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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
A tale of Homi Bhabha, MF Husain and a trove of art at a science institute
MUMBAI: In the foyer of 'A' Block at the campus of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is an M F Husain that took top honours at an unusual competition. The area is not accessible to visitors in the government-funded, high-security campus, but the mural's expanse and sharp lines are visible even from a distance, through the tall glass facade. The mural came to adorn this 9ft x 45ft wall in 1962 because Homi Bhabha, who founded the institute in 1945, invited the finest Indian artists to compete for a chance to grace a wall at TIFR's then-new Navy Nagar premises with their work. Unbeknownst to them, Bhabha had reached out to Pablo Picasso too, hoping the legendary Spanish artist would oblige. 'As a result of our conflict with the Chinese, it is quite impossible for us to pay anything in foreign exchange, leave aside the type of price that would be appropriate for Picasso,' he wrote to his friend, Irish scientist JD Bernal. 'However, I did suggest we could pay him a first-class return air fare to India and a month's stay at our expense, together with arrangements for visiting and seeing some of the country's famous archaeological monuments,' went the letter. The attempt to entice Picasso did not work out, but Husain's massive mural, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, lent the campus a special touch, blending the pride of a modern Indian identity with his artistic genius. This was one of the tales narrated by Mortimer Chatterjee, co-founder and director of the gallery Chatterjee and Lal, at a talk that inaugurated TIFR's first Art & Archives Colloquium, organised in collaboration with Art Mumbai. Chatterjee, who has been associated with TIFR's acclaimed art collection for 15 years, spoke of how the collection was acquired between the '50s and '70s, and what it says about Indian art of that time. While Husain's mural was the first painting created for the new campus, Bhabha had been building the institute's art collection for the better part of the previous decade. Bhabha, one of India's premier nuclear physicists, had not traded art for science; he paid keen attention to the campus's architecture and gardens too. He was, after all, an artist himself. 'While Bhabha was the steering force of the collection, he had a whole band of art insiders around him keeping a close eye on the exhibitions and new work being produced. Chief among them was Phiroza Wadia, called 'Pipsy', whom Bhabha painted a few times. Also among them was mathematics professor KS Chandrasekharan, art critic Rudolf von Leyden and Kekoo Gandhy of the Chemold Prescott gallery,' Chatterjee recounted. 'Gandhy would invite Bhabha over the day before his exhibitions opened, for him to have the first pick, while his staff held up frames for Bhabha to visualise. He would get lost in a trance, forgetting that there was someone holding them up,' said Chatterjee, to a rapt audience, on Monday evening. 'Often the paintings would stay hung at TIFR for a while, before purchase, for Bhabha to evaluate them in the setting, just as he did with paintings for his home,' he added. During the eight years it took to build the Navy Nagar campus, the 102 acquired paintings were displayed on the walls of the old Bombay Yacht Club. Then owned by Bhabha's aunt, it served as TIFR's home before the move to Navy Nagar. Few of the paintings had anything to do with science, really. The collection was entirely contemporary. For this, Chatterjee compared Bhabha to 'the spirit of Medici', the Italian patron that fostered Renaissance art, including that of Leonardo da Vinci. The then-budding group of artists known as the Progressive Artists' Group, led by Husain, SH Raza and FN Souza, among others, inevitably took the spotlight in TIFR's art collection, but a wide range of Indian artists is actually represented across it. Bhabha's love of art needed funds to support it. He secured permission, Chatterjee said, to spend 1% of TIFR's budget on art. Bringing things full-circle, Husain helped broker deals between artists and TIFR too. After Bhabha's death in 1966, aged just 56, his successor at TIFR, MGK Menon, continued his mission, building the institute's art collection up to its current strength of 250-plus masterpieces.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
A horticulturist bids adieu to the magnificent trees of TIFR
MUMBAI: For over three decades, Rajendra Gumaste has tended to the acres of greenery in a pocket at the southern tip of Mumbai set up by scientist extraordinaire Homi Bhabha. Now, as he prepares to move on to other pastures, he leaves to it the distilled essence of his years of work there, sprinkled with archival finds and curiosities, in the form of a coffee table book titled 'Trees of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research'. 'When Dr Bhabha got this piece of land in Colaba in the 1950s to house TIFR, it was mostly barren reclaimed land,' said Gumaste, speaking before the book's launch at the seaside campus on Thursday. 'Even though this was to be a den of scientific inquiry, he gave as much importance to nature in over 20 acres, almost half of the campus.' When Mumbai was in its teething stages, sacrificing trees to make way for people, Bhabha was making space for the former. 'Around half the trees here are transplanted from other parts of Mumbai, including Banyan trees, baobabs and peepal trees,' said Gumaste. 'He also imported rare species like the Melaleuca leucadendra and Tabebuia rosea.' Today the campus has over 2,000 trees in 110 varieties. The unmistakable star of this transplanting effort lies in the campus: a gigantic Banyan tree, one of the approximately 20 on campus, whose canopy spreads out over 6,000 square feet. 