Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
and
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...
who initiated
space research
Space research is scientific study carried out in outer space, and by studying outer space. From the use of space technology to the observable universe, space research is a wide research field. Earth science, materials science, biology, medici ...
and helped develop
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
in India. He was honoured with
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1966 and the
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...
(posthumously) in 1972. He is internationally regarded as the Father of the Indian Space Program.
Personal life
Son of
Ambalal Sarabhai
Ambalal Sarabhai (23 February 1890 – 13 July 1967) was an Indian industrialist, philanthropist, institution builder, and supporter of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the chairman and promoter of Calico Mills and the founder of The Sarabhai Group of Com ...
, he came from the famous
Sarabhai family from India who were major industrialists committed to the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal ...
. 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
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesh ...
too became an active person in science. During his lifetime, he practiced
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...
. He attended
Gujarat College, Ahmedabad, but later moved to the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, England, where he took his
tripos
At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mat ...
in natural sciences in 1940.
In 1945 he returned to Cambridge to pursue
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
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* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
and wrote a thesis, “Cosmic Ray Investigations in Tropical Latitudes,” in 1947.
Professional life
Known as the cradle of space sciences in India, the
Physical Research Laboratory
The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) is a National Research Institute for space and allied sciences, supported mainly by Department of Space, Government of India. This research laboratory has ongoing research programmes in astronomy and astrop ...
(PRL) was founded in 1947 by Vikram Sarabhai.
PRL had a modest beginning at his residence, the "RETREAT", with research on
cosmic rays
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our ...
.
The institute was formally established at the M.G. Science Institute, Ahmedabad, on 11 November 1947 with support from the Karmkshetra Educational Foundation and the
Ahmedabad Education Society
Ahmadabad Education Society is a premier educational trust, which has founded many schools and colleges in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.Ahmedabad, 1958 by Kapilray M. Mehta - Page 233
One of the largest academic trusts in Gujarat, consisting of 25 ...
. Prof.
Kalpathi Ramakrishna Ramanathan was the first Director of the institute. The initial focus was research on
cosmic rays
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our ...
and the
properties
Property is the ownership of land, resources, improvements or other tangible objects, or intellectual property.
Property may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Property (mathematics)
Philosophy and science
* Property (philosophy), in philosophy an ...
of the
upper atmosphere Upper atmosphere is a collective term that refers to various layers of the atmosphere of the Earth above the troposphere and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets, and includes:
* The mesosphere, which on Earth lies between th ...
. Research areas were expanded to include
theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...
and
radio physics later with grants from the Atomic Energy Commission.
He led the Sarabhai family-owned business conglomerate.
His interests varied from science to sports to statistics. He set up the Operations Research Group (ORG), the first market research organization in the country. Most notable among the many institutes he helped set up are the
Nehru Foundation for Development in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per ...
, the
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad) is the world's number 1 business school, located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The school has been accorded the status of an Institute of National Importance by Ministry of Human Resourc ...
(IIMA), the
Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association
The Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association (commonly known as ATIRA) is an autonomous non-profit association for textile research located in the Navarangpura area of Ahmedabad, India. It is the largest association for textile resea ...
(ATIRA) and the (CEPT). Along with his wife
Mrinalini Sarabhai
Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai (11 May 1918 – 21 January 2016) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She was the founder and director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, ...
, he founded the
Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Darpana Academy of Performing Arts is a school for performing arts in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, established by Mrinalini Sarabhai and Vikram Sarabhai in 1949, it has been directed by their daughter Mallika Sarabhai for the last three decades. The sc ...
. Other projects and institutions initiated or established by him include the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) in
Kalpakkam
Kalpakkam is a township in Tamil Nadu, India, situated on the Coromandel Coast 70 kilometres south of Chennai. A conglomerate of two villages (Puduppattinam and Sadurangappatinam) and a DAE township, it is about from Thiruvanmiyur and ...
, Variable Energy Cyclotron Project in
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...
,
Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) in Jaduguda,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...
.
Sarabhai started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian satellite. As a result, the first Indian satellite,
Aryabhata
Aryabhata ( ISO: ) or Aryabhata I (476–550 CE) was an Indian mathematician and astronomer of the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. He flourished in the Gupta Era and produced works such as the ''Aryabhatiya'' (which ...
, was put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian
cosmodrome.
He was the founder of
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman o ...
.
Death
On 30 December 1971, Sarabhai was to review the SLV design before his departure for
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
the same night. He had spoken to
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...
on the telephone. Within an hour of the conversation, Sarabhai died at the age of 52 due to
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possi ...
in Trivandrum (now
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
). His body was cremated in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per ...
.
Distinguished positions
*President of the Physics section,
Indian Science Congress
Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...
(1962)
*President of the General Conference of the
I.A.E.A.,
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
(1970)
*Chairman of the
Atomic Energy Commission of India
The Atomic Energy Commission of India is the governing body of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. The DAE is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.
The Indian Atomic Energy Commission was set up on 3 August 1948 ...
