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Sunil Narumalani

After graduating from Campion I had a choice to make - either enter Inter-Arts at Elphinstone College or pursue First Year Commerce at a mediocre institution.  I chose Commerce (because it was allegedly more prestigious than Arts) and completed my B. Com. degree at H. R. College (1975-1979).  This was followed by an M.Com (1979-1981) at Sydenham. Having acquired a Master's degree, I continued on my C.A. internship for one year, before this sudden urge to try my luck abroad overwhelmed me.  I moved to the US in 1982 to pursue an MBA at the University of Georgia.  After about a year, I figured that the business world wasn't quite for me and I began searching for a more scientific field.  Some introspection on my part revealed that one of the subjects that had interested me in Campion had been Geography.  Now, unlike India, Geography in the US was a compelling field in the US.  Now, some of you may say Geography???  Capitals of the world????  That's it?????  Come now, if we recall Manju (RIP), Geography was much more than that - Economic, Physical, Human, etc.  There was another component (Techniques) - not quite in India yet - and it covered the science of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  These were the fields that I put my effort in. Along the way I found myself a wife (Rose) from the Philippines (met in Georgia - she was doing her Ph.D.), and had a daughter (Lyra - who is now 15). After finishing my Masters in Geography, I worked for a couple of years at the Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Sciences before moving on to a Ph.D (1990-1993).  Of course, a Ph.D. doomed me to a world of academia (which I thoroughly enjoy - keeps me young - if you know what I mean!). And so I have been a professor for the last 11 years....  I engage in my favorite hobbies of Taekwondo, and shooting (small and large firearms).