On the other hand, his style appears spartan, he initiates new ideas with a few papers in which he gives by far its most elegant formulation and the complete, basic, and generally most succinct solution of the key problem. In other words, he finds the core kernel of the problem and brings it out for everyone to see. After that, rather than exploring all the manifold effects of his own key discovery, he addresses a different problem. He is clearly the great originator, rather than the best follower or expositor, of new ideas.

An examination of the broader scope of his work reveals, however, that his pursuit of knowledge lies deeper than that exposed by his individual studies. Thus, these apparently disparate perspectives are the characteristics of a subtle and more noble effort. The breadth of his work, and the way he mostly starts new tracks, is probably why only a few cognisanti—those whose souls are really troubled at that moment by the specific problem that he solves with such clarity, grace, and perfection—can possibly recognize the greatness of his work. Each of us sees only a small part of this giant elephant. The rest do not see him sweating long in the field, so often do not even know that he has worked on the area. His seminal papers go quoted but often unread and not really understood until considerable time has passed.

The deep common thread lying at the core of his efforts is an attempt to resolve the fundamental conflict between descriptions of objects ("being") and processes ("becoming"). There is a unifying theme in George's work—irreversible processes and transformations (including decay, measurements, etc) in strictly reversible dynamical quantum systems. The understanding of this contradiction is still unsolved, and is fundamental. Through what can be categorized as seven quests, George has made major contributions in trying to piece this puzzle together.

These contributions deserve greater recognition than they have got so far. This may be because the unity in his contributions may not have been widely understood. In modern times, when much "work" in science is done by huge groups, and valued more by the quantity and glitz of the wrapper than the quality of its core content, someone like George is sure to go unrecognized. The Symposium Sudarshan: Seven Science Quests was an important step in correcting this natural oversight by recognizing a genius creator as distinct from prolific and important builders.

George Sudarshan's efforts are ongoing—The Quest continues.