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Email Nikhil Moro! moro.8@osu.edu

Hello, this is me. I appreciate your visiting my website.  Don't miss the engaging glimpses of my research interests, professional exploits, 
friends, beliefs, interests and my family. Happy browsing!

These are some of my favorite people in the world!
(I am treading tricky terrain here...  If you are not on this page, sorry but I am still waiting for your picture!)

LIFE MAY NOT BE THE PARTY WE HOPED FOR, BUT WHILE WE'RE HERE WE SHOULD DANCE: Suhasini Aswath (center) is one of the best known young Bharatanatyam artistes in central Ohio. Better than that, she is my buddy. A student of Ohio State's Fisher College of Business, she plans to build a career in computer networking. Hey Suhas, your dance is splendid, but your friendship is even nicer! Thanks for all your goodness. (At the right is Padma Shri Alarmel Valli, the well known Bharatanatyam danseuse, visiting from Madras, India.)

A FRIEND IS SOMEONE WHO WILL HELP YOU MOVE. A REAL FRIEND IS SOMEONE WHO WILL HELP YOU MOVE A BODY: Meet Karthikeyan Thyagaraja, my comrade in many an Internet file-sharing adventure. Karthik and I have spent months watching inane movies and laughing at banal jokes, forever contrasting "the great American idea" with the "great Indian nostalgia." Karthik is a trained vocalist, and an infectious enthusiast in all matters concerning Carnatic (south Indian classical) music. He has an M.S. in industrial engineering from Ohio State, and at present he lives with his parents in Dubai. Hey buddy, how does it feel to see your mugshot here?

FLATTERY LOOKS LIKE FRIENDSHIP, JUST AS A WOLF LOOKS LIKE A DOG: This is Meeta Pandit, my accomplished penfriend who lives in New Delhi. Meeta is an acclaimed performance artiste, hailing from the famous Gwalior Gharana of Hindustani vocalists. Meeta's mellifluous voice gives her a solid reputation as one of India's finest classical singers. Ambitious, talented and generous, Meeta is a Ph.D. in music and a recognized television/radio anchor. She is also one of the warmest and nicest achievers I know!

ARE FRIENDS CULTIVATED AT HOME? You bet. Gautam Mehta (left), my roomie, is unmatched in his exuberance, his wit -- and his PJs.  He and I discuss everything under the sun when we are not laughing at nothing. Gautam recently completed an M.S. in industrial engineering from the Ohio State University.

IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO GROW AN OLD FRIEND: This is S. Kiran, my brilliant classmate from high school and my buddy-in-arms. One of nicest people one can know, he is a systems analyst with Infosys Technologies, Bangalore, currently on assignment with Nortel Networks in Ottawa, Canada. Kiran and I have shared lots of adventures while at Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysore, and later, on Ramanuja Road and in Srirangapatna taluk.  When we talk on the phone, there is more laughter than talk!

TRULY GREAT FRIENDS ARE HARD TO FIND, DIFFICULT TO LEAVE, IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET:  B.N. Pramodh, my pal through thick and thin, redefines friendship with his "always there" reliability.  A sub-editor with Deccan Herald, Bangalore's revered English newspaper,  Pramodh is... well... simply a wonderful friend.   Hey Pal, it's great knowing you!

FRIENDS ARE LIKE STARS.  YOU DON'T ALWAYS SEE THEM, BUT YOU KNOW THEY ARE THERE: B.N. Sreedhara, my other great friend from Maharaja's College, is an ace reporter with Prajavani, a very large Kannada daily in Bangalore, southern India. Self-effacing, dependable and affectionate, Sreedhara likes to maintain a low profile --  he lets his keyboard do all the talking. Yenu Sreedhara, chennagiddeya? 

ASK NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY.  ASK WHAT'S FOR LUNCH:  This is Andrew Stehrenberger, alias Andy, my long-time chum. Director of Stez Media, London, and an engaging wit.  Andy develops Web-based solutions for his corporate clients in the U.K., and takes his breaks by jetting to South Asia seeking new business -- and old romance.  The famous domain NikhilMoro.com is Andy's gift to the world.   

HUMOR'S SAVING GRACE IS THAT IF YOU FAIL, NO ONE LAUGHS AT YOU: Pradnya Pandit, my penfriend with the funny bone, passed from IIT-Mumbai in 1999. She works as an interface designer in Mumbai, India, but her real love is theatre: She has scripted several Marathi plays for Pune's repertories as well as for All India Radio. She has also been an Assistant Director with a Hindi television serial.  Howdy Pradnya!

