Vivekanand Vimal doesn't fit the description of an average high school physics teacher.
Large strands of his flowing black hair and goatee haven't been cut in seven years, while other sections have avoided shears for three. His manner of speech is eloquent, thoughtful and hip and his passion for physics is undeniable.
Having recently submitted a leave of absence notification to Waltham High School officials, Vimal is preparing for a journey that will take him halfway around the world and ultimately, he expects, change his life.
In a few weeks, he will leave for India, where he will participate in a program through a relief and social service agency called the Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society. The organization provides a variety of services aimed at improving the lives of disadvantaged people in India.
Yesterday, the 27-year-old teacher stood in the basement of his parents' Lexington home surrounded by his artwork, his guitar, dusty books and various technology.
"One of the reasons I came to Waltham High was to propagate the ultimate beauty of physics," he said. "One of the great tragedies of our nation is we relegate physics to a status of just stale words in a textbook, or something esoteric and only for nerds, which it's not."
Vimal describes physics as "the marriage of math and philosophy" or "a way of living and a way of looking at the world around you."
He is first traveling to Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. There, members of the society will assess his skills and he will be assigned to a nearby village or city, where he will help those in need by instituting life-sustaining technology, such as water purification systems and solar panels.
"It's still a little bit of a vague project," he admits. "When I go there and they assess my skills, then they will determine where I'm needed."
His mission stems from his core belief in service.
"I think it's everyone's fundamental duty to make the world better in an active manner so I had to figure out how to do that," he said. "My desire is to go into a village and sweat and do hard work."
Vimal said he plans to shave his head and beard tomorrow, in a kind of spiritual cleansing before moving on to the next chapter of his life. His intentions are to stay in India for a year - the length of time allotted for his leave of absence - but he said if he feels the work he is doing is important and requires more time, he will stay longer.
"I made a vow seven years ago. That vow was twofold. One, I need to live life passionately and intensely," he said. "The second part is I need to be an actively and fundamentally good person. I will judge myself upon how exhaustively do I work to help other people."
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or jgilbrid@cnc.com.
