‘Try to do what interests you’

Nobel winner Dr Ramakrishnan Venkatraman answers queries from students in a webchat

User: Do you think science should start from a child in a village?
RV: Some people say that scientists are like children who have never grown up because they continue to be fascinated by the things that every child is fascinated by. So in that sense, cultivating this curiosity from a very early age is a good idea.

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I am in Class XII. How can physics be made more enjoyable?
The best way to appreciate something like physics is to take an interest in natural phenomena and ask how physics helps us to understand them.

Are scientists born or made?
Shakespeare said, “Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” I think the same might apply to scientists. My fear is that because my parents were scientists, I may be in the last category, that is, I may have simply chosen science because I was exposed to it in
childhood.

My ambition is to go for the IPS...
Then that is what you should do. People should go into whatever they are really
interested in.

Since you have done all three sciences, which according to you is best suited for UG studies in the US?
There is no such thing as the “best suited” field. It depends on what you’re
interested in.

What’s your message to postgraduate students and teachers in India?
I always say the most important thing is to be really interested in a problem. Beyond that, I think students should make sure the lab is well-equipped and the professor has enough money to fund the research. For teachers, I think generally, the good advice is to let graduate students really participate in the work rather than use them just as a pair of hands to do the work. This means encouraging them to think, contribute ideas, etc.

Any suggestion for a rural boy who wants to follow your way to reach his
destiny?
I do not think you should think in terms of destiny. I think you should just try to do what interests you, find the best career you can, enjoy your work and then see what comes.

Excerpts published from the transcript of a webchat organised by the American Center