Beyond his groundbreaking analysis in cosmology, Narlikar earned a distinguished popularity as a passionate science communicator. His efforts to popularise science by way of books, articles, and radio and tv applications earned him international recognition.

New Delhi:

Eminent astrophysicist, science populariser and founding director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, handed away in his sleep in Pune on Tuesday. He was 87. Recently recovering from a hip surgical procedure, Dr Narlikar leaves behind a unprecedented legacy within the realms of Indian science, schooling, and public outreach. He is survived by his three daughters — Geeta, Girija, and Leelavati — all of whom have adopted in his footsteps into scientific analysis.

Dr Narlikar earned worldwide popularity of his pioneering work in cosmology, notably for proposing various theories to the extensively accepted Big Bang mannequin. In India, he performed a transformative position in establishing top-tier establishments devoted to astronomy and astrophysics.

Who was Jayant Narlikar? Born on July 19, 1938, in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, Narlikar was nurtured in an intellectually wealthy atmosphere. His father, Vishnu Vasudeva Narlikar, was a distinguished mathematician and led the Mathematics Department at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), the place Jayant accomplished his education. He later attended Cambridge University, the place he achieved the uncommon distinction of changing into a Wrangler and was awarded the celebrated Tyson Medal within the Mathematical Tripos — a testomony to his distinctive educational prowess.

Upon returning to India, Narlikar joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the place he labored from 1972 to 1989. During this time, he conceptualised and spearheaded the institution of IUCAA in Pune, which got here into being in 1988. Under his visionary management, IUCAA shortly rose to international prominence as a centre for cutting-edge analysis and schooling in astrophysics. He served as its director till his retirement in 2003 and continued to contribute as Emeritus Professor within the years that adopted.

Full record of awards conferred to Jayant Narlikar: In recognition of his invaluable contributions, Dr Narlikar acquired a number of nationwide and worldwide accolades. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1965 on the remarkably younger age of 26, adopted by the Padma Vibhushan in 2004. In 2011, the Maharashtra authorities honoured him with the Maharashtra Bhushan in 2010, the state’s highest civilian award.

Narlikar’s illustrious profession was marked by quite a few accolades, each in India and overseas. In 1981, he was honoured with the ‘Rashtra Bhushan’ award by the FIE Foundation in Ichalkaranji. Over the years, he additionally acquired a number of prestigious scientific awards, together with the Bhatnagar Award, the MP Birla Award, and the Prix Jules Janssen — the best recognition from the French Astronomical Society (Société astronomique de France). He held esteemed positions as an Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society in London and was a Fellow of all three main Indian science academies, in addition to the Third World Academy of Sciences.

Beyond his groundbreaking analysis in cosmology, Narlikar earned a distinguished popularity as a passionate science communicator. His efforts to popularise science by way of books, articles, and radio and tv applications earned him international recognition — most notably the Kalinga Prize from UNESCO in 1996.

His contributions to Hindi and regional literature have been equally commendable. In 1989, he acquired the ‘Atmaram Award’ from the Central Hindi Directorate, adopted by the Indira Gandhi Award from the Indian National Science Academy in 1990. He additionally served as a jury member for the Physical Sciences class of the Infosys Prize in 2009.

In 2014, his literary accomplishments have been celebrated when he acquired the Sahitya Akademi Award for his Marathi autobiography Chaar Nagarantale Maze Vishwa. He was later chosen to preside over the 94th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, held in Nashik in January 2021 — additional highlighting his multifaceted contributions to science and literature.

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