Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (born 19 July 1938) is an Indian astrophysicist and

emeritus professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

at the

Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) is an autonomous institution set up by the University Grants Commission of India to promote nucleation and growth of active groups in astronomy and astrophysics in Indian univer ...

(IUCAA). He developed with

Sir Fred Hoyle Sir Fred Hoyle FRS (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer who formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and was one of the authors of the influential B2FH paper. He also held controversial stances on other sci ...

the

conformal gravity Conformal gravity refers to gravity theories that are invariant under conformal transformations in the Riemannian geometry sense; more accurately, they are invariant under Weyl transformations g_\rightarrow\Omega^2(x)g_ where g_ is the metric te ...

theory, known as Hoyle–Narlikar theory. It synthesises

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

theory of relativity The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity, proposed and published in 1905 and 1915, respectively. Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena in ...

and

Mach's principle In theoretical physics, particularly in discussions of gravitation theories, Mach's principle (or Mach's conjecture) is the name given by Einstein to an imprecise hypothesis often credited to the physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach. The hypothe ...

. It proposes that the inertial mass of a particle is a function of the masses of all other particles, multiplied by a coupling constant, which is a function of cosmic epoch.

Early life

Narlikar was born in

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

, India on 19 July 1938 in a family of scholars. His father,

Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar FRAS (26 September 1908 – 1 April 1991) was an Indian physicist specializing in general relativity. The Centre for Theoretical Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia has instituted the annual "''V. V. Narikar Memorial Lecture' ...

, was a mathematician and theoretical physicist who served as Professor and Head of Department of Mathematics at

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...

, Varanasi, and mother, Sumati Narlikar, was a scholar of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

. His wife is Mangala Narlikar and he has three daughters. His maternal uncle was the distinguished statistician V. S. Huzurbazar.

Career

Narlikar completed his school education from Central Hindu College (now Central Hindu Boys School). He received his

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

degree from

in 1957. He then began his studies at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Fitzwilliam College Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer academically excellent students of all ...

like his father, where he received a BA (

Tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

) degree in mathematics in 1959 and was

Senior Wrangler The Senior Frog Wrangler is the top mathematics undergraduate at the University of Cambridge in England, a position which has been described as "the greatest intellectual achievement attainable in Britain." Specifically, it is the person who a ...

. In 1960, he won the

Tyson Medal The Tyson Medal is a prize awarded for the best performance in subjects relating to astronomy at the University of Cambridge, England. It is awarded annually for achievement in the examinations for Part III of the Mathematical Tripos when there is ...

for astronomy. During his doctoral studies at Cambridge, he won the

Smith's Prize The Smith's Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually to two research students in mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge from 1769. Following the reorganization in 1998, they are now awarded under the n ...

in 1962. After receiving his PhD degree in 1963 under the guidance of Farhan Qutub, he served as a Berry Ramsey Fellow at King's College in Cambridge and earned a master's degree in astronomy and astrophysics in 1964. He continued to work as a Fellow at King's College until 1972. In 1966, Fred Hoyle established Institute of Theoretical Astronomy in Cambridge, and Narlikar served as the founding staff member of the institute during 1966–72. In 1972, Narlikar took up Professorship at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (

TIFR Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a public deemed research university located in Mumbai, India that is dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the De ...

) in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, India. At the TIFR, he was in charge of the Theoretical Astrophysics Group. In 1988, the Indian University Grants Commission set up the

(IUCAA) in Pune, and Narlikar became the Founder-Director of IUCAA. In 1981, Narlikar became a founding member of the

World Cultural Council The World Cultural Council is an international organization whose goals are to promote cultural values, goodwill and philanthropy among individuals. The organization founded in 1981 and based in Mexico, has held a yearly award ceremony since 198 ...

. Narlikar is known for his work in cosmology, especially in championing models alternative to the popular

Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...

model. During 1994–1997, he was the President of the Cosmology Commission of the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

. His research work has involved

quantum cosmology Quantum cosmology is the attempt in theoretical physics to develop a quantum theory of the universe. This approach attempts to answer open questions of classical physical cosmology, particularly those related to the first phases of the universe. ...

, and

action-at-a-distance In physics, action at a distance is the concept that an object can be affected without being physically touched (as in mechanical contact) by another object. That is, it is the non-local interaction of objects that are separated in space. Non- ...

physics. Narlikar was part of a study which cultured microorganisms from stratospheric air samples obtained at 41 km. He was appointed as the chairperson of The Advisory Group for Textbooks in Science and Mathematics, the textbook development committee responsible for developing textbooks in Science and Mathematics, published by

NCERT The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India which was established in 1961 as a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies Registration Act. Its head ...

(

National Council of Educational Research and Training The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India which was established in 1961 as a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies Registration Act. Its head ...

Honours

Narlikar has received many national and international awards and honorary doctorates. India's second-highest civilian honour,

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service" ...

, was awarded to him in 2004 for his research work. Prior to this, in 1965, he was conferred

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

. He was awarded 'Rashtra Bhushan' in 1981 by

FIE Foundation FIE Foundation is a charity trust established in 1970, belongs to 'Fie Group of Industries' Ichalkaranji, in Maharashtra State of India. Background Mr. P. D. Kulkarni ( Panditkaka Daji Kulkarni), The Chairman of FIE Group, who was also the tr ...

Ichalkaranji Ichalkaranji ( t͡səlkəɾəɳd͡ʒiː is a city in Kolhapur District, Indian state of Maharashtra, governed by a municipal corporation. It is known for its textile manufacturing industry and "Manchester City of Maharashtra". Ichalkaranji ...

