On April 23, 2018 the renowned astrophysicist Jayant V. Narlikar gave a lecture on ‘Searches for Life Outside the Earth’ at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre’s Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) in Thiruvananthapuram.
He spoke about the possibility of life existing beyond the earth and the challenges in providing experimental evidence for it. On the occasion, he also spoke about one of his experiments using high-altitude balloons that was conducted in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). One of the three types of bacteria detected in that experiment had since been named Bacillus isronensis after the space agency.
‘A visionary astrophysicist’
In Kerala, Dr. Narlikar, who passed away in Pune on May 20 aged 86, is remembered as a scientist who inspired countless youngsters in the study of science through his work, lectures and books. In a post on X, former ISRO Chairman S. Somanath remembered him as “a visionary astrophysicist and distinguished science communicator who inspired my generation through his celebrated works such as The Lighter Side of Gravity and Seven Wonders of the Cosmos.”
Dr. Narlikar visited Kerala on several occasions, attending seminars and conferences where he interacted with school and college students. In 2006, a centre of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), which he founded in 1988, opened at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), Kochi. Initially known as IUCAA Resource Centre, the name has has since been changed to IUCAA Centre for Astronomy Research and Development (ICARD).
“It was designed as an inter-university extension facility to promote astronomy research. He used to visit the centre, discuss the research programmes and collaborations. He visited Cusat in 2016 and 2017. Before that he used to visit at least once a year,” Titus Mathew, a former coordinator of the Cusat centre who is now Professor Emeritus at Cusat, said.
In 2019, Dr. Narlikar visited Thiruvananthapuram to accept a honorary doctorate in science conferred on him by the University of Kerala.
Published – May 20, 2025 07:24 pm IST