Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (1938-2025): Visionary Astrophysicist, Science Communicator, and Institution Builder
- Throughout his distinguished career, Narlikar received numerous awards recognizing his contributions to science and science communication. At just 26 years old, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1965. He later received the Padma Vibhushan in 2004.
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, one of India’s most distinguished astrophysicists whose groundbreaking theoretical work and institutional leadership transformed scientific research and education in India, died peacefully in his sleep on May 20, 2025, in Pune. He was 86.
As reported by Nature India and Mid-Day, Narlikar’s passing represents what Prime Minister Modi called “a monumental loss to the scientific community.” His death was mourned by scientists and government officials alike, with former ISRO Chairman Dr. S Somanath noting that “the country has lost a visionary astrophysicist and science communicator who inspired my generation.”
Born on July 19, 1938, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Narlikar was raised in an academic environment. His father, Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar, was a respected mathematician and professor at Banaras Hindu University, while his mother, Sumati Narlikar, was a Sanskrit scholar. After completing his early education at Banaras Hindu University, he pursued his higher studies at the University of Cambridge, where he distinguished himself as a Wrangler and Tyson Medalist in the Mathematical Tripos.
Scientific Contributions
At Cambridge, Narlikar began a prolific collaboration with British astronomer Fred Hoyle that would yield several fundamental contributions to theoretical physics and cosmology. Together they developed the Hoyle–Narlikar theory of gravitation, a conformal theory deeply rooted in Mach’s principle that framed gravity not as a field-transmitted force but as “action at a distance.”
Their shared skepticism of the Big Bang model led to the development of the Quasi-Steady State Cosmology, presenting an alternative vision of a universe without a beginning. Though this work remained outside mainstream acceptance, Narlikar maintained his commitment to conceptual clarity and logical coherence throughout his career.
As reported by Stargazing Mumbai, in 1966, Narlikar was the first scientist to envision the presence of supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies, a concept later proposed by Donald Lynden-Bell and Martin Rees. He pioneered the application of quantum mechanics to cosmology, demonstrating in 1977 that the Big Bang singularity could potentially be avoided through quantum mechanical approaches. His calculations in quantum gravity were noteworthy for being exact without approximation.
Beyond his scientific research, Narlikar was an accomplished science communicator and one of India’s earliest and most prolific writers of science fiction.
His early work in 1961 included developing a model that explained the observed distribution of radio sources detected by Cambridge radio astronomers, producing superclusters and voids in the universe. This represented one of the first attempts at performing calculations on a computer-generated universe, utilizing the IBM 7090 computer.
Later in his career, Narlikar hypothesized that Earth might be bombarded by microorganisms from space and suggested experiments to verify this theory. Studies undertaken in collaboration with laboratories at CCMB, Hyderabad, and NCCS, Pune, showed that several bacterial species could survive in ultraviolet radiation, including three new species. This research, sponsored by ISRO, represented a purely Indian experimental initiative.
Institutional Legacy
Returning to India in 1972, Narlikar joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where he led the Theoretical Astrophysics Group to international prominence. According to Nature India, his mentorship influenced a generation of Indian astrophysicists, including luminaries such as Thanu Padmanabhan, Sanjeev Dhurandhar, and Ajit Kembhavi.
In 1988, he founded what many consider his most enduring institutional legacy: the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. Conceived as a hub where scholars from universities across India could share resources and research time, IUCAA represented a pioneering experiment in scientific democracy. He structured it around an “eight-fold way” — a Buddhist-inspired schema outlining education, research, training, and outreach — and collaborated with architect Charles Correa on the campus design.
Under his leadership until his retirement as director in 2003, IUCAA grew from humble beginnings in a cramped 100-square-foot apartment to become a world-renowned center for excellence in astronomy and astrophysics research and education.
Science Communication and Public Engagement
Beyond his scientific research, Narlikar was an accomplished science communicator and one of India’s earliest and most prolific writers of science fiction. His accessible popular science books, including “The Lighter Side of Gravity” and “Seven Wonders of the Cosmos,” became fixtures in school curricula and earned him the UNESCO Kalinga Prize in 1996.
Narlikar viewed public engagement as a core scientific duty. Under his guidance, IUCAA became deeply involved in science outreach, particularly at the school level. He was an outspoken critic of pseudoscience and unscientific beliefs, including astrology, consistently championing rational, evidence-based thinking.
Honors and Recognition
Throughout his distinguished career, Narlikar received numerous awards recognizing his contributions to science and science communication. At just 26 years old, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1965. He later received the Padma Vibhushan in 2004, India’s second-highest civilian honor.
Other significant recognitions included the UNESCO Kalinga Award (1996), the Maharashtra Bhushan (2011), the Third World Academy of Sciences prize for establishing a center for excellence in science (2012), and the Prix Jules Janssen. In 2014, the Sahitya Akademi selected his autobiography for its highest prize in regional language (Marathi) writing.
Personal Life
Narlikar is survived by his three daughters — Geeta, Girija, and Leelavati — all of whom followed in their parents’ footsteps to become scientists. His wife, mathematician Mangala Narlikar, with whom he shared both a household and a commitment to intellectual integrity, preceded him in death in 2023.
According to Nature India, in one of his final conversations in January 2025, Narlikar reflected on his lifelong pursuit of understanding: “The universe is not obliged to follow our prejudices. But we are obliged to understand it honestly.”
The IUCAA announced that his last rites were performed on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
Narlikar leaves behind a legacy that spans theoretical innovation, institutional development, and public science education. His work embodied the rare combination of rigorous scholarship, visionary leadership, and unwavering dedication to making complex scientific concepts accessible to all.