Chasing quakes to dissect their phenomena
and from then there was no looking back. “In the opening lecture, my professor Vinod Gaur, a renowned seismologist, explained the prospects of Geophysics. The excitement of doing something new, something that mattered, made me quit Chemistry,” explains Kusala. She remembers being the only female student in her Master’s programme as not many girls took up the subject back then. After completing her Master’s, she joined the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) in Trivandrum as a junior scientist. But the thirst to study further took her to the University of South Carolina, where she pursued her PhD. It was around this time that she started exploring the phenomenon of earthquakes. “I was working on the process of earthquakes and how reservoirs trigger earthquakes. My five years of studying at the University of South Carolina kindled my passion. I became stronger and more motivated to do things,” reveals Kusala. When she and her husband, C.P. Rajendran returned to India in 1993, they realised two things: firstly, that an earthquake had occurred in a region (Killari) that had no known history of earthquakes and secondly there weren’t many experts studying earthquakes in India. The twin realisations prompted them to embark on a research project. Since then, they have conducted several such research projects, have published over 40 papers and have been cited countless times in seismology-related publications.
But recognition didn’t come easily, as Rajendran has had to put herself through gruelling fieldwork. One time, when her team was conducting research in an area close to the Indo-Pak border, she remembers having to brave many physical discomforts. “The terrain was rough, there were no toilets, no fancy hotels, plus, there were occasional periods of unrest between the two nations. The men had to sleep on bunkers, while I slept on a dining table,” she laughs. “You don’t worry about physical discomfort because you’re pursuing something. The excitement of pursuing something nobody has gone and looked at before gets you through the most difficult times,” she adds.
Today, she narrates stories of her adventures to her students in a bid to inspire them. She is also happy to see an increase in the number of female students taking up earth sciences. “Even in today’s world, it is difficult for women to pursue their passions because of societal pressures.
That’s why, when any female colleague congratulates me on this award, I always tell them that this award is for every woman who is working hard to pursue her career,” concludes Kusala.