'This is not the oldest Banyan tree in Mumbai, but it is the only one that has been given this much space to spread its wings to its heart's desire,' said Shyam Palkar, assistant professor of botany at MES' DG Ruparel College. Gumaste met Palkar, who is part of a group called 'Friends of Trees', back in 2024 on a tree walk he was conducting at TIFR. They became great friends, and Palkar came on board as the book's editor and added botany and taxonomy details to it. Another feat of transplantation is one of the four baobab trees on campus. 'This baobab was transplanted from Nepeansea Road in 1972, when it was approximately 50 years old,' said Gumaste. 'The archive notes that Bhabha's brother, J J Bhabha, saw the tree being cut and asked the then director if it was possible to transplant it. Despite being an expensive endeavour, they still went ahead with it, with funding by Telco. There is a photo of the night it was being transplanted, with JRD Tata and J J Bhabha, looking up to its branches, a banner about its transplantation hanging between two trees in the background.' For Gumaste, who began his role as the head of gardens and parks at TIFR—he retired in 2024 but continues as a consultant—the challenges of tending to the trees have increased over the years due to the change in weather, temperature and rainfall patterns. 'Every monsoon, there are a few tree falls, especially those trees that are not native to Bombay like the gulmohar and spathodea, and the newer ones planted to fill the gaps,' he said. 'It is even trickier over here, as this is reclaimed land, and soil does not always allow the roots to bind firmly. During Cyclone Tatukae in 2021, we lost 48 trees.' Following in the footsteps of Bhabha, Gumaste and his 40-50 gardeners hoisted 32 of the trees right back up. Gumaste has also continued adding trees, preferring to choose the native varieties for a better survival rate. A few acres ahead, the greenery changes shape and leads to well-manicured French-style lawns with a hedge of Putranjiva trees around it and flowers decorating the borders. In the centre is a flower arrangement. Gumaste explains, 'While the flowers in it change according to the seasons, its shape—an amoeba—stays the same, as that is what Bhabha wanted.' Step another three acres ahead, and the greenery once again changes form into one mimicking a forest of wispy Casuarina equisetifolia trees, again at Bhabha's behest. 'This is a tree great for the seashore, as it bonds well in the sandy soil, breaks the wind, and prevents soil erosion,' said Gumaste. 'We keep reconstructing small gazebos here, as professors like to take lectures here, but the younger trees often fall during the monsoon and break them.' Gumaste credits his band of gardeners with keeping Bhabha's dream alive. For the book, he thanks the contributions of Palkar, designer Neil Daptardar and two TIFR photographers Vijay Shinde and Jatin Acharya, as well as Friends of Trees and the TIFR Alumni Association. 'We desperately need to bring back that sense of reverence and exaltation of trees,' he said. ('Trees of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research' is available with the TIFR Alumni Association for ₹1,500)
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar: Astrophysicist who reached for stars, brought them closer to us
PUNE: In his last blog on March 24 this year, celebrated astrophysicist Jayant Vishnu 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 - rationalist, cricket lover, science communicator, author and scientist who dared challenge the Big Bang theory about origin of the universe - passed away at 86 early Tuesday in his sleep at his Pune home. Just the previous day, Narlikar - who recently underwent hip surgery - had 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. Later that night, he told his daughter to give him a hug before he went to sleep. Narlikar's wife Mangala, a mathematician, passed away in 2023. The couple's three daughters - Geeta, Girija and Leelavati - pursue research careers in science. Narlikar is best known for Steady State Cosmology, an alternative to the widely accepted Big Bang theory. He also worked on Mach's Principle, quantum cosmology and problems related to quasars and black holes, earning the epithet 'Father of Indian cosmology'. '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,' IUCAA director RSrianand said. Born in Kolhapur, Narlikar graduated from Banaras Hindu University, where his father was a mathematics professor, before going to Cambridge. His mother was a Sanskrit researcher. JNV 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. 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 returned to India in 1972 to join TIFR in Mumbai. It was there that he worked on the idea of founding 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. Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' At heart, Narlikar was as much a science communicator as he was a researcher. Arvind Gupta, known for his creative ways of explaining science through toys and other means, points to the IUCAA tradition of hosting lectures for schoolchildren every month. This has continued for over 40 years. '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,' Gupta said. Narlikar's love for explaining science led to him being 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 a 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 former Test cricketer Chandu Borde during a chance match in Birmingham in July 2002. Rationalist above all 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. 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 Class 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,' he said. Narlikar's body will be kept at IUCAA from 11.15am till noon Wednesday before the final journey to Pune's Vaikunth crematorium.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
