Abhigyan Ray

Chemical Engineer exploring the Physics of Life
Science | Quizzing | Writing | Debating | Random Walks

[Nirmalya Kajuri @Kaju_Nut]

Deepak Dhar becomes the second Indian physicist to win the ICTP Dirac Medal

[Meryem Arik @MeryemArik9]

Pictured: Google Deepmind CEO Demis Hassabis steps down to become chair

[jonathan selvaraj @jon_selvaraj]

From one of the remotest corners of the country, the village of Sonaichari in Tripura, Asmita Dey goes where no Indian has gone before, becoming the first judoka to win a Commonwealth Games🥇.
https://t.co/6gaS2uE8LP

[jonathan selvaraj @jon_selvaraj]

Asmita's father, a bicycle mechanic in Sonaichari, a 3 hrs from Agartala always hoped his daughter could live a bigger life than what he gave her. He passed away a few months ago, just days before his 23 year old daughter would qualify for the CWG https://t.co/6gaS2uE8LP

[HBCSE @HBCSE_TIFR]

🥇 Kanishk Jain — Pune, Maharashtra
🥇 Riddhesh Anant Bendale — Indore, Madhya Pradesh
🥇 Rishit Garg — Dwarka, New Delhi
🥇 Shresth Suraiya — Mumbai, Maharashtra
🥇 Svarit Joshi — Ahmedabad, Gujarat

2/5

[HBCSE @HBCSE_TIFR]

🇮🇳GOLDEN SWEEP FOR INDIA 🏆

All 5 Indian students win GOLD at the 56 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 in Bucaramanga, Colombia -placing India at Rank #1 in the world (jointly with China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea & Taiwan) among 381 students from 87 countries 1/5

[Ash Jogalekar @curiouswavefn]

1/n: Often people's biggest contribution is something they aren't actually known for the most. For instance, Oppenheimer's biggest contribution was to create the American school of modern theoretical physics. Many of today's leading physicists are his academic grandchildren.

[Raghunath Mashelkar @rameshmashelkar]

In 365 years, only 5 Engineering Scientists from India have been elected as Fellow of Royal Society (FRS). @royalsociety

Two of them are Guru–Shishya - Prof. Sharma and me.

We had the privilege of signing in the same book that Sir Isaac Newton signed.👇

We had an inspiring conversation with Prof A. B. Pandit on our research journeys, how the power of ideas mattered over the minuscule budgets in resource scarce India then.

Here it is
https://t.co/IuH7xzzlD3

@csir_ncl @CSIR_IND @IndiaDST @DBTIndia @PrinSciAdvOff @PuneIntCentre @insa_academy @amitabhk87 @aparanjape @dinakholkar @kvijayraghavan @shekhar_mande

[Abhigyan Ray @abhigyanray]

Brilliant piece that mentions Mahalanobis' primary training as a physicist! The first ever English translation of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, from German, was done by Meghnad Saha and Satyendra Nath Bose, with an introduction by Mahalanobis, at the University of Calcutta!!

[Alter Magazine @AlterMagIndia]

In 1939, Jawaharlal Nehru visited Rabindranath Tagore to ask if Jana Gana Mana could become India's national anthem. A statistician was in the room.

That statistician, P.C. Mahalanobis, would go on to build the system that let a newly independent nation of 350 million people see itself clearly for the first time.

In 1950, nobody knew what the average Indian ate. Or earned. Or whether they had work. Policy ran on guesswork.

Mahalanobis changed that.

He built the National Sample Survey, which knocked on thousands of doors and asked, item by item: what did you eat last month? Rice, dal, cooking oil, fuel, clothing.

Harold Hotelling, then among the foremost statisticians in the world, wrote that no sampling technique developed anywhere could "compare in accuracy" with what Mahalanobis had built.

This is the story of how India built, then lost, and is slowly rebuilding the infrastructure of national self-knowledge.

Issue 4: The Making of Indian Statistics, written by @jainhiya_ , designed & built by @AltCarbonIndia

https://t.co/MdIvN1hXhC

[Alter Magazine @AlterMagIndia]

In 1939, Jawaharlal Nehru visited Rabindranath Tagore to ask if Jana Gana Mana could become India's national anthem. A statistician was in the room.

That statistician, P.C. Mahalanobis, would go on to build the system that let a newly independent nation of 350 million people see itself clearly for the first time.

In 1950, nobody knew what the average Indian ate. Or earned. Or whether they had work. Policy ran on guesswork.

Mahalanobis changed that.

He built the National Sample Survey, which knocked on thousands of doors and asked, item by item: what did you eat last month? Rice, dal, cooking oil, fuel, clothing.

Harold Hotelling, then among the foremost statisticians in the world, wrote that no sampling technique developed anywhere could "compare in accuracy" with what Mahalanobis had built.

