Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar (26 September 1908 – 1 April 1991) was an Indian physicist specializing in

general relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the differential geometry, geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of grav ...

. He is considered "the doyen of General Relativity in India." The Centre for Theoretical Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia has instituted the annual "''V. V. Narikar Memorial Lecture''" in memory of him.

Personal 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. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

, India on 26 September 1908. His father Vasudevshastri Narlikar was a

pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and delivered pravachans. Vishnu was the youngest among three brothers. He studied at the Vidyapeeth High School and Rajaram College in Kolhapur. Vishnu continued with his education despite his father's demise and secured the fourth rank in the

Matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

exam. He won scholarships and studied at the

Elphinstone College Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1856, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the edu ...

and Royal Institute of Science in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. He stood first in the B.Sc. exam. Upon receiving his B.Sc. degree from the

University of Mumbai University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. It was est ...

in 1928, Narlikar continued studies at the

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in England, where he passed the Mathematics Tripos in 1930. His studies at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

were sponsored by the J. N. Tata Endowment Scholarship. He also received a loan from the

Kolhapur State The Kolhapur State was a Maratha princely state of India, under the Deccan Division of the Bombay Presidency, and later the Deccan States Agency. It was considered the most important of the Maratha principalities with the others being Baroda Sta ...

, with a condition that he would be employed with the Kolhapur State upon his return to India. Vishnu Narlikar became a Star Wrangler after completing the Mathematical Tripos at

. He was also a recipient of the Isaac Newton Studentship and the Rayleigh Prize. In 1932, Narlikar married Shridevi Navare of

, but she died due to illness within few years. He then married Krishna () Huzurbazar, sister of V. S. Huzurbazar, in 1937. Vishnu and Sumati had two sons, the astrophysicist Jayant and scientist Anant.

Career

He returned to India in 1932 as a professor of Mathematics and Head of the Department of Mathematics at the

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

in Varanasi at the age of 24.

Madan Mohan Malaviya Madan Mohan Malaviya (25 December 1861 — 12 November 1946; ) was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and activist notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress three times and ...

, the founder of the

, repaid the debt which Narlikar owed to the Kolhapur State, thereby making it possible for Narlikar to work at the university. He became a professor of mathematics at the

University of Poona Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Pune, is a public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshkhind. The uni ...

in 1966 and retired in 1973. From 1960 to 1966, he served as the chairman of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission. He was elected a fellow of the

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

in 1931. He served as the president of the Indian Mathematical Society from 1981 to 1982. He trained the first generation of general relativists in India. His Ph.D. students include

Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya (P.C.Vaidya; 23 May 1918 – 12 March 2010), was an Indian physicist and mathematician, renowned for his instrumental work in the general theory of relativity. Apart from his scientific career, he was also an education ...

, Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri, Naresh Dadhich, and Aragam R. Prasanna.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Narlikar, Vishnu Vasudev 1908 births 1991 deaths People from Kolhapur 20th-century Indian physicists Indian theoretical physicists Banaras Hindu University alumni Marathi people Presidents of the Indian Mathematical Society Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Scientists from Maharashtra