Greetings! For some time now, I’d in mind to introduce myself. In the following few paragraphs, you’d read a brief description about me.
My name is Laj Utreja. I was born in New Delhi, the capital of the then newly formed nation-state India on August 15, 1947 carved out from the greater British India Empire. My parents, from a well-to-do family residing in the present day West Punjab province of the British India, being Hindus were forced to come to India as refugees under rather dire conditions. I don’t have to elaborate more on that – you all have read stories of the refugees. After 5 years of struggle, moving from one place to another, my parents finally settled in Delhi.
My childhood, with my siblings, and friends, was an ordinary, pleasant and event free period of my life. It was steeped in the loving care of my parents. My parents were a one stop shop, where all of my needs were met. We as siblings had no understanding of rights, besides the fact that our needs were met. Even though it was from the eyes of a child, yet, looking back, what I saw was a clear display of duty performed by each one of my parents.
As a child my favorite after-school activities were playing field hockey, acting in staged dramas, and reading books on general knowledge. I passed Higher Secondary Certificate from the Technical Higher Secondary School (THSS) in Delhi. It was the first time I sat through a competition (and I didn’t even know what it meant) to get an admission in the 9th grade. At THSS, I attended machine shop, electric shop and wood working shop, in addition to the other courses taught at regular higher secondary schools.
After Higher Secondary, I entered yet another competition for admission to Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT/K) where I earned a B. Tech. degree in Aeronautical Engineering. There, for the first time, meeting students from all around, I learned about India, its rich heritage and its diversity of different languages and cultures. I also learned a lot about the USA, because my instruction all through my major years was delivered by professors from the USA. Two observations were noticeable: 1. India is a land of diverse faiths, races, caste systems, genders, languages and dialects, and 2. it is important to make good grades and be at the top, if we’re to get a better job. Beginning summer 1966, after graduation, I worked for 2 years at the Civil Aviation Department in New Delhi. My assignment was to increase the performance of sailplanes using flight data.
With a desire for world travel, I applied to a few universities in the USA to secure an admission. In 1968, I got an opportunity to go to the University of Minnesota for graduate studies, where I earned an MS degree in Mechanics and Mathematics and completed all the requirements of a PhD undertaking. I later completed Ph.D. in Computational Fluid Dynamics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. In the meantime, circumstances necessitated that I take a job during the then slump aerospace industry. I worked for the aerospace industry, and had a small business with NASA and the US Army. I also taught at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Some of the professional areas of interest were Solid Rocket Booster Recovery System, Hollow-Nosed Cavity Infra-Red Seeker system, Space Debris capture concept, Hypervelocity guns, Aerodynamic analysis and testing.
Then, out of the blue, one of the tragedies hit me so hard that compelled me to seek who I am. That persistent thought sent me to places such as Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, Self-Realization Fellowship in Anaheim, California, Prashanti Nilayam in Puttaparthy, Chardham in Uttaranchal, and Mount Kailash in Tibet. I’d notable experiences at all of those places. It is because of those self-searching journeys, that today I’m at peace with myself.
