Insatiable appetite for research

Rakesh Kumar, a 29-year-old PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, has been given the Young Scientist Award by the K.V. Rao Scientific Society, for his work in optical physics. The prestigious award is presented annually to scientists under 30 who excel in various fields of science. Rakesh’s research was on the effect of short pulse duration on transparent dielectrics and understanding the mysterious behaviour of water. “When you point a 30 picosecond laser at water, at that fraction of time, the water turns solid. I tried to understand this behaviour using Raman’s scattering method,” explains Rakesh, who has managed to reach a stage in understanding the puzzle.

“I didn’t expect to be the winner. Scientists from AP, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka apply for the award and many come from institutions like Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research or Sri Satya Sai Institute for Higher Learning, who do a lot of research work and are very well equipped to facilitate research. The biggest achievement was winning over them.”
Rakesh says that the award will bring him great respect within the scientific community and would make prospective employees give him first preference.

The honour, however, has not come easy. Explaining a day in his life during research and the hurdles he faced, he says, “I work from 10 in the morning to midnight. Nine to five are official working hours, but it takes more than that to achieve what I am trying to. Just doing the research is not enough. I should be able to answer any questions that are asked about it. If not, my thesis might get rejected and I’ll have to start four years’ worth of work all over again!”

Hailing from Warangal, Rakesh says that he visits his home whenever he needs a break. For quick relaxation, he watches movies and spends time with friends. Having published six papers in reputable journals, Rakesh is now completing his PhD thesis. His future plan is to go abroad to do further research in the field of optical physics. He adds, “Some-times, it is best not to know. Once you know something, more questions arise and you can’t sleep without finding answers. That takes up  years of hard work.”