The Department of Physics at Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College is recognized as one of the most prestigious and dynamic Physics departments within the University of Delhi. Established in 1951 at the Dev Nagar campus, the department initially catered to pre-medical students for whom Physics was a mandatory subject. Over the years, it has evolved into a hub of academic excellence and research innovation, offering undergraduate programs such as B.Sc. (Hons) Physics and B.Sc. (Program) Physical Sciences, and catering to students from diverse backgrounds. Today, the Department boasts of twelve inspiring faculty members, bearing diverse research interests and providing learning and research facilities to the under-graduate students in the Department.
Founding Faculty and Legacy
The department owes its inception to the dedicated efforts of S. Harcharan Singh, affectionately known as “Daddyji,” and Dr. Tirath Singh, with S. H. S. Talwar joining the team in 1961. Their combined efforts earned them the title of the “pillars of the department.” Dr. Tirath Singh later served as the college principal, further contributing to its legacy. The introduction of B.Sc. (General) courses in 1966 marked a significant expansion. When the college relocated to the University Enclave campus in 1971, the department established itself on the topmost floor of the science block, creating an environment conducive to teaching and learning. Notable educators like Mr. Hari Om Sharma, Dr. P.L. Talwar, Dr. Harbilas Midha, and Dr. P.C. Trivedi further strengthened the department. The non-teaching staff also played a critical role in supporting the department’s growth, with individuals like S. Shingara Singh, Mr. Ram Chander (“Pandit Ji”), S. Amarjeet Grover, Mr. Bal, and Mr. Narender Singh ensuring smooth operations.
Milestones and Academic Growth
Introduction of the B.Sc. (Hons) Physics program in 1983 was a pivotal moment in the history of department, significantly enriching the department’s academic offerings. This period also saw the recruitment of passionate educators like Dr. Anuradha Gupta, followed by Dr. S.K. Soni, Dr. Deepak Chandra, and Dr. Ravi S. Bhattacharjee, who carried forward the department’s vision of delivering quality education to the students. Despite admitting students with lower cut-offs compared to other campus colleges, the department achieved remarkable success, with many students securing university ranks and accolades.
In 1988, the launch of the B.Sc. (Hons) Electronics program marked another milestone, leading to the department’s renaming as the Department of Physics and Electronics. A dynamic and young faculty strengthened the department further. Physics and Electronics departments functioned as a single entity until 2011, when a university policy led to their separation. The department has witnessed a dynamic faculty landscape, with many educators moving on to prestigious roles across the country and abroad.
Teaching-Learning
The department boasts of well-equipped laboratories and a team of passionate faculty always striving for excellence. The teaching and non-teaching staff of the department ensures a homely atmosphere for the students conducive to their academic growth and taking care of individual needs at the same time. The faculty is dedicated to nurturing students’ practical skills and enhancing their logical and analytical abilities. Extra care taken to bring students from diverse background at par and students are encouraged to interact with the faculty outside classrooms as well. Besides the usual blackboard based teaching, we use enquiry based learning through quizzes, innovative assignments, rigorous viva sessions, encouraging students to do cooperative self-learning and give presentations. Special emphasis is laid on project-based learning, where teachers mentor students in reading and research projects. This not only fosters active involvement in the teaching-learning process but also develops a strong research aptitude among students. Recent years have seen a growing number of students undertaking research internships under Indian Academy of science’s summer research fellowship programme and at prestigious institutions, including TIFR, HBCSE, HRI, IUCAA, IUAC, IIT’s and IISER’s. The legacy of academic rigor and innovation make our department one of the best physics departments among the Delhi university colleges.
Research
The department faculty has been involved in research in cutting edge fields, e.g. material science, nanotechnology, atomic physis, high energy physics, physics education and computational physics to name a few. Some of our faculty members are also mentors for the Indian Academy of Science’s SRFP (Summer Research Fellowship Programme). The department has secured funding from premier government institutions like DST, CSIR, and UGC which has supported research projects, improved the infrastructure of the department and facilitated the organization of various conferences and workshops. These initiatives provide students with exposure to advanced scientific discussions and hands-on learning opportunities
Academic Activities
The department has organised many international and national level conferences, workshops, and seminars like, “Conference-cum-Workshop on High Energy and Computational Physics”(1996), “Emerging Trends in Physics (ETP06)” (2006), “Think Tank on Physics@LHC: Monte Carlo Event Generators at NLO and Jet Physics” (2011). Besides, our department is the only one college-level departments to host two preparatory and one main DST-sponsored SERC(now called SERB) schools in theoretical high energy physics for training PhD students. The department also hosted Asian Physics Olympiad cell for years and trained the Indian team for APhO.
The physics society called “Sparks” organises lecture series by eminent physicists and competitions like, paper reading, quizzes, poster presentations, etc. every year. The department also organizes field trips, visits to national labs, workshops and outreach programs as part of the extension activities.
Alumni Achievements
The department takes immense pride in its alumni, who have excelled across diverse fields: The first batch of B.Sc.(H) Physics performed extremely well. To name a few, Mr. Sanjay Kumar pursued B.E. at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Quite a few pursued master programme in Physics and Computer science. Dr. Manish Kansal, joined as a faculty member in another Delhi University college after completing masters and doctorate, Ms. Maneet Dheer returned to the department as a faculty member after completing her masters from Delhi University.
Every year several of our graduating students join prestigious institutions for master’s program in India and abroad. The department not only prepares students for academic success but also equips them with skills to thrive in diverse career paths. Graduates from the department have made significant contributions in academia, research, software industry, government administration, defence services, finance, and banking, both in India and abroad. Many of our alumni are now physics faculty at LSU, IISc, IISER, NCRA, DU, GGSIPU while some have joined research and development at prestigious institutes and organisations like IPR, DRDO, ONGC, Proctor and Gamble. Dr. Ajay Wadhwa and Dr. Nimmi Singh, current faculty members are also proud alumni of the department.