Dr Narlikar besides being a astrophysicist and a scientist of international repute was an extraordinary science communicator, which made him a role model for the science communicator fraternity in India, including yours truly. He was a prolific science writer in English and Marathi and also in Hindi. He served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai and as the Member of the Governing Body of NCSM, an apex body of science centres and science museums, which administers most of the science centres and museums in India. The Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai therefore had innumerable opportunities to host Dr Narlikar at the centre not only for the meetings but also for lectures and interactions with students and public, a glimpse of which are seen in the images that accompany this birthday tribute to Dr Narlikar. Befittingly, one of the innumerable awards that Dr Narlikar received was the coveted UNESCO Kalinga Award, which is given to the leading science communicators of the world.
Dr Narlikar while receiving the prestigious UNESCO Kalinga Award in 1996 had articulated the reasons for his interest in science communication He had said; “I enjoy doing research in astronomy and astrophysics. My research supervisor Sir Fred Hoyle, who was himself is a Kalinga Awardee, was a successful science communicator i.e. he was able to communicate what he was doing to the layman in a very simple and easy manner. I thought that he was an example that I should follow”.
Jayant Narlikar was born on July 19, 1938 in Kolhapur to his illustrious parents - Vishnu Vasudeva Narlikar, his father, a well-known mathematician, and his mother, Sumati Narlikar, a Sanskrit scholar of eminence. He received his early education at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus where his father was working as a Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics. Young Jayant Narlikar had a brilliant career in school and intermediate. He obtained his BSc degree from the BHU in 1957. As was the case in those days with most brilliant students, Dr Narlikar too opted to pursue his higher studies at Cambridge, UK. He was a Wrangler and Tyson Medallist in the Mathematical Tripos, at Cambridge from where he obtained his degrees in mathematics, B.A. (1960), Ph.D. (1963), M.A. (1964) and Sc.D. (1976). He also distinguished himself at Cambridge with the Smith’s Prize in 1962 and the Adams Prize in 1967. He stayed back at Cambridge till 1972, as a Fellow of King’s College (1963-72) and Founder Staff Member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (1966-72). It was during this period that Dr Narlikar laid the foundations of his research work in cosmology and astrophysics in collaboration with his internationally acclaimed mentor, guide and collaborator, Fred Hoyle. Incidentally Fred Hoyle is one of the ten eminent scientists featured alongside the greats like Einstein, Darwin, Kelvin, Linus Pauling by the highly acclaimed astrophysicist Mario Livio in his highly enlightening book, “Brilliant Blunders.”
One of Dr. Narlikar's most significant contributions, is his development of the "Hoyle-Narlikar Theory," also known as the "Quasi-Steady State Cosmology" (QSSC), which he proposed in collaboration with his illustrious mentor, Professor Fred Hoy. This cosmological theory proposes an alternative explanation for the origin and evolution of the universe, challenging the widely accepted Big Bang theory of that time. According to QSSC, the universe is in a constant state of expansion where new matter is continuously being created. This theory provided an alternative perspective on the formation of galaxies, the distribution of matter, and the cosmic microwave background radiation. While QSSC is not universally accepted, it did however stimulate new debates and avenues of research in cosmology.
Dr. Narlikar has also made significant contributions to our understanding of the black holes. In the year 2020, three scientists, Sir Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in understanding black holes. Dr Narlikar developed the concept of "self-gravitating systems," which considers the gravitational effects of matter on the space-time geometry surrounding black holes. This work has enhanced our understanding of the behaviour of black holes and their role in the evolution of galaxies. His contributions have also extended to the study of active galactic nuclei, where he proposed the "magnetic field ejection model" to explain the observed properties of these energetic sources.
Dr. Narlikar returned back to India from Cambridge, to join the Theoretical Astrophysics Group at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where he served for seventeen long years, from 1972-1989. This group, under the leadership of Dr Narlikar, expanded and acquired international standing for TIFR in the field of theoretical astrophysics, which TIFR continues to enjoy even today. In the year 1988, Dr Narlikar, was extended an invitation by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to set up the proposed Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), as its Founder Director. Today, IUCAA stands out as one of the institutions of excellence in teaching and research in astronomy and astrophysics not just in India but globally, and the ideals and the work ethics and culture, which Dr Narlikar instituted at this institution have continued to guide this institution, which has attained canonical heights. Under his leadership, IUCAA has nurtured numerous young scientists and contributed to the growth of astrophysics in India. Dr Narlikar held the Directorship of IUCAA until his retirement in 2003. Dr Narlikar continues to be associated with IUCAA as an Emeritus Professor.
