Jayant V Narlikar obituary: Visionary cosmologist who reached for the stars

Jayant V Narlikar, a cosmologist of exceptional brilliance and affectionately known as JVN, passed away peacefully on 20 May 2025, at the age of 86.

He was a world-renowned astrophysicist, a visionary institution builder, an outstanding science communicator, a great teacher, and a no-nonsense rational thinker — all rolled into one.

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Early life and education

Born in Banaras into a family of intellectuals, Narlikar's academic journey was shaped early on. His father, Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar, was a professor of Mathematics at the Banaras Hindu University, and his mother, Saraswati, was a Sanskrit scholar.

After completing his schooling and undergraduate studies in Banaras, he pursued doctoral research at the University of Cambridge under the mentorship of the eminent cosmologist Sir Fred Hoyle.

Scientific breakthroughs

JVN made headlines in the mid-1960s when he, along with Fred Hoyle, proposed the concept of a new ‘creation’ field to support the Steady State theory of the universe. The model integrated Mach’s principle with Einstein’s General Relativity and suggested that mass is continuously created in the universe even while it expands, so that it always looks the same.

The theory posed a bold challenge to the Big Bang model, which asserts that the universe originated from an extremely small region and expanded. Narlikar's work earned him international recognition, leading to his appointment at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Bombay (now Mumbai), where he became a professor in 1972.

However, the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) offered strong support to the Big Bang model, overshadowing the Hoyle-Narlikar theory. Despite his persistent efforts to modify and refine the earlier model, the scientific community was not impressed.

JVN also collaborated with Chandra Wickramasinghe, a critic of the Big Bang cosmology, and proposed that life on earth came through organic compounds from comets.

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Honours, academic career

Narlikar's scientific contributions earned him numerous awards and accolades, including the Padma Bhushan in 1965 at the age of 26, the Padma Vibhushan in 2004, the Bhatnagar award, the Birla award, and memberships in prestigious institutions such as the French Astronomical Society and, Royal Astronomical Society, to name a few.

Narlikar’s vision extended beyond research — he wanted to start a research and teaching center devoted to astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology.

At the invitation of the University Grants Commission (UGC), he founded the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, where he served as the founding director. He was supported by Professor Naresh Dadhich, who later succeeded him as director of the institute.

IUCAA became a pioneering model; it is linked to universities and colleges across India and has become a nodal center for facilitating collaboration among teaching faculty. It is now considered one of the outstanding places for research in theoretical and experimental astrophysics.

JVN meticulously recruited outstanding scientists for this center. Professors T. Padmanabhan, Sanjeev Dhurandhar, and Ajit Kembhavi were some of his students who made substantial contributions to the field.

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Science communicator

A passionate science populariser and communicator, Narlikar began writing articles on topics such as black holes and cosmology, his favorite subject, while still a student at Cambridge, contributing to magazines like Discovery and New Scientist. He delivered numerous public lectures explaining the nuances of general relativity to students and the general audience.

He published over 400 articles in English, Marathi, and Hindi and was associated with a popular science TV series on Bombay TV in the 1980s, known as “On Developing a Relationship with the Sky.” Inspired by Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, he popularised astrophysics among the Indian masses.

JVN also wrote science fiction and numerous short stories, earning him comparisons with Isaac Asimov. His story Dhoomketu was adapted by the Children’s Film Society. Notably, he encouraged children to send him science questions by postcard and he personally responded to each one.

For his unparalleled efforts in science popularisation, he was honoured with the Indira Gandhi Prize by the Indian National Science Academy and the Kalinga Prize by the UNESCO.

Tireless rationalist

JVN always encouraged rational thinking among students, and the general public. He wrote several articles on these issues and debunked astrology in his style. He gathered information about predictions of astrologers on random people and proved that astrology has no scientific basis.

His lectures, often attended by thousands, managed to convey the excitement of astronomy and the critical importance of the scientific outlook and evidence-based thinking. His book The Scientific Edge talks about the scientific achievements in ancient India, while critiquing mythological exaggerations often passed off as science.

In a telling example, he tried to find the mention of the famous Crab Supernova in Sanskrit literature, also mentioned in Chinese, Japanese, and Persian literature. But found no mention of it in Indian literature, despite being visible to the naked eye.

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Enduring legacy

Narlikar was a rare blend of a great scientist, a progressive rationalist, and a passionate educator. I had the honour of inviting him to the Institute of Mathematical Sciences’ programme Chandrayana, commemorating Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar’s centenary.

He engaged wholeheartedly with young minds, responding to their questions with clarity and warmth, and inspiring them to pursue knowledge in the true spirit of science. His contributions to science will continue to inspire generations of students.

In a world often hesitant to acknowledge scientific error, Narlikar stood apart, graciously accepting that his first proposal of steady state model did not make it through the scientific scrutiny.

His loss is monumental — but so is the legacy he leaves behind, one that is difficult to match in the near future.