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Time of India
01-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Include a chapter on Narlikar in school textbooks, says Mashelkar
Pune: Jayant Narlikar's legacy should be a chapter in textbooks to inspire young scientists, said Raghunath Mashelkar, president, Pune International Centre (PIC), at a memorial organised for the astrophysicist on Saturday. Ajit Kembhavi, former director, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and R. Srianand, the current director of IUCAA, also spoke about Narlikar and his work. Mashelkar, who joined the meet via a video call, recalled, "He fought pseudoscience with reason, not ridicule. At a meeting in Delhi, there was an effort to introduce astrology in the syllabus, and he was one of the first to stand up and say astrology is not science. There are very few people who dare to do that. When we write the next set of textbooks in all languages, there should be a lesson on the legacy that Dr Narlikar left behind, particularly in Maharashtra. Budding scientists will learn from his legacy." Kembhavi, who was a PhD student of Narlikar and went on to work with him for 53 years, spoke about the science that made the man. "Everybody knows about the Big Bang theory— that the universe began with a big explosion. But Narlikar didn't believe in it; he believed in the quasi-steady state theory, which in a way meant the universe has always remained the same. He did not like a universe which was born on Wednesday and was finished on Friday, along with space and time," quipped Kembhavi, adding how, in the beginning, he worked on something close to Narlikar's theory but soon changed course—yet never faced any opposition from Narlikar. "He always said, 'Do what you like and believe in it.' That was his principle, which was also reflected in the way IUCAA was built and run," said Kembhavi. He spoke about the Hoyle–Narlikar theory of gravity, which is an alternative to Einstein's general theory of relativity, and Narlikar's belief in life beyond Earth and the atmospheric experiments he proposed to trace whether life originated from outside. R. Srianand, director of IUCAA, spoke about how it was IUCAA's associateship programme that helped him—a PhD student in Bhubaneswar—finally become the director of IUCAA. "Not everybody can be in Tata Institute of Fundamental Research or Cambridge. IUCAA is for every scientist who thinks he or she missed the bus. Doing astronomy is an expensive affair, and resources are confined to a few elite institutes. What Narlikar did was to give a chance to researchers from across the country to access these resources at IUCAA. So, I am standing here to just say that whatever was envisioned in establishing IUCAA has already happened. The fact that I am the director of IUCAA is the success of professor Narlikar and also the success of IUCAA's concept," said Srianand.
Deccan Herald
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
India in a 'war-like' situation, govt has steely resolve, says ex-diplomat Bambawale
Bambawale was speaking at a panel discussion on the topic, 'Operation Sindoor', organised by Pune International Centre (PIC) on Friday.
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
India in a 'war-like' situation, govt has steely resolve, says ex-diplomat Bambawale
Pune, Former High Commissioner to Pakistan, Gautam Bambawale, has described the military conflict between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor as a "war-like situation", asserting that the Central government has a "steely resolve" and a clear sense of its objectives. Bambawale was speaking at a panel discussion on the topic, 'Operation Sindoor', organised by Pune International Centre on Friday. "I would like to describe the current situation as a 'war-like situation'. When I say a war-like situation, I mean to say that we are at the edge of getting into a full-scale war, but we are not yet there," he said. The former Indian ambassador to China said three elements are important for a nation in a war-like situation. "First is — the government. As we know, for the last 10 to 12 years, this government has had a steely resolve. They know what their objectives are, they know what they want to do and what they want to target. The second element is the Armed Forces. We know that the Indian Armed Forces are capable of and have seen that in the last few days. The armed forces also have a steely resolve. They know how to take on the targets and achieve the goals set by the political leadership and their leadership," Bambawale said. He said the third element was the 'people of the country'. "In any war-like situation, not all things go in one way or against the enemy. There are setbacks, and we could also be targeted, the way people living in the border areas like Poonch were targeted by Pakistan. If we get into that kind of situation, the people of the country should show steely resolve. They should not lose their focus. This is the fight for justice against terrorism and against perpetrators of terrorism and those who are funding and supporting them," he said. Other panellists at the discussion included Lt Gen V G Patankar , Col. Vinayak Bhat, Air Marshal Dipendu Choudhury , and Captain D K Sharma . Major General Nitin Gadkari , the director of PIC, moderated the panel.
