In this conversation, Abhay Ashtekar shares his remarkable journey from his early life in India to becoming a leading figure in theoretical physics. He discusses the influence of his family, his early interest in mathematics and science, and the challenges he faced in his education. Abhay emphasizes the importance of self-belief, mentorship, and the balance between pursuing one's passions and academic responsibilities. He reflects on his decision to choose pure science over engineering and the impact of his university experiences on his career path.

Music Attribution: "The Inspiration (EPIC)" by Serjo De Lua (Keys of Moon Music), sourced from their official Bandcamp page. This track is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, allowing for reuse. View the license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Support the artist directly: https://keysofmoon.bandcamp.com/track/the-inspiration-epic