VISMAYA: History & Philosophy of Physics

Author: G V Pavan Kumar

  • Conversation with Suneeta Vardarajan

    Suneeta Vardarajan is a Professor of Physics at IISER Pune, working in gravitation and mathematical physics. Her group studies black holes, from classical perturbation theory, which helps identify astrophysical signatures of black holes, to their quantum features. In this episode, we discuss the research questions she has been interested in over the years and her ability to effectively combine research with teaching and science communication.

    References:

    ‘Sites.Iiserpune.Ac.in/~suneeta/’. Accessed 3 October 2026. https://sites.iiserpune.ac.in/%7Esuneeta/.

    ‘Suneeta Vardarajan’. Accessed 3 October 2026. https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/suneeta-vardarajan/350.

    ‘Vardarajan Suneeta – INSPIRE’. Accessed 3 October 2026. https://inspirehep.net/authors/987127.

    SMC_IISER Pune. Beyond Darkness | Public Lecture Programme on Black Holes | IISER Pune. 2026. 02:08:09. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_N3PFMUxPc.

    srijit bhattacharjee. Suneeta Vardarajan: Recent Developments in Semi-Classical Gravity. 2024. 01:05:22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHvSO1YT6tY.

    Vardarajan, Suneeta. Non-Euclidean Geometry. 1584457087. 880. https://www.ted.com/talks/suneeta_vardarajan_non_euclidean_geometry.

    X (Formerly Twitter). ‘(1) Suneeta Vardarajan (@Ms_Gravitas) / X’. 26 July 2026. https://x.com/ms_gravitas.

  • Perhaps…truth..

    Perhaps it is not a question of truth, but it is the reaction to the truth. Perhaps it is not the feeling of the truth, but the consequence of knowing that truth can be so deep and yet can reach so far. Perhaps truth, which is generally considered slow, can intrigue our minds and revisit us instantaneously.

    Is there anything called ‘the truth’? The truth itself may look like a transient, but again, the question remains: Is truth so important? A scientist, an artist, a curious mind is in search of truth, in their own way. The vocabulary, the picture, and the question may have textures and different forms, but there is a strange kind of unity in the pursuit of the truth. A human life is perhaps worth living and perhaps worth pursuing in the pursuit of this truth. Perhaps that is the lesson. We need to relearn, unlearn, and teach ourselves that truth matters for humanity.

    As we search for truth, peace, and knowledge, we realize that none of these is independent of the others. Perhaps a few human beings in the history of humankind have made an attempt to attain the ‘truth’. They don’t remain with us, but the pursuit remains. Perhaps humans are transient, and truth is a constant. Perhaps…that is a truth.

  • Conversation with Nagarjuna G.

    Professor G. Nagarjuna is a visiting professor at IISER Pune, following his professorship at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (TIFR, Mumbai).

    He is a dedicated teacher and researcher who explores how science and philosophy intersect. In this episode, we explore his journey, which spans from studying biology to teaching science education and using technology. He is passionate about free software, open-source learning, and developing unique ways to map out how we build and share knowledge like a giant, connected network.

    References:

    Gnowledge Lab. ‘Welcome to Gnowledge Lab!’ Accessed 14 September 2026. https://www.gnowledge.org/.

    Science, Cognitive Science of. ‘The Roots of STEM | Cognitive Science of Science | Substack’. 11 September 2026. https://gnowgi.substack.com/.

    Gnowledge Lab. ‘Latest Projects’. Accessed 14 September 2026. https://www.gnowledge.org/latest-projects.html.

    Gnowledge Lab. ‘Publications’. Accessed 14 September 2026. https://www.gnowledge.org/publications.html.

    Gnowledge Lab. ‘Research Projects’. Accessed 14 September 2026. https://www.gnowledge.org/projects/research.html.

    Gnowledge Lab. ‘Resources’. Accessed 14 September 2026. https://www.gnowledge.org/projects/resources.html.

    Living Academy – A Life-Long Kindergarten! 4 April 2025. https://www.livingacademy.org/.

    ChatShaala. ‘ChatShaala – chatShaala for Life-Long STEM Education! Collaborative Open Online and Ongoing Learning through STEM Games, Activities and Projects and Earn Badges from the Referees!’ Accessed 17 September 2026. https://metastudio.org/.

