Out of the comfort zone

“Pursuing a PhD was never a part of my plan. I enjoyed learning physics in school and thought I might go for a Bachelor’s in sciences. But, by convention, my father suggested that I pursue Engineering because of the secure future it offered.

After my graduation in Electronics Engineering, I was initially happy to have been placed in a software company in Kolkata. But I got bored in just a month. It was during this time that I started thinking about going for higher education. As I had never planned on doing a Master’s, I didn’t take GATE seriously, which hampered my chances of getting into IITs and NITs. I didn’t want to wait for another year, and therefore appeared for a separate exam in the prestigious Rajabazar Science College and got selected for their Master’s program.

While doing my thesis on solid-state devices, I started developing an interest in research. I found the engineering approach overly application-oriented with less focus on the underlying physics. Even though I was an MTech student, the physics bug in my head hadn’t stopped poking. Whenever I got spare time, I attended lectures in the physics department and eventually realized, my future field of study must focus on the underlying physics.

Though my supervisor was keen on me continuing my PhD in the same college, my other professors suggested exploring more institutes. Having been…