Jayant Narlikar passes away at 87; See his profile here

He had recently undergone hip surgery in a city-based hospital, and is survived by three daughters. Read further on Dynamite News:

Pune: Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, the celebrated astrophysicist, science communicator, and founding director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), passed away at the age of 87. He died in his sleep in Pune on Tuesday.

He had recently undergone hip surgery in a city-based hospital, and is survived by three daughters.

Narlikar, who had recently undergone hip surgery, leaves behind a towering legacy in Indian science, education, and public outreach. He is survived by his three daughters — Geeta, Girija, and Leelavati — all of whom are engaged in scientific research.

About Narlikar

Born on July 19, 1938, Dr Narlikar completed his early education on the campus of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), where his father, Vishnu Vasudeva Narlikar, was a professor and Head of the Mathematics Department, and he went to Cambridge for higher studies, becoming a Wrangler and Tyson Medallist in the Mathematical Tripos.

He returned to India to join the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (1972-1989), where, under his charge, the Theoretical Astrophysics Group expanded and acquired international standing.

In 1988, the University Grants Commission invited Dr Narlikar to set up the proposed Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) as its Founder Director.

He held the directorship of IUCAA until his retirement in 2003. Under his direction, IUCAA has acquired a worldwide reputation as a centre for excellence in teaching and research in astronomy and astrophysics. He was an Emeritus Professor at IUCAA, the report added.

In 2012, the Third World Academy of Sciences awarded Dr Narlikar their prize for setting up a centre for excellence in science.

Besides his scientific research, Dr Narlikar was well-known as a science communicator through his books, articles, and radio/TV programmes.

For all these efforts, he was honoured by UNESCO in 1996 with the Kalinga Award for popular science works.

Dr Narlikar was awarded Padmabhushan in 1965 at the young age of 26.

In 2004, he was awarded Padmavibhushan, and the Maharashtra government honoured him with the state's highest civilian award, Maharashtra Bhushan, in 2011.

In 2014, the Sahitya Akademi, the premiere literary body in India, selected his autobiography for its highest prize in regional language (Marathi) writing.