(1966–1971)
*Vice-president, Fourth UN Conference on 'Peaceful uses of Atomic Energy' (1971)
*Founder and Chairman (1963–1971),
Space Applications Centre
The Space Applications Centre (SAC) is an institution of research in Ahmedabad under the aegis of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is one of the major centres of ISRO that is engaged in the research, development and demonstrat ...
Legacy
*The
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the India ...
, (VSSC), which is the Indian Space Research Organization's lead facility for launch vehicle development located in
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
(
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its List of renamed Indian cities and states, former name Trivandrum (), is the Capital city, capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as ...
), 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
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad) is the world's number 1 business school, located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The school has been accorded the status of an Institute of National Importance by Ministry of Human Resourc ...
.
*Indian Postal Department released a commemorative Postal Stamp On his first death anniversary (30 December 1972)
*In 1973, the
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...
decided that a lunar crater, Bessel A, in the
Sea of Serenity
Mare Serenitatis (Latin ''serēnitātis'', the "Sea of Serenity") is a lunar mare located to the east of Mare Imbrium on the Moon. Its diameter is .
Geology
Mare Serenitatis is located within the Serenitatis basin, which is of the Nectarian epo ...
will be known as the
Sarabhai crater.
Antonín Rükl
Antonín Rükl (September 22, 1932 – July 12, 2016) was a Czech astronomer, cartographer, and author.
He was born in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia. As a student he developed what was to be a lifelong interest in astronomy. He graduated from the Cze ...
: ''Atlas Měsíce'', Aventinum (Praha 1991), chapter Bessel, page 74,
*The lander on India's moon mission
Chandrayaan-2
Chandrayaan-2 (, ; ) is the second lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), after Chandrayaan-1. It consists of a lunar orbiter, and also included the ''Vikram'' lander, and the ''Pragyan'' lunar ...
which was to land near the South Pole of the moon on Sep 20, 2019 was named Vikram in his honour.
*Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is named after him. Vikram Sarabhai established this institute around the 1960s.
*Former World Quiz Champion
Vikram Joshi was named after him.
*A Space Museum was dedicated to him at
B M Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad on 26 July 2019. The museum was curated by Pranav Sharma.
*ISRO's
Vikas (rocket engine) is named after him.
* On his 100th birthday on 12 August 2019, the
Indian Space Research Organization
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...
(ISRO) announced an award in the name of Vikram Sarabhai. The Vikram Sarabhai Journalism award in Space Science Technology and Research will be given to those journalists who have contributed to the fields of space science, applications, and research.
In popular culture
On 12 August 2019,
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
's
Doodle
A doodle is a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be composed of random and abstract lines or shapes, generally without ever lift ...
for India commemorated Sarabhai's 100th birth anniversary.
On 30 September 2020,
ACK Media
Amar Chitra Katha (ACK Comics) is an Indian publisher of Indian comics and graphic novels. Most of its comics are based on religious legends and epics, historical figures and biographies, folktales and cultural stories. The company was founded ...
along with
ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman o ...
released a book namely, ''Vikram Sarabhai: Pioneering India's Space Programme''. It was released in
Amar Chitra Katha's digital platform and merchandise,
ACK Comics.
A 2022 web-series ''
Rocket Boys
''October Sky '' is the first memoir in a series of four, by American engineer Homer Hickam Jr. originally published in 1998 as ''Rocket Boys''. Later editions were published under the title ''October Sky'' as a tie-in to the 1999 film adaptat ...
'' was based on the fictionalized lives of Sarabhai and
Homi J. Bhabha, played by
Ishwak Singh
Ishwak Singh is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi films and television shows. He is best known for his roles in the series ''Paatal Lok'' (2020) and '' Rocket Boys'' (2022). For the former, he received a nomination at the Filmfare OTT ...
and
Jim Sarbh
Jim Sarbh (born 27 August 1987) is an Indian film and stage actor. Best known for his supporting work in the Hindi films, he is the recipient of a Screen Award, an International Indian Film Academy Award and two Filmfare Award nominations. Add ...
respectively
In the 2022 film ''
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'' based on
Nambi Narayanan
S. Nambi Narayanan (born 12 December 1941) is an Indian aerospace scientist who worked for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and contributed significantly to the Indian space program by developing the Vikas rocket engine. He led ...
's life, Sarabhai was played by
Rajit Kapur
Rajit Kapur is an Indian film and theatre actor and director. He is known for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1996 film, '' The Making of the Mahatma'' for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. Other notable roles are as ...
in the Hindi version and by
Ravi Raghavendra
Ravi Raghavendra is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil films and television serials.
Career and personal life
Raghavendra has appeared on television and in films since the 1980s, often playing supporting roles. He has also worked in theatre. ...
in the Tamil version.
References
;Bibliography
*
External links
Interview with biographer Amrita Shah recorded in August 2013Great Scientists at freeindia.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarabhai, Vikram Ambalal
1919 births
1971 deaths
20th-century Indian physicists
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Space programme of India
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering
Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in science & engineering
Scientists from Ahmedabad
Indian Space Research Organisation people
20th-century Indian Jains
Gujarati people
Sarabhai family
Experiments in Art and Technology collaborating artists