In the passing of Jayant Narlikar, India has lost a visionary scientist whose pioneering work in cosmology won him world renown. An immensely popular science communicator, he was, in a sense, 'India's Carl Sagan' as he brought complex scientific concepts such as astronomy and astrophysics up close and personal to the layman. He was inarguably one of the leading lights in advancing science communication in the country, along with other giants in the field such as Yash Pal.
Born on July 19, 1938, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Prof Narlikar was an alumnus of Banaras Hindu University from where he earned his BSc degree. He later went to Cambridge to study mathematics and was awarded the Wrangler and Tyson Medal in the Mathematical Tripos. However, his passion for astronomy and astrophysics led him to a career in these subjects as fellow of King's College (1963-72), and founder staff member of Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (1966-72).
It was during this time that he met his mentor Fred Hoyle. The seminal work they did together forms an important part of modern cosmology.
Narlikar was drawn to Hoyle's theories on stellar nucleosynthesis, which explained how elements heavier than hydrogen and helium are formed within stars. This research significantly advanced our understanding of the universe's origins and the creation of elements that are essential for life as we know it. The association of these two giants of science also led to the proposal of an alternative model to the Big Bang theory of the universe's origin. Hoyle's Steady-State theory proposes that the universe has no beginning or end, and that new matter is continuously created as the universe expands. This contrasts with the Big Bang theory, which suggests the universe originated from a primordial singularity and has been expanding ever since.
Narlikar returned to India in 1972 and joined Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where he spent 17 years building up the Theoretical Astrophysics Group. He established Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in 1988 and was its founder director until 2003. Under his guidance, IUCAA gained international recognition as a centre of excellence in teaching and research in astronomy and astrophysics.
Although Narlikar devoted much of his time in advancing scientific thought in this part of the world, his belief in keeping an open mind to doing science always transcended the remit of scientific pursuit. He firmly believed that even the most controversial scientific views need to be investigated and not dismissed summarily just because they don't seem to 'fit' in the conventional way of looking at things.
This belief is, perhaps, most strikingly evident in his keen interest in panspermia: the theory that suggests life exists throughout the universe and is spread via space dust, meteoroids, asteroids, comets and planetoids. That this concept challenged conventional ideas about life's beginnings, proposing an extraterrestrial origin for life on Earth, never affected Narlikar's opinion about it.
It's not surprising that in 2007, when scientists openly speculated on the potential link between severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) plaguing the world at that time and panspermia, Narlikar's was among the loudest voices supporting the need to explore the possibility. In a letter to me, he wrote, 'I think there is a lot to be explored in this [panspermia] field and the fewer prejudices we start with the better. So, I hope the panspermia hypothesis will be objectively examined rather than dismissed as rubbish.'
In hindsight, it must have been more than a mere coincidence that Narlikar was echoing the belief of Hoyle who, along with astrophysicist Chandra Wickramasinghe, had significantly contributed to the theory of panspermia. In fact, Hoyle developed and promoted panspermia in the 1980s, indicating a deep and lasting interest in the origins and distribution of life, an interest he shared with Narlikar.
The universe was too vast for Jayant Narlikar to be taken for granted. He was the scientist's scientist.
The writer regularly writes on science
Born on July 19, 1938, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Prof Narlikar was an alumnus of Banaras Hindu University from where he earned his BSc degree. He later went to Cambridge to study mathematics and was awarded the Wrangler and Tyson Medal in the Mathematical Tripos. However, his passion for astronomy and astrophysics led him to a career in these subjects as fellow of King's College (1963-72), and founder staff member of Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (1966-72).
It was during this time that he met his mentor Fred Hoyle. The seminal work they did together forms an important part of modern cosmology.
Narlikar was drawn to Hoyle's theories on stellar nucleosynthesis, which explained how elements heavier than hydrogen and helium are formed within stars. This research significantly advanced our understanding of the universe's origins and the creation of elements that are essential for life as we know it. The association of these two giants of science also led to the proposal of an alternative model to the Big Bang theory of the universe's origin. Hoyle's Steady-State theory proposes that the universe has no beginning or end, and that new matter is continuously created as the universe expands. This contrasts with the Big Bang theory, which suggests the universe originated from a primordial singularity and has been expanding ever since.
Narlikar returned to India in 1972 and joined Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where he spent 17 years building up the Theoretical Astrophysics Group. He established Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in 1988 and was its founder director until 2003. Under his guidance, IUCAA gained international recognition as a centre of excellence in teaching and research in astronomy and astrophysics.
Although Narlikar devoted much of his time in advancing scientific thought in this part of the world, his belief in keeping an open mind to doing science always transcended the remit of scientific pursuit. He firmly believed that even the most controversial scientific views need to be investigated and not dismissed summarily just because they don't seem to 'fit' in the conventional way of looking at things.
This belief is, perhaps, most strikingly evident in his keen interest in panspermia: the theory that suggests life exists throughout the universe and is spread via space dust, meteoroids, asteroids, comets and planetoids. That this concept challenged conventional ideas about life's beginnings, proposing an extraterrestrial origin for life on Earth, never affected Narlikar's opinion about it.
It's not surprising that in 2007, when scientists openly speculated on the potential link between severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) plaguing the world at that time and panspermia, Narlikar's was among the loudest voices supporting the need to explore the possibility. In a letter to me, he wrote, 'I think there is a lot to be explored in this [panspermia] field and the fewer prejudices we start with the better. So, I hope the panspermia hypothesis will be objectively examined rather than dismissed as rubbish.'
In hindsight, it must have been more than a mere coincidence that Narlikar was echoing the belief of Hoyle who, along with astrophysicist Chandra Wickramasinghe, had significantly contributed to the theory of panspermia. In fact, Hoyle developed and promoted panspermia in the 1980s, indicating a deep and lasting interest in the origins and distribution of life, an interest he shared with Narlikar.
The universe was too vast for Jayant Narlikar to be taken for granted. He was the scientist's scientist.
The writer regularly writes on science
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)
Prakash Chandra
The writer is freelance journalist