It started with Blackholes.

In my first-ever Physics class, after the division of the sciences, the teacher walked in with a mien of authority and sure-footed steps. We had heard about her before. We knew she was strict. She paced the width of the class, our heartbeats syncing with the clack of her shoes on the old linoleum, and then she asked us – “What is Physics?” Some of us were tongue-tied while others gave rough, first-hand interpretations. Seeing us ruminate so heavily, a smile broke onto her chiseled face. And then she began her class.

She spoke about Physics with such animation, her eyes sparkling all the while; we couldn’t help but betake ourselves to this enigmatic landscape that she had painted with her words. Every class would start with a question. The question would roll along the rows – and after we stood up and answered, she would keep some of us standing. I was one of the ‘standing’ students and I could feel the drum roll of impending disaster. After sorting through the rest of the class, she told us very softly (jittering my nerves in the process) that what we answered… was in fact correct! I felt a thrill like never before. Excitement inundated my system, and this thrill did not die down until I reached home, lugging my bag on my shoulders.

There would be more reading in Physics (from outside the curriculum; mostly Astrophysics). Getting a question right was accompanied by a sense of paramount excitement. One of my favorite chapters that year was Stars and the Solar System. While it occupied the top-most suite in the skyscraper of subjects I thoroughly enjoyed, a biology chapter, Crop Production and Management, could be found wallowing in the basement. I did not not like biology. But at that time, for a twelve-year old like me, “techniques of irrigation” seemed a touch at odds with all the other topics. Light was more than enough to compensate.

The cycle of questions continued throughout the year. Sometimes before class would start, we would have discussions that had nothing to do with our syllabus.

What’s the brightest thing in the Cosmos? A quasar. 

Do we only see one side of the moon? Pretty much.

What are Black holes?

It was a question that created the greatest impression on me.

Black holes.

They were celestial bodies that managed to close the gap between Reality and Fantasy. Between laws that govern the universe and conjectures limited only to the extremities of the mind.

It did start with Blackholes, when fathoming the unfathomable seemed possible. It hasn’t stopped yet. Reading about Physics is one thing. The greatest joy is in indulging the visceral imaginations of the mind. Wrapping your head around ideas that exceed dimensions. Understanding Physics, begins here.

– Nityaansh Parekh
(22 . 10 . 21)