Dear Obaid, Wishing you a very happy birthday. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude. First, for conceiving NCBS which has turned out to be such a brilliant hub of Indian Science. NCBS is not just a place where good science is done, but a place where unique ideas are being generated. We owe this all to your vision. Secondly, I owe it to you to introduce me to NCBS way back in 1996, which allowed me to do a PhD there and which has played an extremely important role in shaping my career. Your policy of recruiting students without boundaries helped me a lot, otherwise it was quite hard for a physics student to take up biology. Over the years I have appreciated that I could not have had a better training anywhere else in the world than what I received at NCBS. Your ability to grasp any new technique in the world and apply it to understand complex biology has always been and will always be a great inspiration. Wishing you good health and many years that will continue to inspire beginners like me. best wishes -Rajat