Reaching for the stars

“I remember watching this lunar eclipse for the first time, which absolutely enthralled me. The sky fascinated me in general and I was drawn to the field of astronomy from a very young age. To nurture my interest, I even became a part of an amateur astronomy association at the newly built Nehru Planetarium (Delhi) when I was in school.

But the resources to pursue a full-fledged career in astrophysics in those times were…