Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who would have turned 34 on January 21, had a keen interest in the subjects of physics and astronomy. 

Significantly, this will be the actor’s first birth anniversary post his tragic death last year. The actor died by suicide on June 20. His death was mourned by fans across the country and fellow artists that he’d worked with. 

To mark this day, his sister Shweta Singh Kirti has announced a scholarship worth $35,000 for any bright student interested in studying Astrophysics at UC Berkeley, in the United States.

An engineering student at Delhi Technological University, Rajput later dropped out to pursue his career in acting. 

Also read- I regret not being there for you: Kangana Ranaut on Sushant Singh Rajput’s birth anniversary

The actor’s interest in the field of science and its association with spirituality was reflected on his social media accounts, particularly on Instagram. He frequently posted images of phenomena of the cosmos, and added an explanation for the same. His Instagram bio still reads ‘photon in a double slit’, a reference to the way light helps an image get captured through photography.

Check a few of his posts out below:

The field of astronomy fascinated him the most. Studying the inner workings of the Universe thrilled him. Concepts like ‘dark energy’ consistently featured in the list of things he talked about. 

Rajput also notably followed ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) missions, including Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter Mission. 

Physics was his forte and post his death, several friends and family were reported by media as saying that he would constantly explain theories and formulae in the subject to anyone who’d ask. 

Rajput liked to draw a connection between the larger functions (and workings) of celestial objects to philosophical notions about life. 

The vastness of the cosmos allowed the actor to reflect on the intricacies of the human life. He very clearly tied philosophy and science together through his musings. 

Sushant Singh Rajput began his career in the Hindi film industry with TV serials and later progressed to acting in films. He starred in movies such as ‘Kai Po Che!’, ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’, and ‘Kedarnath’ among others. His last film, romantic drama ‘Dil Bechara’, is yet to be released. It is a Bollywood adaptation of American author John Green’s best-selling novel ‘The Fault in Our Stars’.