• Eminent astrophysicist Jayant Vishnu Narlikar passed away in Pune on May 20. He was 86.

• Narlikar attained international fame for the Hoyle-Narlikar theory of gravity.

• A towering figure in Indian science, Narlikar was widely known for his pioneering contributions to cosmology, his efforts to popularise science, and for setting up premier research institutions in the country.

• Born on July 19, 1938, 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.

• He then went to Cambridge for higher studies, becoming a Wrangler and Tyson Medalist in the Mathematical Tripos. 

• While in the United Kingdom, he developed, along with famous scientist and his doctoral adviser Fred Hoyle, the famous Hoyle-Narlikar theory of gravity. 

• 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 Narlikar to set up the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune 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. 

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

• Narlikar was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1965 at the age of 26.

• In 2004, he was awarded Padma Vibhushan, 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 — Vidnyanvishwatil Vedhak Ani Vechak — for its highest prize in regional language (Marathi) writing. 

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