Vikram Sarabhai

Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Sarabhai
Born	12 August 1919[1][2] Ahmedabad, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died	30 December 1971 (aged 52) Halcyon Castle, Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Residence	India
Nationality	Indian
Fields	Physics
Institutions	Indian Space Research Organisation Physical Research Laboratory
Alma mater	Gujarat College, University of Cambridge
Doctoral advisor	Sir C. V. Raman
Known for	Indian space program Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Notable awards	Padma Bhushan (1966) Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) (1972)
Spouse	Mrinalini Sarabhai (Hindi: मृणालिनी साराभाई) (classical dancer)
Children	Mallika Sarabhai[3][4][5][6] Kartikeya Sarabhai[7]

Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971)^[8] was an Indian scientist and innovator widely regarded as the father of India's space programme. Sarabhai received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Medal in 1962.^[9] The nation honoured him awarding Padma Bhushan in 1966 and Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972.^[10]

Personal life

Son of Sheth Ambalal Sarabhai, he came from the famous Sarabhai family of India who were major industrialists committed to the Indian independence movement. Vikram Sarabhai married the classical dancer Mrinalini in 1942. The couple had two children. His daughter Mallika gained prominence as an actress and activist, and his son Kartikeya Sarabhai too became an active person in science.^[7] During his lifetime, he practiced Jainism and belonged to the Shrimal Jain community of Ahmedabad.^[11]

Professional life

Known as the cradle of space sciences in India, the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) was founded in 1947 by Vikram Sarabhai. PRL had a modest beginning at his residence, the RETREAT, with research on cosmic rays.

The institute was formally established at the M.G. Science Institute, Ahmedabad, on 11 November 1947^[12] with support from the Karmkshetra Educational Foundation and the Ahmedabad Education Society. Prof. Kalpathi Ramakrishna Ramanathan was the first Director of the institute. The initial focus was research on cosmic rays and the properties of the upper atmosphere. Research areas were expanded to include theoretical physics and radio physics later with grants from the Atomic Energy Commission.

Today PRL is actively involved in research, related to five major fields of science. PRL is also instrumental in the PLANEX planetary science and exploration programme.

The Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC), established in the 1960s by Sarabhai, worked towards popularizing science and mathematics education among students, teachers and the laypublic. Its mandate is to stimulate interest, encourage and expose the principles of science and scientific method and also to improve and find innovative methods of science education.^[13]

Indian Space Program

Sarabhai was convinced that the resources in space could address the real problems of humanity. As director of PRL, he convened scientists, anthropologists, communicators and social scientists from all of India to spearhead the Indian space programme.^[14]

The establishment of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was one of his greatest achievements. He convinced the Indian government of the importance of a space programme for a developing country like India after the Russian Sputnik launch. Sarabhai emphasized the importance of a space program as follows:

"There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society."

Homi Jehangir Bhabha, widely regarded as the father of India's nuclear science program, supported Sarabhai in setting up the first rocket launching station in India. This center was established at Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram on the coast of the Arabian Sea, primarily because of its proximity to the equator. After a remarkable effort in setting up the infrastructure, personnel, communication links, and launch pads, the inaugural flight was launched on November 21, 1963 with a sodium vapour payload. As a result, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian Cosmodrome.

He led the Sarabhai family's diverse business conglomerate. His interests varied from science to sports to statistics. He set up Operations Research Group (ORG), the first market research organization in the country. Most notable among them are the Nehru Foundation for Development in Ahmedabad and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), the Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association (ATIRA) and the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT). He also set up the Blind Men Association (BMA) which helps visually-challenged people. Along with his wife Mrinalini Sarabhai, he founded the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts. Other institutions established by him include the Faster Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) in Kalpakkam, Variable Energy Cyclotron Project in Calcutta, Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) in Hyderabad and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) in Jaduguda, Jharkhand.

As a result of Sarabhai's dialogue with NASA in 1966, the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) was launched during July 1975 - July 1976 (after Sarabhai's death).

Sarabhai started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian satellite. As a result, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian cosmodrome.

Darpana Academy for Performing Arts, Ahmedabad

Darpana was established as a dance academy by Mrinalini and Vikram Sarabhai in 1949. For nearly two decades it taught classical dance. With Mrinalini as the lead dancer, and ChatunniPanicker as her partner, the Darpana dance company toured across the world. A few years later the great Kuchipudi guru, c R Acharyelu joined the faculty.^[15]

Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad

The decade following independence in 1947 was witness to a surge of innovative ideas to build a fledgling independent nation into a model democratic state committed to growth with equity in the development of its people. The establishment of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) was the outcome of one such innovative initiative.

Led by Vikram Sarabhai, Shri. Kasturbhai Lalbhai and supported by the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Jivraj Mehta, a group of individuals set up IIMA. This group ably wove together a coalition of five actors - the governments at the centre and the state, the local industrialists, the Ford Foundation and the Harvard Business School, in a public private partnership to establish the Institute.^[16]

Distinguished positions

• President of the Physics section, Indian Science Congress (1962)
• President of the General Conference of the I.A.E.A., Vienna (1970)
• Vice-President, Fourth UN Conference on 'Peaceful uses of Atomic Energy' (1971)

Legacy

• The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, (VSSC), which is the Indian Space Research Organization's lead facility for launch vehicle development located in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), capital of Kerala state, is named in his memory.
• Along with other Ahmedabad-based industrialists, he played a major role in setting up of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
• In 1973, the International Astronomical Union decided that a lunar crater, Bessel A, in the Sea of Serenity will be known as the Sarabhai crater.^[17][18]

References

1. "Vikram Sarabhai Biography". mapsofindia.com. mapsofindia. January 30, 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
2. "About Vikram Sarabhai". iloveindia.com. iloveindia. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
3. "Mystery behind Vikram Sarabhai's death". timesofindia. December 30, 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
4. "Vikram Sarabhai's love affair gave birth to IIM-A". timesofindia. January 8, 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
5. "Witness to persecution". tribuneindia. January 14, 2006. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
6. Vikram Sarabhai: A Life by Amrita Shah, 2007, Penguin Viking ISBN 0-670-99951-2
7. "Famous people, Vikram Sarabhai". thefamouspeople. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
8. "The Visionary- Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai". Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
9. "Profile of the Awardee, Dr Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai". ssbprize.gov.in. Retrieved 22 Feb 2016.
10. "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2013)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 14 August 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
11. "Jains steal the show with 7 Padmas". The times of India. timesofindia. April 9, 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015. The Jain community has always nurtured exceptional talent whether it is eminent scientist Vikram Sarabhai, who is considered the father of the country's space programme, or poet, thinker and spiritual leader Banarsidas who composed the magnum opus Ardhakathanaka, the first ever autobiography in Hindi literature.
12. "BRIEF HISTORY". Retrieved 28 March 2016.
13. "Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre". VASCSC.org. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
14. "ISRO - Genesis Page, ISRO foundation". ISRO. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
15. "Darpan Academy History". darpanaaboutus. March 28, 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
16. "About - Indian Institute of Management". IIM Ahmedabad. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
17. Antonín Rükl: Atlas Měsíce, Aventinum (Praha 1991), chapter Bessel, page 74, ISBN 80-85277-10-7 (Czech)
18. Sarabhai_(crater) - "Planetary Names: Sarabhai on Moon;". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, IAU, USGS, NASA. Oct 18, 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2015.

External links

• Interview with biographer Amrita Shah recorded in August 2013
• Great Scientists at freeindia.org
• Hindu Newspaper