A FRIENDSHIP THAT CANNOT CEASE IS REAL: S.K. Umesh (left) and I frolicking in the snow at Cincinnati, Ohio.  Umesh, my Coffeeland News colleague, is a technical writer in Bangalore, India. My fast friend from our Maharaja's College days (1991) in Mysore, his contribution to our lengthy conversations is mostly through his ears.

NO CHIP ON THIS SHOULDER:  Aditi Bapat, my mathematical wizard friend.  Her brains are only matched by her warmth, her humility by her love for trekking. When not coaching Mathematics Olympiad hopefuls in Pune, you'll find her rubbing shoulders with the who's who of India's mathematicians at international conferences.  Aditi passed from IIT-Mumbai, and is a UGC Fellow pursuing a Ph.D in Number Theory at Pune University.  Hey, Aditi, thanks for being such a beautiful person!

THE MAN, HIS GLASSES, HIS STORIES:  This is Avinash Thombre, Ph.D student in Communication at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.  I know Avinash since his days as a star reporter with The Times of India, Pune.  Famous for his perpetual smile, large heart -- and his dancing pen -- Avinash is an avid cyclist, and as reliable as his favorite RX-100 motorcycle. A great guy to hang out with: My comrade in many a crazy adventure.  Good to know you, Avi! 

TERRIFIC TRIO:  Tanya and Stanley Mathew and their source of joy, Jordan.  A truly marvelous family, radiating love, laughter and support.  As my host family, they buffered my India-America culture turbulence. Stan is a senior analyst with Cendant Corporation, Columbus, while Tanya is a pediatric dentist and researcher with Ohio State University's department of pediatric dentistry. The two first met as students at the T.M.A. Pai Foundation institutions in Manipal, India.

FOUR FOR GLORY: (From left) Dr Vijay L. Prabhu, Avinash Thombre, me and Ravi Thakur.  Vijay is a successful pathologist and municipal honorary in Mumbai, one of my most supportive friends ever. Ravi (right) is an editor with The Times of India, Mumbai.  Don't let his serious expression fool you - he is quite the best wit of the Times editorial office. A connoisseur of good food and Mirza Ghalib's poetry, Ravi was my room-mate in Mumbai for nearly two years. When he is not wisecracking, or luxuriating in ghazals, you'll probably find him doing watercolors.  Hey Ravi, how're you doing, pal?

AU REVOIR, SAYONARA, BOO-HOO!:  This picture was taken at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, on September 9, 2000, at 1 a.m. as I was leaving for America.  The crowd includes (from left) Avinash Thombre (come from Pune), Ravi Thakur, Arun Kumbhar (come from Ahmednagar), my mother, Dr Vijay Prabhu, my father (partially hidden), N.D. Ravi Kumar (come from Gulbarga) and my cousin Kapil (from Ahmedabad).  Ravi Kumar and Arun Kumbhar are school buddies with whom I spent my unforgettable teen years in Mysore, India.  Kapil (right) is my favorite cousin; he is employed with the health department of the Gujarat government.

SMILE PLEASE! This is my buddy Ashwini Phatak, alias Isha.  Lives in Pune. Jolly, intelligent and always ready to help her friends, she has a heart of gold!

OKAY, ONE LAST TIME:  Another farewell photo taken at Mumbai airport.  Besides the other usual suspects, my father (center) is clearly visible in this one.

HOME AND HEARTH:  Dr Vijay Prabhu with wife Vidya and son Varun.  After Vijay is done with peering into his microscope, making life-and-death decisions for his patients, he loves to take his family out to dinner at their favorite restaurant on Linking Road (above). On weekends, they also watch a Hindi movie in Bandra's Gaiety cinema complex. Vidya, besides being a caring dentist, is a dream cook herself, with a rare culinary ability which I've had numerous opportunities to, well, taste. Varun, the little boy with big black eyes, consistently emerges a topper in his school, but he is as interested in film music and cricket as in his text-books.  Varun is his teacher's pet - and the apple of everyone's eye!

GIVE ME A PLACE TO STAND, AND I SHALL...  With Vijay and me is Swami Muktidanandaji, correspondent of Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysore, my old and famous school.  Swamiji is a selfless monk of the Ramakrishna Order, inspiration and guide to thousands of his beloved students.  In the background is Nisarga Niketana, the 'nature classroom' of the school.