MUMBAI: The noted astrophysicist Jayant Vishnu Narlikar passed away at the age of 87 in Pune on Tuesday. Mr Narlikar was not suffering from any major illness, but owing to age-related factors, he died peacefully in his sleep. The 87-year-old is survived by his three daughters, Geeta, Girija, and Leelavati, all of whom are involved in scientific research.
Mr Narlikar was the founding director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and a passionate science communicator. He brought astrophysics, a complex subject, closer to the layperson and helped make it popular among students.
He was internationally renowned for his alternative cosmological theories that challenged the widely accepted Big Bang model. His research explored gravity, Mach's Principle, quantum cosmology, and action-at-a-distance physics. He also served as President of the Cosmology Commission of the International Astronomical Union from 1994 to 1997.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the death of Jayant Narlikar is a "monumental loss to the scientific community". "He was a luminary, especially in the field of astrophysics. His pioneering works, especially key theoretical frameworks will be valued by generations of researchers," he posted on X.
"He made a mark as an institution builder, grooming centres of learning and innovation for young minds. His writings have also gone a long way in making science accessible to common citizens," PM Modi added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Mr Narlikar had made an immense contribution to astrophysics and brought a scientific approach to the masses. He noted that Jayant Narlikar inherited a mathematical legacy from his father and authored several fictional books on scientific subjects, becoming one of the major science writers in Marathi literature.
Mr Narlikar also served as president of the Marathi literary festival, and his autobiography received the Sahitya Akademi Award. At the age of 85, he started a blog to share his stories about science and life, which now has over 3,000 subscribers.
Mr Narlikar was a beloved science communicator. He wrote books and articles, and created programmes for radio and television in English, Marathi, and Hindi. In 1996, UNESCO honoured him with the Kalinga Award for science popularisation.
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar was born on 19 July 1938 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. He spent his early years on the campus of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), where his father, Vishnu Vasudeva Narlikar, was Professor and Head of the Mathematics Department.
His mother, Sumati Narlikar, was a scholar in Sanskrit. He earned his B.Sc degree from BHU in 1957. In 1966, he married Mangala Rajwade, a mathematician with a PhD. They had three daughters.
He then moved to Cambridge University for higher education, where he became a Wrangler and won the Tyson Medal in the Mathematical Tripos. He earned multiple degrees from Cambridge: BA in 1960, PhD in 1963, MA in 1964, and ScD in 1976, specialising in astronomy and astrophysics.
At Cambridge, he was awarded the Smith’s Prize in 1962 and the Adams Prize in 1967. He remained at Cambridge until 1972 as a Fellow of King's College (1963–1972) and a founding staff member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (1966–1972).
Mr Narlikar returned to India in 1972 to join the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where he led the Theoretical Astrophysics Group to international prominence.
In 1988, he was invited by the University Grants Commission to set up the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. He served as its founding director until his retirement in 2003. After retiring, he continued as an emeritus professor.
From 1999 to 2003, he led a space research experiment to collect microorganisms from the upper atmosphere (up to 41 km). The discovery of live cells and bacteria suggested that Earth might be continuously bombarded by microorganisms, hinting at possible extraterrestrial origins of life.
In 1965, at the age of 26, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour. Later, in 2004, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award. He was a Fellow of all three national science academies of India, the Royal Astronomical Society of London, and the Third World Academy of Sciences.