This morning Suhas Naik Satam,
Secretary, NCSC, posted the tragic news on the passing of Dr Chitnis in Pune,
based on the information that he received from Dr Chetan Chitnis so of Dr EV
Chitnis. Dr EV Chitnis suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital
where he succumbed to the cardiac arrest early this morning – 22 October, 2025.
In his passing, India has lost one of its most enduring space visionaries. Dr. Eknath
Vasant Chitnis, a close confidant of Dr Sarabhai - the founding father of the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) - and a Padma Bhushan awardee, lived remarkable
life of 100 years (Prof Chitnis was born on 25 July 1925). In the annals of human history very few people have the
honour of celebrating their own birth centenary; from amongst those there are few
parallels to the veritable and a nation building life that Dr EV Chitnis lived, during which his
achievements in laying the foundation for one of the most loved scientific
institutions in the country – ISRO and its precursor INCOSPAR - as founding
secretary of INCOSPAR and as a scientist, are truly remarkable.
Just months earlier, in July, 2025, on his birth centenary, the National Centre for Science Communicators (NCSC), had organized a grand centenary tribute conference to Dr Chitnis at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune, celebrating the life of this "living legend." I was privileged to be one of the members of NSCS who helped plan for this befitting conference. The event, attended by luminaries from India's space fraternity. This conference underscored the profound impact Chitnis had on the nation's scientific journey. As we mourn his passing, it is fitting to reflect on his remarkable contributions—not just to space technology, but to the transformational impact that his contributions to the Satellite Instruction Television Experiment (SITE) program had on the social fabric of rural India. Chitnis was a bridge between the vision that Dr Sarabhai had to bring the applications of space to the people of India and to its implementation in using space technology for societal upliftment.
Born on July 25, 1925, in Maharashtra, Eknath Vasant Chitnis completed his education in physics which laid the foundation for a career that would intersect with the birth of India's space program. Chitnis joined the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad - an institution founded by Dr Vikram Sarabhai - where he conducted pioneering research on cosmic rays. It was here that Dr Chitnis’s brilliance was noticed by Dr. Sarabhai. the visionary architect of India's space ambitions. Incidentally, the Nehru Science Centre in collaboration with NCSC had organised a Birth Centenary conference in memory of Dr Sarabhai at the Nehru Science Centre, in August 2020 and among the luminaries who spoke during this conference was Dr Chitnis, although his talk was in the form of a video recorded interview that he gave to my NCSC colleague Suhas Naik Satam, Secretary NCSC, in which he recollected his association with Dr Sarabhai and the team role in building ISRO and its precursor (INCOSPAR). Dr. Sarabhai, recognizing Chitnis's sharp scientific acumen and humanistic approach, brought him into the fold of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), the precursor to ISRO.
Chitnis's early role was pivotal. As the founder member secretary of INCOSPAR, he was instrumental in laying the groundwork for India's space infrastructure. One of his first major tasks was scouting locations for rocket launching stations. It was Chitnis who helped Sarabhai identify the Thumba in Kerala as the ideal site for the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), due to its proximity to the magnetic equator—a decision that propelled India's entry into space research. This choice was not arbitrary; but path breaking, it reflected Chitnis's meticulous attention to scientific detail and his ability to foresee long-term benefits. As Kiran Karnik, former director of ISRO's Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU), recalled during the centenary conference, Chitnis's strategic foresight was evident even in those nascent days: "He was the quiet force behind Sarabhai's bold visions, ensuring that every step was grounded in practicality."
The 1960s and 1970s were transformative for India's space program, and Chitnis was at the heart of it. Following Sarabhai's untimely death in 1971, Chitnis took on the mantle of operationalizing the Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad, becoming its director in 1972. Under his leadership, SAC evolved into a hub for applying space technology to real-world problems, from remote sensing to telecommunications. But it was the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) - one of the three visionary projects alongside the Aryabhata satellite and Space Launching Vehicle (SLV) - that truly defined his legacy—a project that Sarabhai had dreamed of, which Chitnis brought to fruition.
SITE, launched in 1975 in collaboration with NASA, was a path breaking initiative that used the ATS-6 satellite – sourced from NASA, USA - to beam educational and developmental programs directly to rural India. SITE, covering over 2,400 villages across six states—Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Rajasthan— experiment ran for a full year, from August 1, 1975, to July 31, 1976. Chitnis spearheaded the selection process for these villages, ensuring they represented the most underserved regions. A UNESCO report on SITE, titled "The SITE Experience," detailed how this selection was a meticulous exercise in social engineering, prioritizing areas with high illiteracy and poverty rates to maximize impact. The report highlighted challenges like technical glitches—on average, 16% of broadcast time faced issues—but praised the project's success in delivering content on agriculture, health, family planning, and education. This was the beginning of India harvesting the benefits of space technology for the social good of its people, a vision so prophetically envisaged by ISRO founder Dr Sarabhai.
