Personal Statement

 "Why don't you ever stop?" 

My mother was a top-ranked student throughout school, born into a middle-class family in rural India. When her father's businesses collapsed, he took his own life. At eighteen, she entered the workforce without attending college, working so relentlessly she barely made it to my parent-teacher meetings, she never wanted to stop working since. She never had the chance to play it safe. Even now, decades later and far more comfortable, she doesn't take a single day for granted or feels sorry for herself. 

Her story formed the backdrop of my childhood, but my world looked very different. I was deeply inspired by science fiction that I spent most of my time building things from scratch with whatever materials I could find to make fiction real using my creativity. Thus projects became my companions. I obsessed over every detail because their outcomes primarily represented my identity, beyond anyone else's expectations. No matter if it was epoxy putty based action figures or music productions or short films or building websites...

Growing up, the internet became my safe haven, a place where I could listen to creative and accomplished figures -- a privilege my mother couldn't have. Listening to them, changed my perspective globally that my original creative works in whatever form can matter enough to leave a global impact!

Thus my artist name -- "Sukanth Original"

My passion towards sci-fi introduced me to MIT! learned more about MIT, the culture, Media Lab, decided this was where I could belong to! So I tried applying for undergrad, I failed. My father couldn't support and my school didn't understand what applying to MIT meant. When discouragement surrounded me, a 1980s MIT alumnus told me: try for a Master's instead, and spend the intervening years becoming the best version of you that MIT would love to have.

Throughout school and undergrad, I never quite fit in, not because I was better, but because I genuinely wasn't able to connect these global aspirations with conventional pursuits and routines despite self-doubt due to lack of prior evidence or support systems.  

This anxiety made me question my choices and wonder if I should play it any safe? -- I've had far better privileges compared to my mother. Upon maturity, the lessons I learned from my mother and learnt during my tinkering are the same -- making the best out of what i have and not take anything for granted..

This made me push through all nighters and sleeping in the cold lab to go where I wanted believing my works would one day take me to! Working under resource constraints taught me that "upon pure intent, external limitations make you more capable with less."

One fine day, Robert Scoble - a prominent silicon valley evangelist publicly endorsed HUX, unwarranted and the mob followed being excited about my work. The kid who believed his work would matter globally one day was right and he's just getting started! When provided enough evidence and global achievements- the ones who I thought considered me a misfit, I became their local hero who performs on global arena - reach me for guidance! - pushing the envelope of what a middle class kid from Chennai could achieve... I was not trying to be better than anyone else - that wouldn't have made me half of what I am, I was just trying to be the best version of Sukanth Original!

Much later, following many successes and relationships with MIT's HCIE and Fluid Interfaces groups, the moment came,

I decided to visit MIT in person! I saved up money, bought a plane ticket from India and visited the Media Lab despite significant stakes to lose. Unsurprisingly, it was the best place I have been to! I spent forty minutes with Professor Pattie Maes discussing my smart glasses work, my origin story, my music composition based on a dream. The pioneer herself told that she enjoyed my "creative and great" ideas.

People at the top of their fields bonded over my works, one of them on my music that uses Fibonacci sequence. For the first time, I didn't feel like an outsider or forced myself to fit in or downplayed to have "regular" conversations. The density of creative, inventive and quirky people who not only understood me but pushed me to think even bigger confirmed what I knew at fourteen - this is where I actually belong - felt safe yet even empowered to push more.

MIT Media Lab is not just a graduate school for me, this is where an even better version of Sukanth Original's homebase is...