A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PhD SCHOLAR AT CHRIST LAVASA

If you think about an ordinary day in a PhD scholar's life, uncertainty may not come to mind instantly. In this exclusive interview with Sagar Suresh, a PhD student at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Pune Lavasa Campus, we learn about his extraordinary routine and sometimes unpredictable day-to-day life on campus as a research scholar.

The self-evident question we had was what the day holds for him. Answering the same, Sagar explained how no day is alike as research is a study like no other. "With a minuscule change in any variable, one derives varied results in research, and so is the day of a PhD student; each day has something new in store,” was his ingenious reply. 

PhD at CHRIST Lavasa is like no other place. Sagar perceives the offsite campus as an advantage. He correctly defines himself as a “privileged batch” as the first batch that started the journey with two-hour classes during the weekend and chose guides that are helping them reach their very end goal. 

While choosing focus and dedication over comfort and convenience is a distinct feature of any PhD student, there exists no student who does not start his/her day here in Lavasa without Gangaram bhaiya’s chai and breakfast.  

For Sagar, his day starts early, around 4:30 am when he wakes up and does yoga for his mental and physical well-being. Prayer follows his yoga and he explains the importance of faith very beautifully saying, “Faith in God is what gives me the strength to endure what may come through the day, be it as little as a research failure or feeling under the weather. Believing in supreme power assures me a sense of discipline and courage to interact with people and tackle time.”

Like every other student, Sagar’s breakfast is at 9:00 a.m. at the Steaming Mugs canteen where he also checks his inbox for follow-up emails with the status of various paper submissions and conferences, feedback received, or any updates. Sagar divides his time into two blocks for a convincing reason. “Accepting one's circadian rhythm and time blocking into various chunks ensures maximum productivity through the ebbs and energy flows”, is what he says for dividing the day into ‘the rigorous research routine’ in the first half of the day followed by ‘devoted drafting’ in the latter. 

While the first half of his day includes reading, re-reading, understanding, dissecting, and analyzing multiple research papers by various scholars, his second-half consists of jotting down all his research findings in his article or at least making sure to pen down the literature review of such articles.

While many think of this as a standard routine, it is nothing of the sort. Each day is a new day spanning from what the next mail holds to an event that may lead you back to the "Research methodology books." 

Among all the uncertainties and continuous gain of knowledge, Sagar emphasizes how important it is to prevent study fatigue and brain-draining to maintain motivation and attention. 

His evenings end with either a calm walk on the promenade by the well-lit lakeside or reading refreshing books such as The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy or Free Your Mind by M.P. Neary,  which intrigues his thought process and creativity. 

Sagar mentions, “If passion follows your profession, it would never wear you off”. But still, at times when he feels exhausted throughout the week, it's the weekend when he rejuvenates and “rests or explores”.

He suggests mindful resting to unwind the work by giving ourselves incentives ranging from as small as our favorite food to traveling down to cities like Pune to connect with friends. 

Being at a secluded yet serene place amidst breathtaking ranges, and lush green surroundings often get people soul wandering. Sagar, while enjoying Lavasa to the fullest, often goes trekking along with the nestled natures' trail and his guide, who is nothing but approachable and supportive. It is in these moments that they bond and new perspectives are introduced to his research work and to life as a whole. 

There exists no set timetable or routine per semester for a PhD student. It is a journey of exploration, which can be completed by those with discipline, consistency, and faith. On a concluding note, Sagar aptly says, 

"Hard times are inevitable, negativity cannot be ignored, failure is unavoidable, but through all of that,  keep reminding yourself to stay consistent, and there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Some tunnels are longer, some are darker, some are jagged than the others, yet it is one's own choice for having chosen a path. I have chosen mine with a heart full of love in what I am doing, so will keep going on and on and on…”

A day in the life of Ph.D. scholars like Sagar is like no other, filled with uncertainties and questions to be answered yet so disciplined and fruitful.