US-based astronomer Professor Shrinivas Kulkarni, originally from Maharashtra, has been awarded the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Gold Medal in London for his significant contributions to time-domain astronomy. The award recognizes his "field-defining" discoveries, including brown dwarfs and gamma-ray bursts, and his leadership in projects like the Palomar Transient Factory. Kulkarni expressed surprise and gratitude, acknowledging his collaborators and the engineering teams involved in his groundbreaking work.