Personal Profile

Hello...

 

My name is Neela Basu and this is my third semester in the SLIS program. I have lived in Indianapolis for the last three years but I am originally from Dayton, OH. 

 

No plants.  No pets.  

 

I have a bit of an unusual background. My undergraduate degree is in mortuary science and I worked as a funeral director and embalmer in Charlotte, NC for a few years. Since I moved to Indianapolis three years ago, I have worked for Indiana Organ Procurement Organization where I screen patients for potential organ, tissue and cornea donation. In this job, I regularly work with RNs, coroners, pathologists and funeral directors.  Working with this diverse group of people can be both a wonderful and extremely frustrating experience.  As a result of my background and experience, I have developed a pretty morbid sense of humor.  Out of necessity.  Life is often funny and sad at the same time. 

 

So, I work full-time on the night shift during the week. As a result, I am usually slightly disoriented to time and place. I never know what the date is and this has actually presented a bit of a challenge when it comes to making sure I am submitting assignments on the correct due dates.   (Fingers crossed – I haven’t messed anything up yet). 

 

I have a pretty diverse set of interests which is why I was attracted to library science in the first place.  Right now, I am interested in history (specifically colonial India) and medical anthropology.  (If anyone is interested in the subject of medical anthropology, I suggest reading Annie Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down:  A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures.  It's fascinating).

 

As I said in class, I enjoy gritty fiction.  Pulp, hard-boiled, I even like this specialization within horror fiction called splatterpunk.  I like reading about anti-heroes and imperfect people.  

 

I look forward to an interesting semester and getting to know all of you.