DNA to Data

Nature to Tech-feature

     History tells us that discovery often lies rooted in ancient culture and nature. Many technological innovations are inspired by natural phenomena that serve as the original source of ideas. Some of the world’s best inventions have emerged from biomimicry, the practice of learning from nature’s designs.

Engineers developed nanorobots that mimic the helical movement of bacterial flagella, enabling them to navigate complex human blood vessels for targeted drug delivery. Velcro was invented after observing how burrs clung to a dog’s fur, revealing tiny hooks that could grip fabric loops. Airplane wings and gliders were designed after studying the wings of birds. Wind turbines were inspired by the structure of humpback whale fins. The design of the Japanese bullet train was modified after observing the kingfisher’s long beak, allowing it to move from tunnels with minimal noise. Even the portable toilet iThrone mimics how plants draw moisture from soil and release it through leaves, evaporating most human waste without energy. Antivirus software draws inspiration from the human body’s defense mechanisms, detecting and neutralizing digital threats. Organic electrochemical transistors are used to trap ions, mimicking the long-term plasticity of biological synapses in human brain. 

Even social media algorithms reflect patterns similar to human mental processing.

But what exactly is an algorithm?
An algorithm is a finite and ordered set of well defined instructions used to solve a specific problem or perform a calculation. It acts like a recipe that takes input, processes it, and produces an output. Algorithms form the backbone of computer programming and logical decision making.
Interestingly, human thinking itself follows a natural sequence similar to UPDCA:

1. Understanding or observing the situation
2. Planning a course of action
3. Doing or implementing the plan
4. Checking and evaluating the results
5. Analysing and interpreting feedback to see whether the purpose is served and to what extent. 

The human mind processes situations in a structured, algorithmic manner. Artificial intelligence programming is inspired by this very intelligence. Yet AI represents only a fraction of human capability. Human intelligence carries dimensions gifted by nature such as intelligence quotient, emotional quotient, spiritual quotient, social quotient, and adversity quotient.

Although artificial intelligence has a long journey ahead, it has undeniably simplified many professional tasks. However, the original source of structured thinking, creativity, and wisdom remains the human mind, deeply connected to nature.

In the end, perhaps every invention is not merely a creation but a rediscovery. Nature has always been the silent teacher. Technology only translates what nature has already perfected. And the human mind remains the most sophisticated algorithm ever designed.

दव

एका साहित्यकाच्या घरात जन्माला येणे म्हणजे भरून आलेले आभाळ आणि त्याला प्रकाशाची किनार…

सतत श्रावण मास असल्याचा भास किंवा वसंत ऋतू च्या आगमाची आस. 

कवी कल्पनाशक्तीच्या शिखरावर असताना, किराण्याची यादी हातात मिळावी तसे घरातील ऋतू रंग बदलत असत.

व्यवहारी जग आणि आतील कवी मनाची तडजोड मला काही नवीन नव्हती. अशा सुखद भावनात्मक संघर्षाच्या वातावरणात मला गणित कोण शिकवणार? यावर गंभीरपणे विचार सुरू असतानाच, वडिलांचे साहित्यिक मित्र मंडळी घरी येत असे आणि ‘आपले गणित चुकले’ हे मला त्या वयात ही कळावे, कांद्याची भजी , फक्कड चहा आणि कोट्यात्मक विनोदाच्या लाटा…कुठले गणित आणि कोणती किराणा यादी? सगळं वाहून जायी.

मला ही अभ्यासाचा जास्त पुळका नव्हता. त्यामुळे वडिलांचे बोट धरून मी ही निघायचे. कधी गंगेवर, कधी सार्वजनिक वाचनालय, कधी वसंत व्याख्यानमाला, कधी काळाराम, कधी गोंदेश्वर, तर कधी कविवर्य तात्यासाहेबांच्या घरी. 

काकासाहेब वि. वा. शिरवाडकर, त्यांच्या नाशिकच्या घरी तसे एकटेच रहात असत. मोठ्या मनाच्या या विभूतीच्या घरातील खोल्या तशा लहान होत्या आणि अंगणात मी खेळत असे. आजही मला त्यांची खुर्ची, टेबल, बुक रॅक आणि त्यांचा पलंग आठवतो. बाकी सगळं पुसट आठवतय. 

अशाच एका भेटीत मी ‘ध्यास’ कवितेवर कुसुमाग्रजांची स्वाक्षरी घेतली. त्यांनी भरभरून आशीर्वाद दिले. 

सर्वांचे लाडके तात्यासाहेब आठवणींची शिदोरी देऊन पलीकडच्या प्रवासावर निघून गेले.

काही वर्षांनंतर मी त्यांना आमच्या कॉलेजच्या “कुसुमाग्रज “ हॉल बाहेर लावलेल्या एका फोटोत पाहिले, आणि मला लहानपणचे ते शांत निवांत क्षण आठवले, वृक्षाच्या पानावरील दव अनुभवावा तसे स्मरण झाले. मोठी माणसे त्यांच्या छोट्या छोट्या गोष्टीतून आयुष्य जगायची व लढायची ऊर्जा देऊन जातात. 

साहित्य महर्षी विष्णू वामन शिरवाडकर तथा तात्यासाहेब आज त्यांच्या जयंती निमित्ताने “मराठी भाषा गौरव दिन व विश्व मराठी साहित्य संमेलनानिमित्त” प्रकर्षाने आठवले. त्यांचा सहवास व आशीर्वाद लाभले हे भाग्य नसे थोडके.

“आमुच्या कुला कुलात नांदते मराठी

येथल्या फुलाफुलात हासते मराठी

येथल्या दिशादिशात दाटते मराठी

येथल्या नगानगात गर्जते मराठी”

बोलतो मराठी… जाणतो मराठी…मानतो मराठी

Closed, unfinished or trapped?

 The geometry of our inner narratives!

Very small patches come together to solve the jigsaw of life. Our experiences too can be symbolically understood in simple forms in the diagram given above.

A half circle signifies a thought left midway, unimplemented, lacking foundation, an effort made with no closure. Such half-formed attempts consume energy and mental space. They must be identified, learned from, and consciously discarded, not repeated unconsciously and one should quickly move forward.

An incomplete or unprocessed circle represents something different. You tried your best. You reached far. You were almost at the finishing line, ready to taste the fruit but circumstances, limitations, or resilience fatigue stopped you. The effort remains suspended. You are left astonished, confused, and slightly unsettled. These are unprocessed tasks, incomplete emotional files, unfinished conversations. You can pause for a little-while, if necessary, but sooner have to let it go, signing off.

A complete circle signifies the art of finishing. It reflects closure, the discipline of concluding, detaching, and freeing mental space to initiate something new. A completed circle is a file consciously closed and placed into the mental shelf.

Then comes the circle with an arrow which is the vicious loop. Here, you are not simply unfinished; you are trapped. It is a repetitive pattern of thought or experience. You wish to detach, yet you unknowingly return to it. Unlike an incomplete circle that allows you to leave it, restart a new one, a vicious loop keeps you rotating in the same emotional orbit. It drains awareness and subtly creates dependency. It’s vital to break this pattern.

Pause and reflect.

What kind of circles you currently are dealing in your life?

Is it halfway? Or Unprocessed? Or  A vicious loop?

Or completed circle which is identified, sorted, treated, and concluded?

If necessary, pen it down, sort them as per types of patterns in the diagram, decide the line of action, start implementing with awareness and feel the results. 

Our journey becomes lighter when we recognise the shape of our experiences.