Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (1938–2025): Architect of the Cosmic Imagination

Passes away peacefully in Pune at the age of 87.

Jayant Vishnu Narlikar RIP

India and the world have lost a radiant star in the firmament of scientific thought. Dr. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, the visionary astrophysicist, fearless thinker, and masterful communicator of science, passed away on May 20, 2025, in Pune. His demise marks the close of an era but also immortalizes a legacy that will continue to illuminate minds and inspire inquiry for generations.

From the President of India to students in distant classrooms, the nation stood in solemn tribute. The President called his passing “extremely sad,” noting the indelible mark he left on Indian and global science. In voices echoing across political and academic spheres, one truth stood out: Narlikar was not only a genius of equations and theories—he was the bridge between cosmos and citizen, between speculation and scientific temper.

A Childhood Rooted in Rational Inquiry

Born on July 19, 1938, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Jayant Vishnu Narlikar grew up in a home where mathematics was more than a subject—it was the language of daily life. His father, Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar, a distinguished mathematician at Banaras Hindu University, cultivated an atmosphere of precision, discipline, and intellectual curiosity. Much like Alexander Pope’s poetic confession, “I lisped in numbers, for the numbers came,” young Jayant seemed to speak the language of mathematics almost instinctively. It was in this crucible of reason and wonder that he developed the analytical elegance and philosophical depth that would define his life's work.

At Cambridge University, he rose to academic prominence as a Wrangler and winner of the Tyson Medal. There, he formed a lifelong intellectual partnership with Sir Fred Hoyle, giving birth to a scientific collaboration that would challenge the very foundations of modern cosmology.

The Courage to Question the Cosmos

In an age where the Big Bang theory was rapidly becoming cosmological dogma, Narlikar dared to think differently. With Hoyle, he co-developed the Hoyle–Narlikar theory of gravitation—a bold reinterpretation of general relativity rooted in Mach’s principle. Their alternative model, the Quasi-Steady State Cosmology, proposed a universe without beginning or end, continually renewing itself through creation fields. Though contentious, it demonstrated Narlikar’s unflinching devotion to conceptual clarity over popular consensus.

His work did not merely attempt to describe the universe—it sought to interrogate the assumptions underpinning its description. The Nobel Prize eluded him, perhaps because his ideas were too avant-garde for their time. But to his disciples and colleagues, the institutions he nurtured and the generations he mentored are laurels more enduring than any medal.

Building Institutions, Enabling Minds

At the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Narlikar created a powerhouse of theoretical astrophysics, attracting brilliant young minds and empowering them with autonomy. His generosity in academic credit—refusing co-authorship when undeserved—epitomized his integrity.

The crowning jewel of his institutional legacy was the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), which he founded in 1988. Conceived as a democratic platform for research across India’s universities, IUCAA embodied his vision of a collaborative, inclusive, and intellectually vibrant scientific culture. Architect Charles Correa’s design of its campus—echoing motifs of Indian astronomical heritage—reflected the perfect synergy between past and future that Narlikar championed.

Science for the People

Dr. Narlikar was more than a theoretical physicist—he was a public intellectual committed to the spread of scientific temper. His books, both in English and Marathi, made astrophysics accessible without dilution. His fiction captured the imaginations of children and adults alike, translating the wonders of the universe into everyday language.

He stood firm against pseudoscience, challenging astrology and superstition with the confidence of reason. In school outreach programs and public debates, he made the stars not only subjects of awe, but of understanding. For Narlikar, science was not the domain of a few—it was the right of all.

Tributes Across Borders

Tributes poured in from every quarter. The Prime Minister called him a “luminary” who brought the cosmos closer to common citizens. Maharashtra honoured him with a state funeral, hailing his unique ability to merge cosmic abstraction with cultural intimacy. Internationally, institutions recalled his “Galilean courage” in defending minority scientific views and his efforts to synthesise Eastern and Western cosmological philosophies.

His tenure as Chair of the Cosmology Commission at the International Astronomical Union, and recognition from societies across the world, underscored the global respect he commanded—not only for his ideas but for his intellectual humility and depth.

Family, Final Days, and Farewell

Dr. Narlikar’s personal life mirrored his professional ethos—rooted in integrity, affection, and pursuit of knowledge. His wife, Mangala, a fellow mathematician, predeceased him in 2023. Their three daughters, all scientists, continue the family tradition of scholarship.

In the final weeks of his life, following hip surgery, he remained intellectually active—engaged in thoughts about science education and outreach. He passed away surrounded by loved ones in Pune, a city that had long been the centre of his astronomical and philosophical orbit.

The Everlasting Flame

The passing of Jayant Vishnu Narlikar is not a vanishing but a transformation. His thoughts, like starlight from distant galaxies, will continue to reach and touch us. His theories will provoke, his institutions will flourish, and his writings will inspire. More than any accolade, this is the true measure of a scientific life well lived.

He now joins the pantheon of C.V. Raman, S. Chandrasekhar, and Meghnad Saha—not merely as a discoverer of truths, but as a custodian of reason, a democrat of knowledge, and a poet of the cosmos.

In remembering him, we are reminded not just to look at the stars—but to think anew about why they shine. “A star dies— a legend is born” (#KBSOriginal)

About the Author
Karan Bir Singh Sidhu is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer who cleared the Civil Services Examination with Physics as his elective in both the Preliminary and Main stages. A lifelong admirer of scientific thought and rational inquiry, he writes on science, public policy, and history with the lens of a scholar and the discipline of an administrator.