(Jai Prof J B French), With Baolin Kang, on 2026 July 7 to 11, and more, see below. == Me: (Jai Prof J B French. He did it very well. Excellent. Exceptional. Outstanding. Unique. Amazing. Beyond-the-Expected. Unimaginably Wonderful. GREAT. BEAUTIFUL. Our Many Thanks, Regards, Namaskaars-PraNaama and Best Wishes to him and all family, others helping, supporting, well-wishing etc, and to all. Best Wishes, Aummm...)

[Thirumala Raya Halemane]

(Jai Prof J B French), With Baolin Kang, on 2026 July 7 to 11, and more, see below. ==

Me:

(Jai Prof J B French. He did it very well. Excellent. Exceptional. Outstanding. Unique. Amazing. Beyond-the-Expected. Unimaginably Wonderful. GREAT. BEAUTIFUL. Our Many Thanks, Regards, Namaskaars-PraNaama and Best Wishes to him and all family, others helping, supporting, well-wishing etc, and to all. Best Wishes, Aummm...)

(Prof J Bruce French was my PhD Thesis Advisor at University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, in 1970s)

(i was student there in 1974-79, passed written Qualifying Exam quite early, within six months, in Feb 1975, then choosing to join his nuclear theory research group, finished PhD in 1979 December, also did a simultaneous MA in Math, received these degrees in May 1980 graduation, an an MA in Physics was given earlier, in 1975 or 76) 

=== 

(1) With Baolin Kang 1st degree connection · 1st Senior Healthcare Consultant, on 2026 July 7 to 11

Fwd

2026 July 7

Tuesday 

Baolin Kang  8:40 AM 

Hi Thirumala. And you okay?  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  8:42 AM 

Me:

Yeah  

Sure  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  8:44 AM 

Me:

Thank You, and how r u ??? 

ps= 

Everything Connected Advaitha, includes IRAN & ALL,  (need Israel-Iran talks), 

..(REST DELETED here for brevity) ...

Me:

(sent 2 photos)

Baolin Kang  8:53 AM 

Hi Thirumala! Good morning! great to connect with you here on LinkedIn. I look forward to getting to know you.  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  8:58 AM 

Me:

Yes, Thank You, and same for me, Great to Connect With You. How r u doing where r u ??? I am in New Jersey.  

Me:

(sent photo)

Baolin Kang  9:29 AM 

Thanks for asking. I'm doing well! I currently live in LA. Is that your family? It looks like you all have a really nice relationship.  

By the way, are you mainly here to grow your network, or are you exploring new job or business opportunities?  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  9:38 AM 

Me:

Yes, Baolin, that is my family, wife Usha and two sons (now grown up) Kaviraj & Shilpi,  

I am open to opportunities as well, connecting and sharing info, insights etc can be helpful also ,, etc ,,  

Baolin Kang  9:42 AM 

That's great! 😊 I'm here mainly to grow my professional network, connect with like minded people, and exchange ideas and experiences with professionals from different backgrounds. At the same time, I enjoy learning new skills, staying up to date with current events, and keeping an eye on trends across different industries to broaden my perspective.  

I believe that learning from people in different fields and sharing ideas through meaningful conversations can help us gain new knowledge, develop new skills, and see things from different perspectives. Those experiences often open the door to new opportunities and new ways of thinking. As I continue exploring new areas, I hope to keep expanding my knowledge, stay open minded, and continue growing, both personally and professionally.  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  9:45 AM 

Me:

👍  

Baolin Kang  9:52 AM 

Sorry, I'm not very active on LinkedIn, so I don't always see messages or notifications right away. Do you use WhatsApp or text by any chance?  

If you don't mind, I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on articles like this. I think conversations like these really help broaden my perspective, and it'd be great to stay in touch. 😊  

Baolin Kang  9:53 AM 

My WhatsApp is 12138468072. Feel free to message me anytime if that's easier. I'd love to keep in touch.   

(my reaction ❤️)  

Baolin Kang  10:13 AM 

(sent image)

(my reaction ❤️)  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  10:13 AM 

Me:

Thanks  

Baolin Kang  10:19 AM 

I have a few things to take care of today, but feel free to send me a message on WhatsApp anytime. If you send me the article, I'll read it carefully and I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on it too.✌😊   

(my reaction 👍)  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  11:39 AM 

Me:

(sent image, New York Times newspaper article from 1980 Jan 18, about Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping son coming to study at University of Rochester, Physics Department, in 1980) - see in attachment here below

Baolin Kang  11:55 AM 

Wow, this looks like a genuine vintage newspaper. I noticed it covers both international events and China. Is this from your personal collection, or were you involved with the paper in some way?  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  1:43 PM 

Me:

I think I got the newspaper item by online search several months or a year ago or so, and must have done PrintScreen to save it. I do not have any connection with the paper. I finished my PhD in Physics from Univ of Rochester in Dec 1979, and it seems Deng Xiao Ping joined there afterwards, and as per my friends' info then, he was in the same office and chair / desk as I was = aome AMAZING INSIGHT there for me, my guess  

Baolin Kang  1:51 PM 

that's an incredible coincidence. I can see why that left such a strong impression on you. It's amazing to think that someone who later became part of such an important historical story may have worked in the very same office and at the same desk you once used.  

Looking back, what was your time at the University of Rochester like? Is there one memory from your PhD years that still stands out to you today?  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  2:55 PM 

Me:

Nothing that stands out like that except that everything was a totally new type of experience for me, since then, back in 1974, not much was commonly known in India about life, living in USA in terms of practical ground-reality stuff, me being vegetarian and not knowing cooking also at the time. Of course, also hugely different looking, buildings, roads, cars etc,  compared to Indian cities I knew a bit then, Bangalore and Madras.  So, the new world USA, in that sense, could have been in another planet also, like I used to say to my relatives etc while visiting back to India, and they had much curiosity and questions. So that was all a lot of learning experience there, andor challenges, behind me, i can say. Not necessarily all easy, but which i / we managed to handle and move forward. Since my father had willingly agreed or encouraged my going abroad for higher education (unlike later in 1978 or so he had opposed my elder brother's coming to USA), I did not have that kind of stress or pressures, about family responsibilities etc, (one can help from here, in other ways, although not physically nearby), that my elder brother must have felt after opposing him and coming to USA (he eventually relocated back). That was in 1974 August when I left from there, and both countries, have transformed much since then. My father passed away there in 1987.  

2026 July 8

Wednesday 

Baolin Kang  1:08 AM 

That must have been an incredible experience. Moving to a completely different country in 1974, with a different culture, food, and way of life, must have taken a lot of courage. I really admire that you kept an open mind and adapted instead of giving up.  

Looking back today, do you feel those early challenges shaped who you became later in life?   

(my reaction 👍)  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  7:05 AM 

Me:

Great Question, And, the answer is "Yes and No", I am using the style I learned from my PhD thesis advisor Prof J B French.  

Baolin Kang  8:48 AM 

Good morning, Thirumala! Happy Wednesday! Hope you're having a wonderful day.  That's really interesting. I think one of the greatest gifts a mentor can leave us isn't just knowledge, but a way of thinking that stays with us for life.  

One of the reasons I enjoy being on LinkedIn is that conversations like this give me new perspectives I might never discover on my own. Hearing how people from different backgrounds think has helped me grow both personally and professionally, and I really appreciate you sharing your experiences with me.  

I'm curious, what was the most valuable lesson Prof. J. B. French taught you that still influences the way you think today, not just in research, but in everyday life?   

(my reaction ❤️)  

2026 July 9

Thursday 

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  8:28 AM 

Me:

Dear Baolin,   

Thank You for your admiration, your very supportive, kind, words. it is BEAUTIFUL. I am also very happy and very pleased to interact with you.   

Yes, I have much admiration and respect for Prof J B French, and it has grown over the years, especially looking back, over the happenings.   

We had some frictions, while I was there and later also, and although they were settled or smoothed out satisfactorily more or less, some strain was there, despite the positive views of each other that we have had (I also knew that he had high opinion about me, although he was not able to do better to place me in better jobs than what I had, but his recommendations were always of the best or of highest kind.  

It is just that his (and others') recommendations turned out to be insufficient, for whatever reasons, etc.. = not yet well-enough self-understanding of it for me, regarding his way of handling my case, about me and him, our relationship, other factors around us, and about India, USA, Canada, the world etc, he was born in Canada, PhD in MIT).   

He was considered the best in the department, regarding views about issues, everyday life, about people etc He had visited India several times, extended-stay there on sabbatical etc, also had several successful physicists working in India, past students or postdocs of his, .. etc.. (also others of Asian / Chinese type origin included). He spent a year in Brazil also when I was his student. So that was a good exposure to the diversity in the world, and a well-considered understanding of it.   

So, in a way, I learned directly and indirectly from him, about the wider world, about him and about myself. and how to navigate better, positively with a sense of success, how to be assertive if and when needed etc.   

As I have said before, I have learned many things from many people, and it is always like, I learn from everybody, both how to be as well as how not-to-be, what to do as well as what not to do, and so on, and of course, let me add that there can be gradations in these, and things can change or can be changing, transformations possible etc  

Baolin Kang  10:46 AM 

Good morning, Thirumala! I really like what you said, especially that you can learn from everyone, not only what to do, but also what not to do. I think that's a mindset that keeps us growing throughout life.  

That's actually one of the reasons I enjoy connecting with people on LinkedIn. Every conversation gives me a different perspective, and I've found that some of the biggest lessons come from people with completely different backgrounds and life experiences.  

By the way, I'm from Malaysia, and my father is from Hong Kong. I grew up in Malaysia before eventually moving to the United States, so I've also experienced different cultures and ways of thinking over the years.  

What about you? Which part of India did you grow up in, and when you look back today, what do you miss most about it?   

(my reaction ❤️) 

2026 July 10

Friday 

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  10:22 AM 

Me:

So, regarding my relationship with Prof J B French, and looking back, with all the happenings then, as well as previously and later, taking everything into account, it is   

Jai Prof J B French.   

He did it very well. Excellent. Exceptional. Outstanding. Unique. Amazing. Beyond-the-Expected. Unimaginably Wonderful. GREAT. BEAUTIFUL.   

Our Many Thanks, Regards, Namaskaars-PraNaama and Best Wishes to him and all family, others helping, supporting, well-wishing etc, and to all. Best Wishes, Aummm...  

I read that he retired in 1992 as professor emeritus, and passed away in 2002 aged 80, in Florida.  

Thank You for your questions and comments, Baolin. Excellent. I am Very Happy, Very Pleased. Beautiful connection here.   

I am from southern India, TuLunaaDu region, born in village now in Kasaragod District, (now in Kerala state), lived there till age 10, then father moved us (one brother staying with grandparents in the village) to Mangalore city (where he was working, also in the region, but Karnataka state), for school availability reasons.   

Later, living in hostels, at age 16 moving to Bangalore big city (same Karnataka state, outside the TuLu region) for college, at age 19 to IIT Madras in neighboring state (Tamil language). And I came to University of Rochester, in 1974, was 21 years old then.   

(Reacted with ❤️‍🔥)  

Baolin Kang  12:36 PM 

Thank you for sharing that, Thirumala. I really enjoyed learning more about your journey. It sounds like you've experienced so many different places throughout your life, from a small village to Mangalore, Bangalore, IIT Madras, and eventually the United States. That's a remarkable journey.  

