Who Was Jayant Narlikar? Astrophysicist, Padma Vibhushan Awardee Passed Away In Pune
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Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar was a renowned Indian astrophysicist and science communicator, known for his groundbreaking work in cosmology. He died in Pune at the age of 87.
Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, who passed away on Tuesday, was a Padma Vibhushan awardee, a science communicator, and an eminent astrophysicist.
According to his family, Narlikar died while in his sleep at his Pune home.
He was 87.
Dr Narlikar has been a towering figure in Indian science, known for his contributions to cosmology.
He has also been popular for his efforts to popularise science and for setting up premier research institutions in the country.
DR NARLIKAR's EDUCATION BACKGROUND
Born on July 19, 1938, Dr Narlikar was a graduate from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), and then went to Cambridge for higher studies, where he became a Wrangler and Tyson Medallist in the Mathematical Tripos.
His father, Vishnu Vasudeva Narlikar, was also a professor and Head of the Mathematics Department at the BHU.
Dr Narlikar joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1972, after his return to India. He worked there until 1989. where, under his charge, the Theoretical Astrophysics Group expanded and acquired international standing.
In 1988, the University Grants Commission invited Dr Narlikar to set up the proposed Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) as its Founder Director.
He held the directorship of IUCAA until his retirement in 2003.
In 2012, the Third World Academy of Sciences awarded Dr Narlikar their prize for setting up a centre for excellence in science.
Besides his scientific research, Dr Narlikar was well-known as a science communicator through his books, articles, and radio/TV programmes.
He is also known for his science fiction stories.
For all these efforts, he was honoured by UNESCO in 1996 with the Kalinga Award for popular science works.
Dr Narlikar was awarded Padmabhushan in 1965 at the young age of 26.
In 2004, he was awarded Padmavibhushan, and the Maharashtra government honoured him with the state's highest civilian award, Maharashtra Bhushan, in 2011.
In the year 2014, Dr Narlikar's autobiography was selected by the Sahitya Akademi, the premier literary body in India, for its highest prize in regional language (Marathi) writing.
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