A host of interesting material phenomena occur at length scales much larger than atomic orbitals. These include, for example, fluctuation phenomena in low dimensional systems, mechanical and phase behavior of soft matter like colloidal suspensions, polymers and membranes, dynamics of phase transitions, early time microstructure selection in solid state transformations, motion of interfaces and cracks in solids, and multi scale viscoplastic effects in solids and liquids. While detailed electronic structure ultimately determines material behavior, it is unpractical to try to understand many of these complex properties of solids (and liquids) from a sub-atomic point of view. Firstly, technically, it is still impossible to carry out large scale computations of material behavior starting from an ab-initio Hamiltonian. Secondly, true understanding arises only when one is able to discuss phenomena with a small number of variables; the possibility of which opens up only at a coarse grained level. In this part of the activity we therefore concentrate on a series of projects which explores the emergence of complex behavior in materials at a coarse grained level starting from basic interactions. The specific problems that we study involves, low dimensional and confined system, driven interfaces and driven solids, early time microstructure selection in solids, nano fluidics and nano shocks.