Instead of writing paragraphs about myself, I figured I would compile a list of fairly common fun questions that I have gotten over the past few years so that you may get to know me better.

When and where was I born?

I was born in Chennai, one of the major cities in south India, on December 14th, 1994.

Where did I grow up?

I primarily grew up in three places. Even though I was born in Chennai, I moved very soon after birth to Mumbai - the commercial capital of India - and grew up there till I was seven. Following that, I moved to Nairobi, Kenya till I finished Year Seven and then finally came back to the city of my birth - Chennai at the age of twelve and stayed till I finished high school.

Was I interested in science from a young age?

I think I definitely was. Even when I was a kid, while I loved toys, I would often break them apart just to try and see how things worked and try and put them back together. Growing up, a few things and people had an influence on me. As I got older and got closer to my thirteenth birthday, I watched a documentary on heart transplants and that got me hooked. So, I think by the age of thirteen I knew I wanted to be a doctor.

Who do I look up to in the world of science?

When I was young, I was (and still am) heavily obsessed with the Second World War and learning all about it. So Robert Oppenheimer was one of my earliest influences in terms of seeing the impact of science on a global scale - we can debate the rights and wrongs of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki today but at the time, thinking as a simplistic ten year old, I found it pretty cool that science could bring an end to a global war. Today, I have a lot of people in my mind that I think are pretty cool in the world of science. If I had to pick one person from recent scientific history, I think I would pick Jennifer Doudna. I think it would be unbelievable if I ever got to meet her in person or work with her.

Why did I leave clinical medicine for research?

While I wanted to be a doctor and practice clinically in the hospital, I realised that a lot of clinical medicine involved just diagnosis and treatment whereas I found myself repeatedly through medical school being more interested in how and why things happened rather than it just being a case of “This is what it is”. So I realised that working in a hospital was never going to satisfy that curiosity in me and that my true calling was in research - a field dedicated to finding out the unknown. Working in a hospital and making routine diagnoses or performing routine procedures also made me quite bored and didn’t really give me the stimulation of thought that my mind sought for. Hence I decided to make the jump to basic science research.

Alternate career if not for science?

I think the easy answer is either history or journalism. I have been incredibly interested in both of them from a young age. History might be a very niche period that I am interested in - the Second World War so maybe the period between 1919 and 1947 if you count the pre-war and post-war years as well. With journalism, I think I still have a strong interest in doing media work which is why I host podcasts and have written for student newspapers as well. So probably one of those two.

Favourite Sport and favourite sportsperson?

Football. Soccer for Americans. I think as much as I love all the other sports I religiously follow, I think football edges it out for me. My favourite sportsperson however is a cricketer - Virat Kohli. To me he symbolised the new India because his emergence as a batter through the 2010s symbolised us a nation where we went from an era of quiet, hard work to now becoming overtly confident about our hard work and in our ability to be the best and that was reflected in his attitude on the cricket field.

Favourite Cuisine?

Indian - specifically North Indian but I love Indian food in general. I think the fact that I come from a country with almost 30 states each of which has it’s own culture, food and language means there’s so much good food in general. Maybe a bit biased but I don’t think anyone else comes close. Outside of Indian, I love a good Italian.

Favourite Movie?

Miracle (2004)

Favourite TV Show?

Friends for sitcoms. Nothing else comes close.

Homeland for drama.

Favourite Actor and Actress?

I’ve always liked Marion Cotillard (Inception, Allied) and Matt Damon (The Martian)

Favourite Artist or Musician?

It changes every few years but right now, it’s probably Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa

Favourite book?

For non fiction, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer

For fiction, I like the Millenium trilogy - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest as well as books by Robert Ludlum, Sophie Kinsella, Kathy Reichs and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. So it’s quite a varied selection and I am not even sure I have an absolute favourite fiction author.

Favourite City and country?

Favourite city in the world is Paris and favourite country is Italy. Although Dubai and Florence are a very close tied second.