Visit of Providence, to Providence

A contrarian theologist is banished from the rigid and orthodox Massachusetts Bay Colony; he moves South to Narragansett Bay and finds both home and calling among the rustic but congenial natives. He names the town "Providence" in gratitude, a one of a kind safe haven for religious liberty, a deeply revered landmark for like-minded folks from the world over.

I planned to attend the 60th Anniversary celebrations of the Roger Williams National Memorial last year, but 'providence' shifted the plan to the next. So, here I came, in 2026, to imagine the bygone era in the serene and truly ‘open campus’ surroundings of Roger Williams National Memorial Park, which is undoubtedly the best natural tribute to the original inhabitants, the Narragansetts and Wampanoag, and of course Roger Williams.

{Wonder what prompted the largely inclusive Williams later in life, to lead a militia against the tribes during King Philip's War, as also endorse the enslavement of Indigenous war captives. This sad twist in his otherwise exemplary tale seems much more than an aberration.}

Spent good time at the Brown University campus where alumni luminiaries like John F. Kennedy Jr., Janet Yellen, John Sculley, Jeffrey Eugenides, Craig C. Mello, Alexis Ohanian, Emma Watson, and 'office' fame John Krasinski have spent many a cherished moment.

Finally, took an express look from the outside at the iconic Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Was it the heat advisory or offseason time to blame, there was no one in sight to guide non-entities like us. Thanks to a helpful student, we got hold of campus tour map. Bless her soul!

RISD is no doubt a marquee institution that has uniquely shaped the language of contemporary art and design, a green house for artists, architects, and makers across genres, but here's a heartfelt appeal to the management:

Could you build a physical, contemplative memorial on the exterior, may be a quiet garden space where Providence residents and visitors can pause and reflect, and a plaque honouring the philanthropic legacy of the visionary thought leader-practitioner Vikram Kirloskar who served on RISD's Board of Trustees, and endowed the Visiting Scholar in Painting program to bring South Asian and Indian artists into dialogue with RISD's community. The plaque will be a great physical structure companion to RISD's Vikram Kirloskar Presidential Fellowship.

Vikram Kirloskar was way more than a scion of an industrial dynasty; he was a self-made, Lawrence School-bred, MIT-shaped industrialist who traversed the trials and triumphs of the shop floor before he led the boardroom. This towering champion of sustainable manufacturing and hybrid mobility stamped his affinity, ability, and agility across diverse spheres beyond his mainstream ventures: from philanthropy to green initiatives, from classical music to culinary experiments, from golf to wine, from painting to design... and much more.

His cosmic connect with the world-renowned vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is part of a folklore that sits pretty on the cusp of the corporate world and community-wide universe. I am yearning to chronicle this musical aspect of Vikram sir's persona, but I am clueless how to go about it, given my 'social recluse' identity card, the price I happily pay to savour the splendid isolation of my agenda-free, freewheeling escapades into life and work.