The things that get me away from a whiteboard — outdoors, behind a lens, or just in motion. If side quests are the projects, these are the reset button.
Astrophotography
Long exposures under whatever dark sky I can find — a DSLR, a star tracker, and a lot of patience for clouds to behave. Nebulae, star trails, the Milky Way core. It's the closest I get to fieldwork outside a research meeting.
ActiveWhite-Water Rafting
Rapids on the Ganges, mostly, though I'm not picky. There's something clarifying about a river that doesn't care what your dissertation is about.
ActiveHigh-Altitude Trekking
Chamoli, Joshimath, the Himalayas, the Rockies — wherever the air gets thin enough to make you rethink your pace. Trekking is the only cardio I've never had to talk myself into.
ActiveDownhill Cycling
Riverbed trails in Haridwar, mostly on borrowed bikes and worse judgment. Gravity does most of the physics; I just try to stay on the bike.
ActiveMusic
Eclectic and loud — whatever's on rotation depends entirely on the week. Concerts when I can get to one, playlists that make sense to no one but me the rest of the time.
ActiveThe Open Road
A newly acquired car and a genuine love of driving somewhere with no fixed plan. Road trips are basically field research for finding homes across the world — minus the flight.
Active