Quantum leap

“I am a theoretical physicist by training with a keen interest in quantum physics particularly quantum computation and quantum AI. My inclination to do research traces back to my school days and can be credited to a few of my very good teachers. I remember, in Standard VIII, when we were just being introduced to the subject of physics, our teacher smoked a cigarette and asked us why the smoke was going upwards despite the presence of gravity. It was an extremely bad but practical example to get me intrigued into the world of physics.

Physics and mathematics always held a special place in my heart although I got better chemistry and biology teachers in my high school after that. It was in college where a couple of good physics teachers helped me develop a mature understanding of fundamental physics and it became clear to me that I wanted to pursue research in this field.

Kashmir doesn’t have the infrastructure or the mindset for research. But I was lucky to have few close friends who gave me pamphlets on the premiere research institutes of India like IISc, JNCASR etc. I accepted those as noble gifts and prepared myself to venture into that research oriented environment. I wanted to go there during my Master’s but could not because of personal reasons. It was only after my post-graduation that I found means to move out of Kashmir.