. He received

Maharashtra Bhushan Award The Maharashtra Bhushan is a highest civilian award presented annually by the Government of Maharashtra State in India. When the Shivsena- BJP alliance came to power in 1995, it proposed to institute this award. The Maharashtra Bhushan was first ...

for the year 2010. He is a recipient of Bhatnagar Award, M.P. Birla Award, and the

Prix Jules Janssen The Prix Jules Janssen is the highest award of the Société astronomique de France (SAF), the French astronomical society. This annual prize is given to a professional French astronomer or to an astronomer of another nationality in recognition ...

of the

Société astronomique de France The Société astronomique de France (SAF; ), the French astronomical society, is a non-profit association in the public interest organized under French law (Association loi de 1901). Founded by astronomer Camille Flammarion in 1887, its purpose ...

(French Astronomical Society). He is an Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, and a Fellow of the three Indian National Science Academies and the

Third World Academy of Sciences The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...

. Apart from his scientific research, Narlikar has been well known as a communicator of science through his books, articles, and radio & television programs. For these efforts, he was honoured in 1996 by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

with the

Kalinga Prize The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga ...

. He was featured on

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...

's TV show '' Cosmos: A Personal Voyage'' in the late 1980s. In 1989, he received the

Atmaram Award The Atmaram Award is an honor in India, which is given in memory of the Indian scientist, Atmaram. It is one of the major awards given by the Central Hindi Directorate, (Kendriya Hindi Sansthan), Ministry of Human Resource Development. It is conf ...

Central Hindi Directorate The Central Hindi Directorate ( hi, केन्द्रीय हिन्दी निदेशालय), New Delhi is the directorate, under the Ministry of Education (India), responsible for promotion of Standard Hindi. It also regulates t ...

. He received the Indira Gandhi Award of the

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology. In August 2019, Dr. Chandrima Shaha was appointed as the president of Indian National Science Academ ...

in 1990. He also served on the Physical Sciences jury for the

Infosys Prize The Infosys Prize is an annual award given to scientists, researchers, engineers and social scientists of Indian origin (not necessarily born in India) by the Infosys Science Foundation and ranks among the highest monetary awards in India to re ...

in 2009. In 2014, he received a

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

for his autobiography in Marathi, ''Chaar Nagarantale Maze Vishwa''. He presided over the 94th

Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Literary Conference) is an annual conference for literary discussions by Marathi writers. Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra State. The first Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was h ...

held at

Nashik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...

in January 2021.

Books

Besides scientific papers and books and popular science literature, Narlikar has written science fiction, novels, and short stories in English,

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

, and

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

. He is also the consultant for the Science and Mathematics textbooks of NCERT (

, India).

Non-fiction

In English: *Facts and Speculations in Cosmology, with G. Burbridge, Cambridge University Press 2008, *Current Issues in Cosmology, 2006 *A Different Approach to Cosmology: From a Static Universe through the Big Bang towards Reality, 2005 *Fred Hoyle's Universe, 2003 *Scientific Edge: The Indian Scientist from Vedic to Modern Times, 2003 *An Introduction to Cosmology, 2002 *A Different Approach to Cosmology, with G. Burbridge and

Fred Hoyle Sir Fred Hoyle FRS (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer who formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and was one of the authors of the influential B2FH paper. He also held controversial stances on other sci ...

, Cambridge University Press 2000, , *Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei: An Introduction, 1999 *From Black Clouds to Black Holes, 1996 *From Black Clouds to Black Holes (Third Edition), 2012, *Seven Wonders of the Cosmos, 1995 *Philosophy of Science: Perspectives from Natural and Social Sciences, 1992 *The extragalactic universe: an alternative view, with

and Chandra Wickramasinghe, ''Nature'' 346:807–812, 30 August 1990 *Highlights in Gravitation and Cosmology, 1989 *The Primeval Universe, 1988 *Violent Phenomena in the Universe, 1982 *The Lighter Side of Gravity, 1982 *Physics-Astronomy Frontier (co-author Sir Fred Hoyle), 1981 *The Structure of the Universe, 1977 *Creation of Matter and Anomalous Redshifts, 2002 *Absorber Theory of Radiation in Expanding Universes, 2002 In Marathi: *आकाशाशी जडले नाते *नभात हसरे तारे

Fiction

In English: *''The Return of Vaman'', 1990 *''The Adventure'' *''The Comet'' In Marathi: *वामन परत न आला *यक्षांची देणगी *अभयारण्य *व्हायरस *प्रेषित *अंतराळातील भस्मासूर *टाईम मशीनची किमया *उजव्या सोंडेचा गणपती In Hindi: * पार नज़र के

Personal life

Narlikar married a mathematics researcher and professor, Mangala Narlikar (née Rajwade). The couple have three daughters
Geeta
a biomedical researcher at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It cond ...

, Girija and Leelavati. He is the uncle of the Cambridge University social sciences academic Amrita Narlikar.

References

External links

Jayant Narlikar's Home page
* ttp://hispalois.blogspot.com/2006/04/creer-en-el-big-bang-es-un-acto-de-fe.html An interview with Jayant Narlikar on the origin of Universe (2004, in Spanish)br>Jayant V. Narlikar's Summarized BiographyCosmology, Facts and Problems (French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Narlikar, Jayant Vishnu Marathi-language writers Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in science & engineering Indian astrophysicists Banaras Hindu University alumni Indian science fiction writers Scientists from Maharashtra Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Recipients of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award Kalinga Prize recipients 20th-century Indian astronomers 1938 births Living people Emeritus Professors in India Indian male novelists Professors Emeritus Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Marathi