Stephen Hawking

“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.”-Stephen Hawking

As the million stars shine in the sky, one such man pondered on the question, “How was the universe created?” or rather to put it in other words “The beginning of time”.He is none other than the famous astrophysicist, Stephen Hawking, the hero not just for what he taught us about the universe, but for the way he taught us to live. People viewed him as a physically challenged man, used electric wheelchair to move around with a robotic audio for his voice.

Professor Stephen William Hawking was born on 8th January 1942 in Oxford, to Frank and Isobel Eileen Hawking. He wanted to pursue his studies in mathematics but since only few jobs were available for mathematical graduates at that time, so he decided to choose Physics and Chemistry. That was the career point of his life.

Whether or not he overturned the universe, he did overturn our imaginations. To the public, however, he was,“The wheelchair guy,” who despite being slowly paralyzed by Lou Gehrig’s diseases, to the point where he could move only an eyeball, roamed the world and figuratively the universe, married twice, fathered three children, wrote best-sellers and nurtured generations of graduate students.

He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease when he fell down while returning from work. Little did Stephen know that this would be the turning point of his life. It first took control of his legs and then it spread to the upper half of the body slowly. The only thing which was unaffected was his brain. He could still use the same old brain to derive equations and make theories.Doctors gave him a life expectancy of two years. His zeal for astrophysics was the only thing which kept him occupied on his research rather than worrying about himself. He still went to work on his wheelchair with the aid of his wife, Jane. As time passed, his condition worsened but still he did not lose his faith in research on black holes. For him the world was his wheelchair and black holes.After a few years, he came up with a theory , “ The theory of Everything” ; according to which the whole universe was created as a result of black holes. The theory became famous and won many awards. After this there was no turning back, he decided to write a book, “A Brief History of Time” which became bestseller.

It was his first fall that helped him to leap to the success he was enjoying. His theories were enough to support him than his legs could. The hard work and dedication that he put on his research could never be forgotten. His theories might have solved unanswered questions or spawned debates between other astrophysicists. But his works cannot be forgotten. He even declined the knighthood as he felt it would prevent him from enjoying retirement. He left for his heavenly abode on March 14, 2018.

The way he lived is an inspiration to many.But now he rests among the stars, as black hole has claimed his life on the boundary of oblivion. And there is indeed something left behind: a mischievous grin and a great, great mystery.