His motivation to challenge pseudoscience came from the belief system of questioning everything lacking a scientific basis.”, said astronomer Somak Raychaudhary about Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, a renowned Indian astrophysicist. Narlikar passed away on 20th May at the age of 86. He is globally known for his contributions in the field of cosmology and rational thinking. Narlikar, along with Fred Hoyle, his PhD guide at Cambridge University, challenged dominant scientific theories like the Big Bang Theory and Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, providing alternatives like a quasi-steady state universe and the Hoyle-Narlikar Theory of Gravitation.
Narlikar was a passionate science educator who believed “PhD scholars don’t fall from the sky, you must catch them young”. He worked to bridge the gap between science and the general public. In 1988, Narlikar, along with other scientists, founded the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. IUCAA then went on to become an internationally respected institution for astronomy and astrophysics. It also included programs aimed at school children, which encouraged scientific temper and rational thought in children from a young age.
In 2008, Narlikar collaborated with Narendra Dabholkar, Prakash Ghatpande, and Sudhir Kunte to scientifically challenge astrology in India. They conducted a statistical experiment inviting 50 astrologers and making them predict the future using horoscopes. The results proved that the predictions were nothing but random guesses. The experiment offered compelling evidence against the age-old belief in astrology.
Despite backlash from traditionalists, Narlikar remained undeterred and emphasized the need to promote scientific temper, a principle enshrined in the Indian Constitution. His efforts not only earned him prestigious honours, including the Padma Vibhushan, but also the deep respect and admiration of generations of scientists, students, and curious minds. Jayant Narlikar’s legacy is not just in equations and theories, but in his fearless advocacy for reason, inquiry and the democratization of science.