India has actually been on my travel bucket list for quite a while. I've heard so many wonderful things about its history, culture, and incredible diversity. Besides famous places like the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Kerala's backwaters, Hampi, and the Himalayas, I'd love to explore places that locals recommend rather than just the typical tourist attractions.  

Since you're from southern India, if I ever visit, which places would you personally recommend? I'd especially love to experience the local culture, food, and beautiful scenery that most visitors might miss.   

(my reaction ❤️)  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  8:23 PM 

Me:

I admire your curiosity, admiration, respect. However, my expertise on places to visit etc is very limited, I am not much familiar with that aspect, having focused on my studies while young and mostly on the family afterwards, sightseeing was much lower in my interest scale. Also, over the last two decades things have improved a lot regarding tourism, and much attention is now given towards local culture, food, scenery etc spending time at rural home etc for experiencing it in depth, guided tours, tour groups joining etc are possible, I think, and they can be utilized nicely, effectively, conveniently, I think. Sorry, I am not being very helpful to you here, I think. But, I am sure you will find suitable ways to do the visit and to enjoy doing so. All the Best.

2026 July 11

Today 

Baolin Kang  12:24 PM 

Thank you, Thirumala. That's very kind of you. I appreciate your honesty, and I think you're right. Sometimes the best way to experience a country is simply to spend time with the local people and learn about their culture. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  

Since you live in New Jersey, I wanted to mention that I've actually been there twice for business. Unfortunately, both trips were packed with meetings, so I never really had the chance to explore beyond the business district. I'd love to go back one day with more time.  

Hopefully, if I visit New Jersey again, you'll be my local guide and introduce me to some of your favorite local restaurants and hidden gems. 😄  

Have you ever been to Los Angeles? If you ever make a trip to LA, I'd be happy to return the favor and show you around some of my favorite local spots and great places to eat. 😊   

(my reaction ❤️)  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  3:35 PM 

Me:

❤️  

Thirumala Raya Halemane (He/Him)  3:39 PM 

Me:

❤️

=+=

===+++===

in the old photo here, from 1989 at JFK airport, we see  Shree Shree Swami Paramananda Bharathi with us, our highly esteemed guest on his arrival from India. In the group towards the right side of the photo, the Swamiji is in the center, Paul Rajan (then HATCC President) at right-most in the photo,  V I Gundanna at right-back, Raghavan Pratiwadi at Swamiji's right-back, myself to his right, others at the airport also seen.

Our temple organization HATCC Hindu American Temple and Cultural Center, sponsored the swamiji's USA tour, and organized many activities, including symposia, poojas, satsangs, lectures, summer camp etc. These events were organized in public facilities as well as in people's houses. Newspaper articles (News Transcript, Asbury Park Press), and TV interview-session (Vision of Asia) also appeared. Individuals, families, community, general public were able to attend, discuss, and interact. 

Ved Mandir, a school in the Manalapan area, Rutgers University, AT&T Bell Labs were among the venues for the events. Most programs were held in New Jersey, the summer camp was held in Vraj Bhoomi in Pennsylvania, and some programs were held in New York. Swamiji also traveled to a few other cities, where he was invited for programs organized by hosts there. 

Prof M G Prasad, S. Yegnasubramanian and Paul Rajan took much of the organizational responsibility, with a lot of good help from many other volunteers and families who were involved in various related activities, including cooking, hosting, driving, making phone calls, providing equipment, participating, organizing, leading etc etc, thus contributing to the much admired success of his tour and the programs, all received very well, and creating a major positive impact in the community, in the region and beyond. 

Much transformation has happened since then, with HATCC activities playing an enabling part, impacts in the region, in the USA, in India, worldwide towards the better, in positive ways, for ALL people. Other communities, religions, nations, civilizations are also impacted, in addition to Hindus and Indians. 

Also attached is the Deng Xiaoping son coming to University of Rochester newspaper article, New York Times 1980 January 18

[Thirumala Raya Halemane]