From 100ft room to galaxies: Unlikely birth of IUCAA through space and struggle
Pune: From a 100sqft room in Golay Bungalow, the house where the registrar of Savitribai Phule Pune University once lived, to a 2,000 sq ft temporary 'cottage' and finally to the 10-acre campus where Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics ( IUCAA ) now stands, the journey of one of India's premier astrophysics institutes is as fascinating as the cosmos it explores. In 1988, University Grants Commission (UGC) thought of creating 'centres of excellence.' Eminent astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar , who had returned from Cambridge in 1972 and was working at TIFR in Mumbai, brainstormed with fellow theoretical physicist Naresh Dadhich at SPPU. It led to their proposal for IUCAA. However, the journey wasn't easy— SPPU refused to give land. It took the intervention of a Prime Minister and two chief ministers to make the idea a reality. Today, IUCAA's campus is the cradle of some of the country's finest astrophysicists. It has played a key role in both national projects like ADITYA-L1 and international collaborations such as the Gravitational Wave research. Dadhich, Narlikar's friend, colleague, neighbour, and co-founder of IUCAA, said, "He carved a special and unique hole for himself in 'time'. He was two months short of his 87th birthday on July 19. It marks the end of an era. His legacy is such that he doesn't leave behind a vacuum but a thriving world-class institute in IUCAA, a brilliant school of cosmology and astrophysics in the country." He recalled the time when visionary UGC chairman Yash Pal told Narlikar to set up the centre but securing land was difficult. "Pune University had given land to TIFR on the promise that its scientists would teach MSc students on the university's campus. However, when TIFR discontinued this practice, the university was unhappy. When we approached the vice-chancellor for land, he refused. We were stuck. This led to Narlikar meeting Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then chief minister Shankarrao Chavan, who both agreed. But the VC still declined. When the state govt changed and Sharad Pawar became CM, the land was finally allotted to IUCAA," Dadhich said. He added that IUCAA was Narlikar's greatest gift to science, to the nation, and—perhaps most importantly—to university students and faculty. "Its main objective was to facilitate the publication of their research and to encourage astronomy research in universities. This centre provided a common facility to work and interact. It wasn't just the building, but the way it operated; everyone felt involved, even the administrative staff. The principle was distributive and participative governance. That message was key to IUCAA's success. Its motto was 'trust breeds trust,'" Dadhich, its former director, said. Ajit Kembhavi, one of IUCAA's three co-founders and a former director, said he was Narlikar's PhD student, who then became his colleague, and was invited to join IUCAA. "The idea was to have one central machine that everyone could use, and it worked brilliantly. The best part was the 'associateship' where a university professor could spend three years at IUCAA conducting research, bring along students, and have full access to all resources. This transformed the research landscape across the country," Kembhavi said. Pune: From a 100sqft room in Golay Bungalow, the house where the registrar of Savitribai Phule Pune University once lived, to a 2,000 sq ft temporary 'cottage' and finally to the 10-acre campus where Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) now stands, the journey of one of India's premier astrophysics institutes is as fascinating as the cosmos it explores. In 1988, University Grants Commission (UGC) thought of creating 'centres of excellence.' Eminent astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar, who had returned from Cambridge in 1972 and was working at TIFR in Mumbai, brainstormed with fellow theoretical physicist Naresh Dadhich at SPPU. It led to their proposal for IUCAA. However, the journey wasn't easy— SPPU refused to give land. It took the intervention of a Prime Minister and two chief ministers to make the idea a reality. Today, IUCAA's campus is the cradle of some of the country's finest astrophysicists. It has played a key role in both national projects like ADITYA-L1 and international collaborations such as the Gravitational Wave research. Dadhich, Narlikar's friend, colleague, neighbour, and co-founder of IUCAA, said, "He carved a special and unique hole for himself in 'time'. He was two months short of his 87th birthday on July 19. It marks the end of an era. His legacy is such that he doesn't leave behind a vacuum but a thriving world-class institute in IUCAA, a brilliant school of cosmology and astrophysics in the country." He recalled the time when visionary UGC chairman Yash Pal told Narlikar to set up the centre but securing land was difficult. "Pune University had given land to TIFR on the promise that its scientists would teach MSc students on the university's campus. However, when TIFR discontinued this practice, the university was unhappy. When we approached the vice-chancellor for land, he refused. We were stuck. This led to Narlikar meeting Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then chief minister Shankarrao Chavan, who both agreed. But the VC still declined. When the state govt changed and Sharad Pawar became CM, the land was finally allotted to IUCAA," Dadhich said. He added that IUCAA was Narlikar's greatest gift to