Vidya Bharati alumni from Odisha, talks about his love for Physics and how ancient Indian culture is a storehouse of scientific knowledge

Sri Bibhusit Tripathy, is an alumnus of S.S.V.M. Harachandi Sahi, Puri, Odisha. His passion for ‘Physics’ and attainment of in-depth knowledge in the subject led him to leave his lucrative job as IT advisor. Recently he shared his thoughts via an interview, as summarised below.

Mr. Tripathy had studied in S.S.V.M. Harachandi Sahi, Puri and passed his 10th examination in the year 2000. He joined Samanta Chandra Sekhar College for classes 11 and 12. After his schooling he shifted to Bhubenshwar for IIT JEE preparation. While preparing for the examination for 1 to 2 years, he started coaching other students. During this time he spent most of his time studying and gaining in-depth knowledge in Physics and was slowly losing interest in engineering. 

In 2006 Mr. Tripathy moved to Delhi to study B. Tech in Aero Space Engineering. While still in his final year, he was offered the post of IT advisor in Barclays India. He worked in the IT sector for five years from 2010- 2015, but soon left the job to devote more time towards research in Physics. It was during this time that he rediscovered his love for his teaching and started coaching students in an institute in Delhi. Later on he got a job offer in a Raipur institute which taught students interested in cracking medical entrance examinations. Over there he taught in the evening classes and in the morning he joined Kalinga University to get his M.Scs. degree. Presently due to Covid- 19 he is working from home and conducting online classes on competitive examinations. He is also preparing for his PhD as he plans to pursue higher education in Astro Physics, while continuing teaching and running a blog on Physics.  

When asked about the reason behind his interest in the subject, Mr. Tripathy, gave full credit to his school teacher, whose easy method of teaching helped him to develop a deep attachment with the subject. Elaborating further, Mr. Tripathy, pointed out that the subject is not only about theories, but requires a depth of imagination. He finds it extremely satisfying, when his mind is able to use the knowledge in the subject to crack difficult problems and universal concepts. According to him, although belonging to an engineering family, he never got any interest in a corporate job, no matter the salary. He felt his inclination has always been towards, teaching and research.

Mr. Tripathy pointed out that in our Indian culture, we have often learnt about the vast knowledge that the ‘rishis’ had accumulated. At that time they did not have scientific tools, technologies and instruments that are at our disposal today. They used their observation skills and power of mind to gather knowledge and understand universal concepts. Thus ‘science’ is an ancient knowledge that was always present in our country.

During the interview when asked what students interested in making a career in the subject should keep in mind, Mr. Tripathy clarified that such students have to keep two important things in mind. – i.e.  Firstly, developing a disciplined mind, as any kind of research uses the power of mind and a disturbed mind can never have enough attention span to devote energy required for the process. Secondly one has to be ‘free minded’ and be able to think and observe without any mental boundaries or blockages. The students should remember that science does not come only from western concepts, but is sourced from knowledge. Our ancestors gained this knowledge with the use of their powerful minds and it can be achieved by one who has an open mind.

While speaking about his future plans, Mr. Tripathy mentioned that he has observed in Odisha students are lagging behind in competitive examinations due to lack of quality guidance and thus wants to provide free of cost online classes on science subjects to students of Vidya Bharati schools in Puri, who wants to crack such exams.  As a suggestion, he also stated that as Vidya Bharati has several alumni who are associated with education, if a central portal can be developed for  coaching it’s students, it might prove very useful. In this manner students from lower income families can access quality education and learn necessary skills required for the present competitive market.

Lastly before ending the interview, Mr. Tripathy urged all students to always respect their parents, remember their sacrifices and work towards fulfilling their dreams. This will give the children the strength to move forward in life.

Vidya Bharati Purv Chatra Parishad thanks Mr. Bibhusit Tripathy for taking out time and sharing his inspiring thoughts with the community.

If you are a Vidya Bharati student and would like to share your experiences and achievements as well, kindly email us at info@vidyabharatialumni.org and we will get in touch with you