Journey so far ...
I look at the sky and wonder about how things conspired
to make us and make us wonder about things!
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In a word, I am an explorer. I love exploring exotic places (well, exotic for me) and experience the beautiful nature, the bustling cities and the blissful towns. Till the age of 21, I had never taken a flight. But throughout my grad school, I got many opportunities to travel - and I took them with both hands! So far, I have set foot on the mountains of Himalayas, the desert of Australia, the quaint streets of Korea, and the glaciers of Iceland, to quote a few!
I grew up in a middle-class family of 11 in a small city named Nagpur. As a child I was fascinated by the nightsky. Thanks to frequent power cuts at night, we actually had dark skies back then!! I was inspired by reading Astronomy books in Marathi (my mother tounge) and newspaper articles about NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers reaching and exploring Mars. With a non-existent internet access, I used to frequent the local science center's library on school holidays to read more about astronomy. Back then, no one around me knew how to become an astronomer.
Thankfully, all that changed when I got selected for Indian National Astronomy Olympiad Camp in 2008 after two rigorous exams at the state and national levels. With the mentorship, lectures, and hands-on observations in the camp, a new world of astronomy had opened up for me and I decided to pursue research in astronomy as my career.
During the undergrad days at IIT Bombay, I would grab every opportunity to take up astronomy projects at various astronomical institutions in India. Fast forward to 2014, I came to University of Maryland to pursue my dreams and explore a new world! With the excellent mentorship I received at UMD, I completed my PhD in 2020. Now as a NASA Hubble fellow Caltech, I feel poised to ask new questions and contribute new ways to our quest of the cosmos. 
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Apart from travel, I enjoy nature photography. I love cooking and eating Indian food. Yummy!!
In my leisure time, I play Indian flute (bansuri), listen to Indian music, enjoy painting pots, and write some poetry. I also embrace the idea of giving back to the society, especially in the form of education and healthcare.
Other than Astronomy, I enjoy my scaled-down model of Spirit rover that I assembled (Thanks Elizabeth Tarantino for the gift!) and my little quadcopter. |
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