Albert Einstein 7 - Albert Leaves Munich & Moves To Milan Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

In 1894, Albert's family left Munich,
To look for new work with better prospects,
In northern Italy in Pavia, near Milan.
As Albert had not completed his education in Gymnasium,
The parents left him behind in Munich,
Under the care of a distant relative.

Albert, loved his family and home,
But was very sensitive to the situation of his family,
Though he stayed behind to complete his studies,
He hated his school and the strict teachers.
He felt miserable and lonely without his family.
Though only fifteen years old,
He took a firm decision to quit his school,
And boarded a train to Milan to join his family.

Though Albert's parents - Pauline and Hermann were
Taken by surprise to see their son at the doorstep,
They welcomed him home.
Albert promised his parents that he would study on his own
And prepare for the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology,
Which did not require the Gymnasium's Diploma.
They selected students according to the high marks
Obtained in the entrance exam

As promised, Albert studied with single mindedness,
Worked the whole year with diligence.
He was focused and serious about his goals in life.
It was during this self-study period that he wrote
His first scientific essay on electrodynamics.

Only sixteen years of age,
Albert's high intellect made a dynamic experiment,
which later lead to his prized special ‘Theory of Relativity'.
Later, In 921, Albert made a comment on
Thomas Edison's opinion that a college education is useless.
'The value of education…….is not the learning of many facts,
But the training of the mind to think,
about things that cannot be learnt from textbooks.'

A Biographical Poem