This is the story of how India built, then lost, and is slowly rebuilding the infrastructure of national self-knowledge.

Issue 4: The Making of Indian Statistics, written by @jainhiya_ , designed & built by @AltCarbonIndia

https://t.co/MdIvN1hXhC

[Abhijit Majumder @abhijit_MLab]

The grand son (88 yrs) and grand daughter in law (82 yrs) of Nandalal Bose couldnt vote this time, thanks to @ECISVEEP
After SC’s direct intervention, their names were added yesterday but the modified list didn’t reach the booth and presiding officer.

[Natalie Wolchover @nattyover]

Bacteria move around using a molecular machine called the flagellar motor that rotates faster than the flywheel of a race car engine and switches directions in an instant. After 50 yrs, scientists have finally figured out how it works. “My lifelong quest is now fulfilled.” Link⤵️

[Sam Dalrymple @SamDalrymple123]

The Indian Synagogues Run By Muslims

There has perhaps never been a more important moment to remember the sacred spaces shared peacefully by both Muslims and Jews and so, for this week's Substack, I want to talk about the synagogues of Calcutta.

[Ryota Kanai @kanair]

Great to see this on X. This is something I created during my PhD time 20 years ago.

[Joy Bhattacharjya @joybhattacharj]

He could speak 8 languages and they said he could recite all 37 of Shakespeare's plays from memory. An award winning playwright & stage artist and one of Satyajit Ray's favourite actors.
Also one of India's finest comic actors in films like Golmaal, and Hirak Rajar Deshe. The irony is that the marvellous comic roles in Golmaal and other films, what most people outside remember him for, is what he regarded as the least important "I have developed a technique of shutting my mind off, switching it off, rather. I will not be able to tell you even the names of the films I have acted in or even the name of the character I have just finished shooting.”
He was also a brilliant writer & regular theatre reviewer. “Mr.Dutt as Othello was rather a pitiable sight, with his voice gone, his breathing laboured and his bulk enormous.” This was Utpal Dutt reviewing his own stage performance using the pseudonym Iago.
He also loved classical art and there is this wonderful story told by his daughter. "When we went to Italy, it meant we would have to spend at least one day on viewing each sculpture. We had hired the services of a guide. But, we found that Baba knew more about the place than the guide. The next day, the guide asked us if we would be ready to go on our own."
A true renaissance man and a principled one, not scared to go to prison for his views. Utpal Dutt was truly one of our greats.
97th birth anniversary today.

[PV Sindhu @Pvsindhu1]

Some rivals become part of your journey forever. Carolina was one of them.

We first played each other when we were 15 or 16 year old girls in the Maldives, and from then on we went on to share so many battles.

To be honest, you were also a complete pain on court. The constant shouting, the intensity, the little tricks, they would get to anyone. But your skill, speed and fighting spirit were second to none.

People remember the big matches and even the ugly spat we had in that third set over picking the shuttle. I’ll admit I was completely infuriated that day.

But a few months later we sat across from each other over coffee in Madrid, talking and laughing, and in that moment there was nothing but respect.

That’s the Carolina I’ll always remember.

I’ll also always be grateful for the incredible camaraderie our generation built. Our batch of girls made women’s singles such a special place to compete in, and I honestly don’t know if badminton has seen something like it before or will again.

Thank you for every battle, every lesson and most of all the friendship.

I wish you the happiest retirement, Carolina 🤗

Badminton will miss you.
And so will I ❤️

@CarolinaMarin

[Howard Lovy @Howard_Lovy]

Two Ayatollahs: Dead

Salman Rushdie: Alive.

[Ash Jogalekar @curiouswavefn]

Here’s another example of why cultural empathy is important, from the Battle of Okinawa. Unlike previous campaigns in which most Japanese soldiers chose death over surrender, Okinawa yielded more POWs than any other fight because of the way the Americans worded the message.

[James Riney🐠Coral Capital @james_riney]

https://t.co/w32bddUPq5

[Joy Bhattacharjya @joybhattacharj]

Three years ago, I was at the Lemon Tree Bengaluru for the Volleyball League. And every morning I would finish breakfast & pop out to reception to pick up a copy of the TOI and the Economic Times. After watching me the first two days, this charming lady on duty would see me and immediately pick them out to give me.
One day, I just wanted the TOI, as the crossword then did not appear in the Sunday ET, and when she came with both, I told her I didn't need the ET.
She refused to understand, & didn't want to take back the other paper. And then I realized that like my darling son Neel and all in the autism spectrum, she struggled when a set routine was disrupted.
I apologized immediately, took the ET as well & was rewarded with a smile that just blew me away.
Thank you Lemon Tree Hotels for making a workplace for all. You have a supporter & customer for life