  • Academia in the age of AI: Known Goals, searching for a better process

    The value of education is in understanding the world and responding to it. This understanding and responding are based on collective human knowledge. To obtain that knowledge is one of the main goals of education. Academia provides a platform, time and cohort to learn and interact with it.
    The result of education is the development of the mind and character. Of course, all this can be achieved outside academia, too. Just that it will have to displace, or at best, substitute for another activity. Whereas in academia, everything works ‘for’ education. Replacing academia may be an idea people are thinking of. The question remains what will be the form of its replacement.
    I don’t have a concrete answer to this, but I guess it will not be a YouTube channel. Nor will it be an AI chat box. These are great tools that can enhance education, but by themselves have primary goals that are different from what education tries to accomplish: a better human mind and a better human character.
    In its better form, academia’s explicit goals are exactly this. We humans, don’t have an alternative to academia (yet). Until then, we need to focus on the question: how can academia reinvent itself for the already bubbling AI era? Humans will be central to this transformation, of course, assisted by machines. The product of this transformation will be better human beings, and hopefully a better planet.
    We know the goal. The confusion is in the process and means to that goal.

  • Process <–> Results

  • Navier-Stokes under an AI torch..

    There is a major development reported on the Navier-Stokes equation, driven by AI agents

    A couple of thoughts on N-S buzz:

    1] Energy and resource expenditure are finite and constrained. AI companies dominate in LLM domains, and not (yet) in the physical 3D domain. That transition will perhaps be a greater leap, but probably the most challenging one. A great bridge built in America does not solve a problem in India, even when we have the complete knowledge and tools to build the bridge. Transferable solutions are easier to transfer in the software domain compared to hardware.

    2] Human intervention is still needed. The definition of a scientific problem can be objective, but the pursuit of science (or maths) has to be anchored in the historical, philosophical and sociological setting. Humans will play a dominant role there, and a complete transition towards machines will be of lesser interest to humans.

    We are in interesting and exhilarating times driven by AI info-tech, but we must pause to reflect as humans and ask what the implications are on our thinking and living. The answer will be interesting to study.

    ps:

    Below is the message from the American Mathematical Society, and it puts the humans at the center of this development, which was heartening to read.

    “The news today of progress on resolving the Navier–Stokes problem, one of mathematics’ great longstanding challenges concerning the equations that govern the flow of fluids, represents a milestone advance in human knowledge. This story began with Navier, Stokes, Leray, and Ladyzhenskaya and has culminated in the recent breakthroughs of Córdoba and Martínez-Zoroa, then — assisted by new technologies — Alpöge and Buckmaster, with the final steps taken by OpenAI mathematicians. The purpose of mathematics is human understanding, and this achievement, and the process that led to it, will bear fruit for a long time to come.”
    Ravi Vakil, President of the AMS
    John Meier, CEO of the AMS

  • Conversation with Apratim Chatterji

    Apratim Chatterji is a soft matter physicist at IISER Pune who uses statistical physics and computer simulations to study self-organization in systems of nano- to micron-sized particles. His recent work explores how DNA and macromolecules inside cells organize themselves through Brownian motion, entropy, and stochastic forces, probing what makes cells alive.

    In this episode, we discuss why soft and living matter has emerged as a cutting-edge branch of physics that interfaces with biology.

    References:

    Apratim. ‘Home’. Accessed 4 September 2026. https://apratimchatterji.wixsite.com/apratim.

    Apratim. ‘Books & References’. Accessed 4 September 2026. https://apratimchatterji.wixsite.com/apratim/references-and-reviews.

    Apratim. ‘Research’. Accessed 4 September 2026. https://apratimchatterji.wixsite.com/apratim/research.

    ‘Apratim Chatterji’. Accessed 4 September 2026. https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/apratim-chatterji/249.

    International Centre for Theoretical Sciences. Physics of Life: A Survey from the US National Academy of Sciences by William Bialek. 2022. 01:51:06. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfeJ0o9po1A.

  • A more realistic view of science through history..

  • Conversation with Nirmal Viswanathan

    Nirmal K. Viswanathan is a senior professor of physics at the University of Hyderabad, specializing in structured light and topological optics. His work includes diverse areas of optics, including Structured light, singular optics, topological effects, spin-orbit interaction, fiber optics, vector vortex beams, fundamental optical phenomena and Brewster angle structures.

    In this episode, we discuss his diverse career, research insights, and the importance of rethinking traditional optical paradigms in education.

    References:

    ‘Nirmal-K-Viswanathan’s Research Group’. Accessed 18 August 2026. https://sop.uohyd.ac.in/Faculty-profile/Nirmal-K-Viswanathan.html.

    ‘‪Nirmal K Viswanathan‬ – ‪Google Scholar‬’. Accessed 18 August 2026. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=SGxMhg4AAAAJ&hl=en.

    Viswanathan, Nirmal K., Upasana Baishya, Nitish Kumar, Dileep Kumar Upadhyay, and A. Harish Kumar. ‘Paraxial Spin-Orbit Beams of Light—a Perspective [Invited]’. JOSA A 43, no. 8 (2026): D119–40. https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAA.596270.

  • Some Ideas on Ideas…