Quests for Cosmic Origin

Over the past few decades, spectacularly deep inroads and high precision inferences on cosmic history and origin have been made possible, largely from increasingly exquisite measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). However, the emergence of a 'standard cosmological model’ has relied on certain fundamental assumptions related to its origin. I review work along multiple facets, largely, from the research program of my group. The CMB sky has much more to reveal !!! I also present the case for a next-generation CMB space mission that provides a unique opportunity for India to partake in potentially path-breaking discovery, together with several guaranteed high science dividends and providing rich legacy astronomical data.