What made SITE revolutionary was its focus on "democratizing access to technology," as Chitnis himself often emphasized. It wasn't just about transmission; it was a well-researched social intervention. Villages received community television sets, often placed in schools or panchayat halls, turning them into hubs of learning. Farmers learned modern agricultural techniques, women gained knowledge on hygiene and nutrition, and children accessed basic education. The project's success was quantified in various studies: literacy rates improved in targeted areas, and health awareness campaigns reduced incidences of preventable diseases. UNESCO's "Planning for Satellite Broadcasting: The Indian Instructional Television Experiment" further elaborated on how SITE's software—program content—was as critical as the hardware, with Chitnis overseeing interdisciplinary teams of scientists, educators, and sociologists.
Colleagues who worked closely with Chitnis during SITE offer poignant insights into his leadership. Kiran Karnik, who joined ISRO in the 1970s and later led DECU, described Chitnis as a mentor who blended rigor with empathy. In a recent article marking the 50th anniversary of SITE, Karnik wrote, "Prof. Chitnis turned technology into a tool for real-life use, not just missions. His attention to detail in planning SITE ensured it wasn't a fleeting experiment but a blueprint for future innovations." Karnik recounted how Chitnis insisted on field visits to villages, often traveling to remote areas to understand ground realities. "He believed in humanity above all," Karnik noted in a LinkedIn post, reflecting on their shared experiences.
Pramod Kale, who succeeded Chitnis as SAC director, shared similar sentiments at the Pune conference. Kale, a key figure in India's early satellite programs, praised Chitnis's ethical guidance: "He was a leader who taught us that science must serve society. During SITE, he navigated bureaucratic hurdles and international collaborations with grace, ensuring India's voice was heard in global forums." Kale's reflections, drawn from his own memoirs and interviews, highlight Chitnis's role in fostering a collaborative culture at ISRO. In a YouTube interview on Indian space history, Kale recalled how Chitnis mentored young engineers, including himself, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches.
Y.S. Rajan, another ISRO stalwart and co-author with A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on books like "India 2020," worked alongside Chitnis during the formative years. Rajan's archives, preserved at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, include correspondence that reveals Chitnis's influence on space policy. In his writings, Rajan often credits Chitnis for integrating social sciences into space applications. "The trinity of Sarabhai, Kalam, and Chitnis shaped ISRO's ethos," Rajan wrote in an article on the program's early days, noting how Chitnis's work on SITE inspired broader applications in remote sensing and disaster management. Rajan's YouTube interview ahead of Chandrayaan-3 echoed this, praising Chitnis's humility: "He was the unsung hero who made space accessible to the common man."
The ripple effects of SITE extended far beyond its one-year duration. Its success directly influenced the expansion of Doordarshan, India's public broadcaster. In the early 1980s, leveraging lessons from SITE, Doordarshan rolled out over 190 low-power TV transmitters—one nearly every day—a record that transformed television from an urban luxury to a national staple. This paved the way for the communication revolution, with programs like "Krishi Darshan" and "Hum Log" reaching millions. Later it is this TV transmission revolution that helped the Indian Cricket and its administrators (BCCI) to dominate in the world of cricket as a key administrator in the affairs of International Cricket Council (ICC). As Karnik pointed out, SITE demonstrated that satellite technology could bridge the urban-rural divide, inspiring Doordarshan's golden era in the 1980s. Newspaper reports from the time chronicled how SITE's infrastructure laid the groundwork for INSAT satellites, enabling direct-to-home transmissions that benefited rural populations.
Post-SITE, Chitnis led the Kheda Communications Project in Gujarat, a follow-up that used television for socio-economic change in dairy farming communities. Retiring from ISRO in 1985 after receiving the Padma Bhushan, he settled in Pune, where he taught at Pune University and continued advocating for science education. His son, Dr. Chetan Chitnis, a renowned malaria researcher and Padma Shri recipient, shared personal anecdotes at the centenary event: "My father taught us that true progress lies in inclusivity. He lived simply, valuing family and ethics above accolades."
Chitnis's legacy is etched in ISRO's DNA. As the organization achieves milestones like Chandrayaan-3, his emphasis on applications for societal good remains central. Research papers, such as those in Science Direct on ISRO's culture, credit him with fostering an innovative, people-centric environment. In a world chasing Mars and the Moon, Chitnis and his mentor Dr Sarabhai, reminded us that space technology's greatest triumph is improving life on Earth.
As we bid farewell to this centenarian pioneer, let us remember him not just for rockets and satellites, but for the light he brought to countless villages.
Prof. E.V. Chitnis's life was a testament to the power of science with a soul. India owes him an eternal debt.
Rest in Peace Dr Chitnis, you and your contributions will ever remain etched in the annals of Indian space programs.
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