INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH KOLKATA

confers the

DOCTOR OF SCIENCE (Honoris Causa)

on

Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar

Eminent astrophysicist, science communicator and educationist, Padma Vibhusan, Padma Bhusan, Kalinga prize, Prix Jules Janssen prize and Sahitya Akademi awardee

Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar is an eminent astrophysicist, who is recognized for his fundamental contributions to cosmology and theories for the evolution of the Universe. Prof. Narlikar has also been an early champion of science communication and through his writings and engagement with the society, he has played a crucial role in bringing the joy and excitement of science to the public at large, and in dispelling unscientific beliefs. Prof. Narlikar is currently associated with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune of which he was the founder-Director.

Born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Prof. Narlikar studied at Banaras Hindu University before moving to Cambridge University. At Cambridge he completed his Tripos in mathematics and performed his doctoral studies in astronomy. In a long and distinguished career, Prof. Narlikar made several outstanding contributions to the fields of astrophysics and cosmology. Notable among these are the development of conformal gravity theory and the popularly known quasi-steady state theory of the Universe.

Prof. Narlikar has played a significant role in Institution building and scientific leadership. He was a founding member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy in Cambridge, and following his return to India in 1972, he led the theoretical astrophysics group at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. As founder-Director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, which was established by the University Grants Commission in 1988, Prof. Narlikar provided able leadership and guidance to the growth of the astronomical sciences not only at his own organization, but throughout India.

Prof. Narlikar was an early proponent of science communication. Through his popular lectures and engagements with the society, books written both in English as well as in Marathi, he played a pioneering role in the popularization of science and bridging science and society.

For his pioneering contributions, Prof. Narlikar has received much recognition from far and wide. These include the Padma Vibhusan, Padma Bhusan and Maharashtra Bhusan awards, the UNESCO Kalinga prize, the Prix Jules Janssen prize of the French Astronomical Society and a Sahitya Akademi award for his autobiographical work in Marathi titled Chaar Nagarantale Maze Vishwa (also available in English as "My Tale of Four Cities").

It is a matter of great honour and privilege for us, to confer upon Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa).