Prodigy Tulsi seals debate with PhD admission in IISc

Tathagat works in the physics department of the institute, a place originally founded by the only Indian Nobel Laureate in physics, Sir C. V. Raman. Tathagat says he feels humbled whenever he enters the Raman Building but hopes that, with his hard work, he may one day emulate the founder.

He is doing some mandatory course work that any PhD student is required to do. Before the end of this year, he hopes to start work on his research — an acceptable theoretical framework which will explain how high temperature super conductors work.

Tathagat, who has registered with theoretical physicist Prof H.R. Krishnamurthy, says his effort would be to identify super-conducting materials which will not need excessive cooling. Dubbed room temperature super conductors, these futuristic materials are today only a dream and when it happens electricity losses would be reduced to minimum.

Krishnamurthy says: ‘‘There are many things Tathagat has to learn before he can proceed with his PhD. He is self-taught and has many holes in his knowledge-base.’’

The professor adds that Tathagat has to prove himself since nobody at the institute will give him extra credit for his younger age.

Tathagat says the academic ambience at the institute is very invigorating and that his colleagues and seniors are very co-operative and treat him like an equal.

Born into a lower middle-class family on September, 9, 1987, Tathagat holds the Guinness World Record for obtaining an MSc in physics from Patna University, at the age of 12 years and 2 months in 1999.

Tathagat passed the GATE exam and then routinely applied for admission to IISc, which is also called the Tata Institute, and managed to clear two tough rounds of interviews to get selected for the research program, which earns him a standard scholarship. He was also supported by the Department of Science and Technology for an overseas exposure in Europe.

For the first time in his life, Tathagat is staying away from his family in a single room provided by the institute in the students hostel. Tathagat says he now gets more time to peacefully read books from the ‘‘very rich library.’’

He says he joined the doctoral programme at IISc, on advice from Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi who ‘‘was very keen that he does his PhD in India and not go abroad.’’ ‘‘I heeded Joshiji’s sage advice,’’ says Tathagat.

But he aspires to go abroad for post-doctoral programme either at Princeton University or at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) after his stint at IISc.