Standing in SeLa Pass
Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh, India. May 20, 2024. L to R: Anuvab, Sourav, Ashwin, Asif, Nirmal, Vilas

Hello Visitor!

I am Nirmal Sarkar, a Biotechnologist and Blogger from Kolkata, India. I am a Graduate Research Assistant in Biological Engineering at Utah State University, Logan, UT. I am working in Metabolic Engineering Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Jixun Zhan. I did my Masters in Bioengineering from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. My research is in Metabolic Engineering. More about my academia later. I am compelled to write about my blogging journey first. Read along.

I started blogging in 2013-2014. My first-ever blog was set up on the Google Blogger platform back in 2013. It was named Android Experts Club. In 2014, I purchased my first-ever domain name, www.androidexpertsclub.in. Then, I moved the blog to WordPress Platform with a Web Hosting service sponsored by Jian Tam. (Thanks, Jian, for supporting me and many more in those days) Eventually, I learnt about SEO and decided to set up a fresh blog. On 15th February 2015, I set up HiTricks, where I continue to post about technology, software, business, gaming, and more. HiTricks had been my source of side income during my college days, which I continue till date. HiTricks and most of my other blogs (including this website) are hosted on VapourHost and VapourHost Ultra.

Over the course of the years, I have set up a few more websites:

FinTalks: A Forum to Talk all about Banking and Finance in India. FinTalks Facebook Group is also there for the community to interact and help each other. If you are interested in Credit Cards, then this is community is a must join for you.

EvTalks: All about Electric Vehicles. The blog is not LIVE. However, the EVTalks Facebook Group is open to the community.

UnPencil: An edu-themed website. This project is also not LIVE. However, I am not letting go of this domain as it is close to my heart. The UnPencil Facebook Group is open to the community, and I have also recorded a pilot episode of The UnPencil Podcast. Someday I will be continuing this for sure. 🙂

CryptoHub: A Facebook Group for Cryptocurrency related discussions. A website for this brand is yet to be made. However, we regularly hosted LIVE sessions for crypto discussions, which are included in twenty-six episodes of The CryptoHub India Podcast.

While I was busy setting up my blogs and managing the Facebook communities, I was a college student. And like every college student, the driving force was to get some side income. I never took it as my main profession. Although I did have thoughts on some weird nights to become a full-time blogger, it was never a constant calling.

I had an interest in biological sciences in school and a desire to pursue engineering. Hence, I chose to pursue a Bachelor (B.Tech) in Biotechnology from Techno India University West Bengal, India. This was followed by a Masters (M.Tech) in Environmental Biotechnology from Jadavpur University, West Bengal, India, and a second Masters (M.Tech) in Bioengineering from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India.

I was a Summer Research Fellow (SFRP – 2020) at the Center for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Other than that, I also carried out an internship on Molecular Biology at Altanostics Labs Pvt. Ltd., IIT Guwahati.

Throughout my Bachelors and Masters, I worked with microbial systems and their potential to address environmental and industrial needs. I developed a research interest in Metabolic Engineering. You can read more about my research here.

Apart from my professional and academic life, I have also volunteered for SPIC MACAY IIT Guwahati Chapter, in promoting Indian Classical Music and Culture amongst the ‘campus junta’ of IIT Guwahati. I was the ‘Media Head’ and was responsible for content writing, and managing the social media handles. We hosted a few cultural events, including the Annual Classical Fest of IIT Guwahati, “Virasat 2023“, and “Virasat 2024“. As a takeaway, I learnt a bit of hospitality and event management too.

In my free time (if you still think I get some…), you’d find me humming some tunes, listening to Sunday Suspense (or other Bengali Audio Stories), trying to learn the guitar, or simply watching some crime thrillers. If I get some extended free time, I would be off to the hills with my friends. You have already seen one photo above. That was from my trip to Arunachal Pradesh, India, in May 2024.

Balancing both biotechnology and blogging is itself a challenge. Each of them demands its own time. But, if you have passion for anything, you will surely sail through.

My takeaway message to all will be to follow your passion, be consistent, and you will emerge victorious.

If you need to contact me for anything, click here.

That’s all for now!