Jayant Narlikar, who challenged Big Bang Theory, passes away at 86

Time of India

20-05-2025

Pune: In his last blog on March 24 this year, renowned astrophysicist Jayant
Narlikar
wrote about the importance of stepping back and looking at one's creations in a detached manner, and delegating work to youngsters.
"This is where the IUCAA story is supposed to end," he said.
"
Karmayoga
advocated by
Bhagwad Gita
shows the way for a graceful exit," the founder-director of Inter-University Centre For Astronomy and Astrophysics concluded, almost like a prophetic farewell.
Narlikar, 86, rationalist, cricket lover, science communicator, author and scientist who challenged the
Big Bang theory
, passed away early on Tuesday in his sleep at his Pune home.
On the previous day, Narlikar — who recently underwent hip surgery — spent three hours reading in the massive wooden recliner that belonged to his father.
He then stepped out of his modest home and went for a drive in his car. Later in the night, he told his daughter to give him a hug before he went to sleep.
His wife, Mangala Narlikar, a mathematician, passed away in 2023. Their three daughters, Geeta, Girija and Leelavati pursue research careers in science.
'Father of Indian cosmology'
Narlikar is best known for Steady State Cosmology—an alternative to the widely accepted Big Bang Theory about the origin of the universe.
IUCAA director R Srianand said Narlikar was the father of Indian cosmology who worked on Mach's Principle, quantum cosmology, and problems related to quasars and black holes.
He added, "Life beyond earth was another topic that interested him. Since 1999, he also collaborated with ISRO and a group of scientists to design experiments that sampled air at altitudes of up to 41km to search for microorganisms. The samples collected in 2001 and 2005 found live cells and bacteria, opening up new possibilities to be explored through experiments."
Born in Kolhapur, Narlikar completed his graduation at Banaras Hindu University, where his father was a mathematics professor before going to Cambridge. His mother was a Sanskrit researcher.
JNV or Jayant Vishnu Narlikar became a household name in India in 1964 when newspapers across the country wrote about the research by the young Indian and his senior Fred Hoyle at Cambridge.
Their research looked beyond Einstein's theory of relativity to give an alternative model for gravity that fits into the quasi-steady state model of the universe.
Birth of IUCAA in 1988
Narlikar's friend and co-founder of IUCAA Naresh Dadhich wrote that he became a household name overnight, a science face of an emerging and aspiring India, and an iconic role model who toured India and gave lectures and perhaps the youngest Padma Bhushan awardee.
Dadhich added, "Stephen Hawking, Martin Rees, Brandon Carter, and George Ellis were all Narlikar's contemporaries. Yet, Hoyle chose JVN as his doctoral student.
In fact, Nobel Laureate Robert Penrose, shared Adam's Prize with Narlikar. He was so big."
At Cambridge, Narlikar became a Wrangler and Tyson Medallist in Mathematical Tripos, was awarded the Smith's Prize in 1962, and the Adams Prize in 1967.
He came back to India in 1972 to join TIFR in Mumbai, and it was here that he started the idea for IUCAA. "It was considered crazy to leave a secure job at TIFR for an unknown, undefined idea.
But we did it anyway, setting up IUCAA in 1988, where Narlikar remained founder-director for three terms till his retirement in 2003," Ajit Kembhavi, one of the other founding members and ex-director of IUCAA, said.
On Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' Show
The centre popularised science, because at heart, Narlikar was as much a science communicator as he was a researcher.
Arvind Gupta, well-known for his creative ways of explaining science through toys and other means, recalls an IUCAA tradition where lectures are held for school children every month that has continued for over 40 years.
Gupta said, "The science centre in IUCAA was set up with funds from Pu La Deshpande's trust, but I was sceptical as it was a govt institute. But I got a free hand to shape it and was told I could leave after six months if it felt too bureaucratic. We owe science popularisation to Narlikar. He believed that good PhD students don't fall from the sky — we have to nurture and inspire them from a young age."
Narlikar's love for explaining science was so profound that he was featured on Carl Sagan's popular TV show Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.
Colleagues remember him as a remarkably structured individual — someone who, despite wearing many hats, was never in a hurry; despite his fame, never unreachable; and a person who always made time for badminton and tennis during his IUCAA days.
His love for cricket was probably only one notch less than that for science. In his blog, he wrote about playing matches during his time at BHU, with Pakistani students when in Cambridge, and recalls being complimented for his batting and bowling by Chandu Borde during a chance cricket match in Birmingham in July 2002, where he went to attend a convention of Marathi-speaking people from Europe.
Research Paper Against Astrology
For a man who loved science, belief in rationality came naturally. Hamid Dabholkar, son of slain rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, said Narlikar spoke out against the tendency to find pseudo-scientific reasoning in mythology, published a research paper debunking astrology, and even provided a mobile planetarium to activists working to dispel superstition — enabling them to travel to villages and explain eclipses and other natural phenomena.
Narlikar's friendship with eminent Marathi writer Pu La Deshpande is well-known. But even among ordinary citizens, he had a lasting impact.
Author Who Inspired Generations
Jasin S, who works for a private firm in New Delhi, said he may not remember what he recently read online, but vividly recalls two chapters from his Std VIII and IX NCERT English textbooks.
"One was The Comet and the other was The Adventure by Narlikar. That was my introduction to science fiction. I didn't know who he was, but he was an amazing writer. I was fascinated by the concept of a parallel universe in The Adventure. Now, I read everything I can about black holes, astrophysical discoveries, and life on Mars."
Last rites today
The mortal remains will be kept at IUCAA from 11.15 am till noon on Wednesday after which the last rites will be performed at Vaikunth crematorium in Pune. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced a state funeral.