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GUJ 3-09: Passion for cricket

News: May 11, 2009

Gurumurthy Hegde comes from India. He began working at the University of Gothenburg last year and soon became convinced of the advantages of interdisciplinary research. He is happy to stay in Sweden for a few more years, which also means that the cricket team he started has a chance to become established.

Small plastic pieces lie scattered in a transparent box with open sides in the laboratory at the Department of Physics. Dr Gurumurthy Hegde, a post-doctoral research associate, picks them up one by one and slowly moves them at different angles to reveal patterns and light reflections. Outside the box they all look the same, apart from their thickness. The coloured surface is similar to the way the screen of a mobile phone can appear at a certain angle; the colour shifts from yellow to pink and purple.
“The idea is to get extremely stable displays aligned by polarized UV light,” explains Gurumurthy Hegde.
Since the discovery, liquid crystals have attracted a lot of attention, not only due to the scientific research but also due to the many kinds of display and other applications. Photoalignment is now a very promising method for aligning liquid crystals.

Gurumurthy Hegde's main research subject is photoinduced effects in liquid crystals, a technique for LCD screens for TVs and mobile phones. Gurumurthy Hegde’s move to Gothenburg and Professor Lachezar Komitov’s team of researchers has meant a supply of new materials on which to study light effects, from the researchers in the team.
“I met Lachezar Komitov in Hong Kong when I was working there. I think it is a unique field to work in, with new materials and the chance to develop the properties of the materials, which is always challenging. Alignment is a very important step for LCDs.”
An obstacle to the production of screens with liquid crystals is the rubbing of the surface, which produces dust. With photoalignment there is no direct contact with the surface and the alignment is induced by the light itself, making it an exciting and dust-free method.
“So, the challenge is to use new materials and make them stable thermally and with light.”
One of Gurumurthy Hegde’s dreams was to go to Europe, a decision he is now happy about. He would also like to continue working at the University of Gothenburg. He sees that he can contribute more to the department, and he would like to produce some novel results and ideas that can be successfully implemented by the industry. Gurumurthy Hegde and his wife will also be able to explore more of Northern Europe. Together with their friends, they have experienced the Swedish mountains and skied for the first time ever – over 30 kilometres!

“The nature in Sälen is wonderful and I have written in my blog about how to learn to ski and how a Swedish couple helped us to learn skiing techniques.”
At weekends, they have enjoyed the Swedish countryside and visited Sisjön and other places. Gurumurthy Hegde has also started a cricket team.
“One of my friends is a retired judge in Sweden and when he heard that I like to play cricket, he asked a lot about the game.”
The next time they met, Gurumurthy Hegde’s friend found a piece of wood to make a cricket bat, and Gurumurthy Hegde was able to start practising on a field in Heden that could match the measurements for a cricket field.
“Cricket is usually played with eleven players on each team, though we are only six or seven right now, but we hope this will grow in the future.”
Cricket is second only to hockey as a national sport in India. It was imported from England during the colonial period. Today the sport is played all over the world and the Cricket World Cup is followed by millions of viewers in over a hundred countries – even though one game can last for a couple of days! With a cricket bat and ball, Gurumurthy Hegde had no problems getting started, but so far, only his friends from India have joined him.

Guru Hegde grew up in a farming family, and his father went into the state government office. His brothers and sisters live near their parents, and Guru Hegde would very much like to live closer to them.
“In Johanneberg where we live, there are a lot of old people who are all alone and that feels very strange to me. I am used to having my family close to me, so I feel very sad when I see those old people alone. Their children should take care of them. It is the responsibility of every child to give love, care and safety to his or her parents.”

Guru Hgde has spoken his native languages of Kannada and Tulu since he started school, as well as English and Hindi. All education in India is in English, which is of course an advantage when working with other researchers in the field of liquid crystals.
“I would say that one knows about most of the teams in this field of research around the world.”
Many new techniques are emerging from LCD screen development and will soon enter the market.
Guru Hegde is very happy to be a part of this group, which is a pioneer in the field.
“Flexible displays is one such area that will soon attract attention around the world, and our area of research holds much potential, as very few groups are active in this unique area.”

FACTS
Name: Gurumurthy Hegde
Title: Post-doctoral research associate at the Department of Physics
Born: 1979
Family: Guru Hegde’s wife also lives in Gothenburg and works for a company in Mölndal. His family lives near Bangalore in India.
In his spare time: Guru Hegde plays cricket, does yoga and goes hiking.
Read his blog: www.murthyhegde.page.tl

Photo: Johan Wingborg

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