science, to the nation, and—perhaps most importantly—to university students and faculty. "Its main objective was to facilitate the publication of their research and to encourage astronomy research in universities. This centre provided a common facility to work and interact. It wasn't just the building, but the way it operated; everyone felt involved, even the administrative staff. The principle was distributive and participative governance. That message was key to IUCAA's success. Its motto was 'trust breeds trust,'" Dadhich, its former director, said. Ajit Kembhavi, one of IUCAA's three co-founders and a former director, said he was Narlikar's PhD student, who then became his colleague, and was invited to join IUCAA. "The idea was to have one central machine that everyone could use, and it worked brilliantly. The best part was the 'associateship' where a university professor could spend three years at IUCAA conducting research, bring along students, and have full access to all resources. This transformed the research landscape across the country," Kembhavi said.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Narlikar's life in science: A scientist for people
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar passed away in the early hours of May 20, following a brief illness. He was an internationally known astrophysicist and cosmologist, but he was also a great enabler. He made it possible for hundreds of aspiring young persons to succeed as scientists, and at the same time informed and inspired the general public across the country with his talks, books, and tales, in English, Marathi, and Hindi. Narlikar first rose to fame as a student of Fred Hoyle at the University of Cambridge in England. With Hoyle, he worked in the 1960s on a new theory of gravity and the Steady State theory of the universe. These profound ideas received a great deal of attention, and the young Narlikar quickly became well-known in the rarified astronomical circles in the UK. He received many recognitions and awards, and a Padma Bhushan at the young age of 26. Hoyle and Narlikar's ideas were interesting but controversial, and soon they appeared to clash with observations emerging from new radio telescopes, and the discovery of microwave radiation that was considered a remnant of a very hot primordial phase of the universe. Such a phase was not allowed by the Steady State theory. Hoyle, Narlikar, and a few other distinguished colleagues, however, continued research along their lines, modifying their ideas to become consistent with the observations. These ideas could very well be important to fill gaps in our knowledge, but their last great supporter is now gone. Narlikar could have continued to work in prestigious positions abroad, but chose to return to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in 1972. At TIFR, Narlikar established a talented group of students and young researchers who worked on astrophysics and cosmology. While he had his theories and views of the cosmos, he never imposed these on his students, who were largely free to work on problems they were interested in. All students received equal attention from Narlikar, on whatever they worked, and under his benign yet sharp guidance, did well; a good fraction rose to positions of eminence in the academic world in India and abroad. Narlikar's work as a teacher and educator over five decades has immensely benefited many young persons who had the good fortune to be associated with him directly or indirectly or were inspired by his research and other scientific output. Narlikar remained at TIFR until 1989 when he moved to Pune to establish the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). He was invited to create such a centre by Professor Yash Pal, who was then the chairman of the University Grants Commission. The aim was to develop a centre of excellence in astronomy and astrophysics at the international level and offer all facilities and expert guidance to faculty and students from universities and colleges. The establishment of IUCAA was a turning point for science research in India. World-class research in astronomy is now done in universities all over the country. A student in Kerala or the Northeast or Kashmir can now download the latest astronomical data from any data-centre in the world, use high-performance computers at IUCAA to analyse it, and work with IUCAA teachers and experts to publish their results in international journals. The university sector is now at the forefront of using Indian space observatories like AstroSat and Aditya-L1, and could very well lead future ISRO missions. Creating IUCAA has been Narlikar's seminal contribution to Indian science. But his greatest quality was perhaps his ability to convey the most abstract ideas about the cosmos, physics, and science to the masses simply and engagingly. He did that through his many public lectures, articles in newspapers and magazines, and books in English, Marathi, and Hindi. Generations of students have been inspired by his talks to seek higher things in life: It is not uncommon to meet a senior bureaucrat, banker, or industrialist who heard Narlikar speak and still cherishes the memory. Narlikar was a humble and approachable person. He liked to have a routine and kept to his ways wherever he was, whatever the circumstances. He gently conveyed his ideas and opinions, but only when asked. And yet, when the occasion demanded, he could be extraordinarily firm and emphatic, particularly in defence of just causes. He could be very humorous and was found carrying books by PG Wodehouse almost to the last day. He was a great man in all ways. Ajit Kembhavi is emeritus professor and former director, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune. The views expressed are personal
