Knowing the stars
“I initially believed that pursuing a PhD would involve a series of courses, much like obtaining a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. Coming from a very poor background with limited guidance and resources, I had to navigate my educational path largely on my own. Despite these challenges, I excelled in school. Though my passion was for mathematics, well-meaning advisors suggested I pursue physics for better job prospects.
After college, I enrolled in coaching classes for NET, an exam I hadn’t even heard of until my college years. Unfortunately, I didn’t pass on my first attempt. I did make it in my second try and was also accepted into PhD programs at both IIT Hyderabad and BITS Pilani, Goa. I chose the latter because they offered me a chance to study astrophysics, a subject I had been fascinated with since childhood.
My PhD research focused on the composition of neutron stars formed from supernovae. The initial phase was challenging, as I was quite naive about the workings of a PhD program. However, with significant help from my seniors, I managed to publish a paper in my first year.
I was just starting to find my footing in the PhD life, bolstered by a promising collaboration with a prominent figure in the field when my personal life took a drastic turn. My long-term girlfriend and I decided to have a court marriage against our families’ wishes, but within a year, she wanted a divorce and began seeing someone else. The experience was emotionally devastating and left me in a difficult place for a long time.
Throughout this turbulent period, both my supervisor and co-supervisor provided unwavering support, even helping me secure a good lawyer for the divorce. Now, five years later, I am in a much better place. I recently defended my thesis successfully. I no longer dwell on the past and am eagerly looking forward to pursuing a postdoctoral position abroad, ready to embrace new opportunities and challenges.”
-Naresh Patra, PhD in Nuclear Astrophysics, BITS Pilani, Goa
Interviewed and written by Payel Das
