Prof Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, a towering figure in Indian
science, a visionary astrophysicist and an immensely popular science
communicator, died on 20 May 2025 in Pune.
Born on July 19, 1938, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Prof Narlikar,
graduating from Banaras Hindu University, went to Cambridge to study mathematics.
There, he secured the Wrangler and Tyson Medal in the Mathematical Tripos. Specialising
in astronomy and astrophysics, he obtained several degrees from Cambridge in
mathematics: B.A. (1960), Ph.D. (1963), M.A. (1964) and Sc.D. (1976).
He remained in Cambridge as a Fellow of King’s College between
1963-72 and a Founder Staff Member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (1966-72).
It is during this period that his research
interests in cosmology and astrophysics took a solid shape under the mentorship
of Dr Fred Hoyle.
The collaboration between Fred Hoyle and Narlikar led to the proposal
of an alternate model to the Big Bang theory of the universe’s origin. Together,
they developed and refined the steady-state theory, which posits that the universe
has no beginning or end in time and maintains a constant density through the
continuous creation of new matter, even as it expands. This stands in contrast
to the Big Bang theory, which suggests that the universe began from a singular
event and has been evolving ever since.
Prof Narlikar’s main contribution to this theory was in the
form of a rigorous mathematical framework, which modified Einstein’s equations to
allow for the creation of new matter in the universe. This collaboration led to
the Hoyle-Narlikar theory, which, by incorporating Mach’s principle, proposed a
conformal theory of gravity as an alternative to the standard cosmological
model.
However, both the steady-state and quasi-steady-state models have lost favour due to observational evidence— particularly the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), the abundance of light elements, and the observed evolution of galaxies, and quasars over time— which supports the Big Bang theory. Nevertheless, the Hoyle-Narlikar partnership remains a significant chapter in the history of cosmology, having rigorously challenged mainstream ideas and sparked scientific debate.
In 1972, Dr. Narlikar returned to India and joined the Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where he spent 17 years building up the
Theoretical Astrophysics Group to international prominence.
In 1988, he established the Inter-University Centre for
Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune and was its founder Director until 2003.
Under his visionary leadership, IUCAA gained worldwide recognition as a center
of excellence in teaching and research in astronomy and astrophysics.
Prof Narliker remained a tenacious challenger of orthodoxy for over six decades. He firmly believed that even the most controversial scientific ideas need to be investigated. They should not be summarily rejected simply because they do not fit in the conventional framework. This philosophy strikingly reflects in his keen interest in panspermia: the theory that suggests life exists throughout the universe and is spread through space dust, meteoroids, asteroids, comets and planetoids.
Indeed, between 1999-2003, he led an international
team in an experiment that involved sampling air at altitudes up to 41 km to study
the presence of microorganisms. Biological analysis of the collected samples
revealed the presence of live cells and bacteria, pointing to a fascinating
possibility of Earth being continually bombarded by microorganisms, some of
which might have seeded life here.
Besides being an active researcher, Prof Narlikar was also a
popular science communicator. He kindled young minds of India with his popular science
books, television programmes, and science fiction stories. His ability to
explain complex scientific ideas in simple terms with clarity and wit earned
him UNESCO Kalinga Award in 1966 for popularising science.
Interestingly, at a meeting
held in 1995 to celebrate the 80th birth day of Fred Hoyle at the Cambridge
University’s Institute of Astronomy (IoA)—which Hoyle himself had founded in
1972—he started his speech that was meant to trace his main contributions to
astronomy, by saying: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on
the shoulders of a Jayant”. This highlights the profound impact of Prof Jayant
Narlikar on the field of Astronomy.
In the passing of Prof Narlikar, India has lost a visionary scientist
and a passionate communicator of science to the common man.
**
Enlightening
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