blood pumpin ;-)

As a Law geek I think I'll stick to Mark Darcy as a human rights lawyer in Bridget Jones's Diary :)

Some people are talking about sexy desis in the physical science fields of higher education, and tashie here is talking about Darcy as a sexy human rights law geek. Why not find a happy medium and start looking for desi profs/researchers in the humanities? That pool of desi sexiness is waaaay larger. Just off the top of my head...

Behold postmodern desi virility. If you're not compelled by the pic, then you need to come listen to his tour de force of sexy geekiness in lecture. He even made me change my mind about desi accents.

And how about a hottie who's a teacher and a doer? Pic doesn't do her justice. She's pretty intense in person.

Better yet, a desi who is a teacher and doer in human rights activism. She'll go into the trenches in the name of social justice (she's often threatened with violence for her work), and she's middle aged!!


 55 · louiecypher on September 11, 2006 08:43 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

>Better yet, a desi who is a teacher and doer in human rights activism. She'll go into the trenches in the name of social >justice (she's often threatened with violence for her work), and she's middle ag

I guess Anjana Chatterji is sexy in the way that propagandists like Biju Matthew are sexy. She purports to be concerned about communal violence in S. Asia but spends 100% of her time excoriating the Hindu community. Investigations into crimes against Hindus in Pakistan & Bangaldesh apparently don't meet CIIS's high standards for academic inquiry. I think they should stick to teaching dance therapy & "body work"...


Add a comment
         
 
   
   
 
Remember me?   

To prevent comment spam, please type the word brown below:


Note: Please don't feed the trolls. Requests for celebrities' contact info or homework assistance; racist, abusive, illiterate, content-free or commercial comments; personal, non-issue-focused flames; intolerant or anti-secular comments; and long, obscure rants may be deleted. Unless they’re funny. It’s all good then.

   
If you don't see your comment yet:
Wait 15 seconds and refresh your browser, don't post a duplicate.