Deepak Dhar – a down to earth personality who brought in a revolution in the field of statistical physics.
Deepak Dhar, a name that is grossly unknown to the mass Indians, is surprisingly one of the most prominent persons in modern times who has made India proud by winning the Boltzmann Medal for the year 2022 in statistical physics. Dhar is the first ever Indian who was nominated for the Boltzmann Medal and declared the winner for his exceptional contributions in the field of statistical physics.
Dhar, a man of such great stature, however, had a very humble beginning. He was born in the Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh to Murli Dhar and Rama Gupta on 30th October 1951.
The internationally famed physicist from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Dhar had a brilliant academic career. He graduated from the University of Allahabad in 1970 with science as a major.
In 1972, he completed his post-graduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Shortly after this, he relocated to the United States to complete his PhD at the California Institute of Technology in 1978.
During this time, Dhar got the opportunity to come into contact with the Nobel laureate theoretical physicist, Professor Richard Feynman to work as his teaching assistant. He considers this association as a golden phase in for his career. Feynman is an established name in the world of quantum mechanics due to the invention of the ‘Feynman diagrams’, a game changing theory. Dhar had always expressed his respect for Feynman and showed how enriching his association had been for him.
Deepak Dhar has made continuous contributions to statistical physics throughout his career by making extensive studies on the subjects of statistical mechanics and stochastic processes and making highly seminal contributions.
Besides Boltzmann Award, Dhar’s contributions always paid him back in the form of several prestigious awards like the Young Scientist Medal of the Indian National Science Academy (1983), the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (1991), J. Robert Schrieffer Prize (1993), Satyendranath Bose Medal (2001), TWAS Prize (2002) and several other prestigious awards.
Dhar was also awarded the Padma Bhushan Award in 2023. When asked about Dhar’s reaction, he always said that working for science has always been his first priority and the major source of inspiration. The award that he received for this is a very treasure which is a worthy addition to it.
These humble comments indicate that being a man with the most down to earth personality, Dhar never considers a bag full of awards as the only driving force behind his excellence in statistical physics. Instead, he always showed interest towards doing something for the benefit of society, academia and his subject.
Dhar has also emphasized repeatedly the importance of education as the only stimulus that can contribute towards individual growth as well as the growth of a country.
Compiled and Written By
Ms. Apara Bhattacharya
Kolkatta Bureau Chief
INSTANEWSGRAM
Edited By
Ms. Shail Raghuvanshi
Copy Editor
INSTANEWSGRAM