D Asoka Mendis

Events on My World Line D Asoka Mendis

In this long memoir that spans eight decades and five continents, Asoka Mendis (Emeritus Professor of Space Physics, University of California, San Diego) recollects the seminal events in his life, as he grew up in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), did his post-graduate research in England, and subsequently followed a career in research and teaching in the United States following a brief stint in Sri Lanka. Much of the memoir is devoted to copious reflections, that are often triggered by these recollections. A clear thread that runs through the entire narrative is his uncompromising skepticism, and his deep commitment to the application of the empirical or scientific method of investigation (which is combining reason with observational verification) in all spheres of human thought. He states that the guiding principle of his life has been just a single, yet all-encompassing word that was inculcated in him, very early on, by his rationalist father, which was: Think. In its overall scope, this book is not merely an autobiography of the author but a biography of the entire universe (both external and internal), that is skillfully woven into the narrative, and the topics range from the mundane to the profound. While the level of attention required of the reader varies from chapter to chapter, increasing significantly towards the end, even the most profound scientific ideas are presented simply and transparently, and quite often lightened by a touch of humor.