Now that the world is googling about the Nobel laureates announced in three scientific disciplines this week, it’s time to look closer home, too. It also happens to be the week Mahesh Kakde of the Indian Institute of Science was declared winner of the Ramanujan Prize for young mathematicians from developing countries that’s co-judged by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. His work on algebraic number theory enriches pure maths by addressing deep theoretical conjectures. How many of us celebrated Assam-based physicist Atanu Nath sharing this year’s Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics with 10 other Indians for studying the magnetic properties of the subatomic muon particle? Such recognitions are occasions for school teachers to inculcate the ‘wow factor’ among impressionable students and plant the seed of scientific enquiry.
