Narlikar, Jayant

Narlikar was born in Kolhapur , India , on July 19, 1938, in a family of Kahrad Brahmin scholars. His father, Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar, was a mathematician who served as professor and head of the department of mathematics at the Benares Hindu University , Varanasi . Jayant’s mother, Sumati Narlikar, studied Sanskrit ^[2] .

Narlikar received his Bachelor of Science degree from Benares Hindu University in 1957. Then he began his studies at the House of Fitzwilliam, on the basis of the University of Cambridge in England, where in 1959 he received a bachelor's degree in mathematics and the title of best student in mathematics (Senior Wrangler - the greatest intellectual achievement that can be obtained in the UK). In 1960, Narlikar won the Tyson Medal in Astronomy. During doctoral studies at Cambridge, in 1962, he won the Smith Prize. After receiving his doctorate in 1963, under the direction of Fred Hoyle , he worked as a Berry Ramsey Fellow at King's College Cambridge, and in 1964 received a master's degree in astronomy and astrophysics. He continued to work as a fellow at King's College until 1972. In 1966, Fred Hoyle created the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy at Cambridge, and Narlikar served as the founding employee of the institute during 1966-72.

In 1972, Narlikar became a professor at the Tata Institute of Basic Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, India. At TIFR, he led the group of theoretical astrophysics. In 1988, the Indian University Grants Commission established the Interuniversity Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, and Narlikar became the founding director of the center.

Narlikar is known worldwide for his work in the field of cosmology, and especially for supporting an alternative model of the popular Big Bang model ^{[3] [4]} . During 1994-1997, he was president of the cosmological commission of the International Astronomical Union. His research work included the Mach principle, quantum cosmology, and long-range physics.

Narlikar was one of the researchers who studied microorganisms from samples of stratospheric air obtained at an altitude of 41 km. According to the study: "Such conclusions are of great importance for the promising field of astrobiology and, in addition, provide an important contribution to the question of how life began on our planet."

Narlikar was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Group on Textbooks in Science and Mathematics, the textbook development committee is responsible for the development of published textbooks on science and mathematics published by the NSIPP (National Council for Research in Education and Training), which are widely used as standard textbooks in many Indian schools.

Narlikar received several national, international awards and honorary doctorates. The second of India's highest civilian state awards, Padma Vibhushan , was awarded to him in 2004 for his research work. Prior to this, in 1965, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award . Also, in 1981 he was awarded the Rastra Bhushan Award in 1981 from the FIE Foundation of Ichalkaranji.

In 2010, Narlikar received the Maharashtra Bhushan Award.

He is a laureate of the Bhatnagar Prize, MP Birla Prize and winner of the Jules Jansen Prize of the French Astronomical Society. Narlikar is also an associate member of the Royal Astronomical Society in London, a member of the three Indian National Academies of Sciences and the Third World Academy of Sciences.

In addition to his scientific research, Narlikar was well known as a person who brings science to the masses through his books, articles and television and radio programs. For this activity in 1996, UNESCO awarded him the Kalinga Prize .

In the late 1980s, he was shown on the television show Karl Sagan " Space: A personal journey ." In 1990, he received the Indira Gandhi Indian National Academy of Sciences Award. Narlikar is a global person in the world of science.

He was awarded the Sahitya Academy for his autobiography at the Marathi Chaar Nagarantale Maze Vishwa - 2014.

In addition to scientific articles, books and non-fiction, Narlikar wrote science fiction, novels, and short stories in English, Hindi, and Marathi. He is also a consultant for scientific and mathematical textbooks at the National Institute for the Study of Education and Training, India.

In 1992, he signed the “ Warning to Humanity ” ^[5] .

• Facts and conjectures in cosmology, with G. Burbridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008
• Actual issues of cosmology, 2006
• A Different Approach to Cosmology: From a Static Universe Through the Big Bang to 2005 Reality
• Fred Hoyle Universe, 2003
• Scientific Land: Indian scientist from Vedic times to modern times, 2003
• Introduction to Cosmology, 2002
• Quasars and active galactic nuclei: 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: Prospects for Natural and Social Sciences, 1992
• Major events of gravity and cosmology, 1989
• Narlikar J. Furious Universe. - M .: Mir, 1985. - Circulation of 100,000 copies.
• Narlikar J. Gravity without formulas. - M .: Mir, 1985. - Circulation of 50,000 copies.
• Violence in the Universe, 1982
• The Bright Side of Gravity, 1982
• The Frontiers of Physics-Astronomy (co-authored by Sir Fred Hoyle), 1981
• Structure of the Universe, 1977
• The creation of matter and anomalous redshifts, 2002
• Shock Absorber Theory of Radiation in the Expansion of the Universe, 2002