Deepak Dhar, a theoretical physicist from Uttar Pradesh, has been named the co-recipient of Dirac Medal, one of the highest honours in the field. In 2022, he was the co-winner of yet another prestigious award in physics, the Boltzmann Medal, becoming the first Indian to receive it. The senior physicist currently serves as the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) distinguished professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, in Bengaluru. Even as new universities mushroom across India, the state of primary school education is one of concern, according to Dhar. Outside the world of physics, Dhar enjoys reading fiction but is not a fan of the self-help books that flood bookshops.