Dr Narlikar has also served as the President of the Cosmology Commission of the International Astronomical Union from 1994 to 1997. He has received several national and international awards and honorary doctorates. He is a Bhatnagar awardee, as well as a recipient of the M.P. Birla award, the Prix Janssen of the French Astronomical Society and a prestigious Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society of London. He is Fellow of the three national science academies as well as of the Third World Academy of Sciences.
Jayant Narlikar, belongs to one of those rare breed of scientists, who notwithstanding their international stature, always finds time to connect Science with people, either through his popular science writings, fiction, both in English and most importantly in his mother tongue Marathi. It is therefore no wonder that most School and college going students from yesteryears to current times, have grown up reading Dr Narlikar’s writings, particularly his fiction works. Two examples of his fiction writing in Marathi, which he had written three decades ago, resonate with current times. ‘In his fictional story, titled Athenscha Plague’ (The plague in Athens), included in his book ‘Antaralatale Bhasmasur’ (Demons in the Space), Narlikar had written about the deadly viruses and how they pose danger to human society. His prophetic thoughts, which he penned as fiction became a reality which the world witnessed during the COVID 19 global pandemic. The word AI (Artificial Intelligence) is now ubiquitous. But then Dr Narlikar wrote about it in one of his fictional essays; Vaman Parat Na Aala’ (Vaman did not return). In this essay he writes about the possibilities of the aftermaths of the rise of a super-intelligent robots, a glimpse of which we are now witnessing in AI language modules like the Chat GPT. Dr Narlikar has also contributed many science articles in leading newspapers and has joined in radio/TV programmes for debates and discussion as a part of his science popularisation activities He has helped make complex scientific concepts accessible to the general public. In addition to his scientific contributions, Dr. Narlikar has made efforts to bridge the gap between science and philosophy. He has explored the concept of "cosmic censorship," which seeks to understand the limits of our knowledge and the fundamental nature of the universe. Dr. Narlikar's work in this area has stimulated interdisciplinary discussions and encouraged scientists and philosophers to engage in meaningful dialogues.
For his stellar contributions to science communication and popularising science, Dr Narlikar was honoured by the UNESCO, in 1996, with the prestigious Kalinga Award for his extraordinary popular science works. Dr Narlikar is also the recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India in 1965 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2004. In the year 2011, the Maharashtra government awarded him the state’s highest civilian award, the Maharashtra Bhushan.
Dr Narlikar was also befittingly chosen to serve as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, the centre, which I had the honour to head for two terms.
I vividly remember one of the instances of my personal interactions with him. On behalf of the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, I had the honour to curate an exhibition on ‘100 Years of Nobel Prizes’ in 2001. We were so honoured that, Dr Narlikar had learnt of this exhibition and he shot out a letter to DG NCSM, and requested him that this exhibition should be presented at IUCAA. It was such an honour for us to present this exhibition at IUCAA Pune. I also had the honour to conduct a curated walk through this exhibition to Dr Narlikar and his colleagues. I had used a less heralded image in one of the exhibition panels of the exhibition to highlight the works of Prof S Chandrasekhar, 1983 Nobel laureate in Physics, under the section Nobel Indians. Interestingly there was tremendous pressure for me to remove this ‘unimportant’ image from this panel by my Director, which I desisted very strongly knowing well how important and inspirational this image was for Prof Chandra. The moment Dr Narlikar saw this image, he instantly asked, is this that image which immensely motivated Chandra, which he had put up in his office? That moment was as good as a moment of epiphany for me, coming from Dr Narlikar.
Dr Narlikar has delivered innumerable lectures and conducted many interactions with students at the Nehru Science Centre. As Dr Narlikar celebrates his 86th birthday, I take this opportunity, on behalf of the science communicators community, to wish Dr Narlikar a very happy birthday and join the nation in praying for his good health and continuing contributions. May he continue to inspire young students to tread his path and let us hope that one or many of them go on to bring the coveted Nobel Prize for India, which Dr Narlikar always repented that, despite great work done by many scientists in India, the Nobel prize has eluded Indian scientists. Hope his wish comes true sooner than later.
Wishing Dr. Narlikar a very happy birthday and may the legacy of Dr Narlikar continue to shape the field of astrophysics and inspire future generations of scientists to explore the unending expanse and mysteries of the cosmos, for benefitting human society with the untold applications, which come with our understanding of the universe.
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