Know about Vikram Sarabhai on his 101st birth anniversary eve

Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972. The award-winning Indian physicist is also popularly remembered as "the father of India’s space programme."

Hyderabad:Today, on 12 August 2020, India and her space industry are celebrating a very special person in the history of India's space program.

The day marks the 101-year birth anniversary of Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, the founding father of ISRO, and a rare combination of scientist, innovator, industrialist and visionary.

The award-winning Indian physicist is also popularly remembered as "the father of India’s space programme."

Dr Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai is considered as the Father of the Indian space program; He was a great institution builder and established or helped to establish a large number of institutions in diverse fields. He was instrumental in establishing the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad.

Vikram Sarabhai, the cradle of space sciences in India

The Sarabhai family was an important and rich Jain business family. His father Ambalal Sarabhai was an affluent industrialist and owned many mills in Gujarat. Vikram Sarabhai was one of the eight children of Ambalal and Sarla Devi.

• Influences

He was greatly influenced by men like Mahatama Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, J Krishna Murthi, Motilal Nehru, V.S Shrinivasa Shashtri, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Maulana Azad, C.F Andrews and C.V Raman. His home was often visited by these personalities and interaction with them helped him build a character and interest in varied subjects.

• Education

Vikram Sarabhai was homeschooled along with his siblings where their parents also set up laboratories and workshops. He had a special interest in Mathematics and science since childhood. Sarabhai matriculated from the Gujarat College in Ahmedabad after passing the Intermediate Science examination.

After completing his college education, he went to England to study at Cambridge University where he passed the Tripos examination in 194 in Natural Sciences.

In 1947, he got PhD for his work on photofission (Cosmic Ray investigation in Tropical Latitudes) at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge.

• Research

He had a special interest in cosmic rays and thus his research is greatly influenced by this. He did research on cosmic rays for some time at the Poona Central Metrological Station and later went to Kashmir to continue his research. He also undertook research in cosmic rays under physicist Sir CV Raman at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Shortly after he returned from Cambridge, he established the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad. The Institute was devoted to the study of cosmic rays and outer space.

In 1955, Sarabhai set up a branch of Physical Research Laboratory at Gulmarg in Kashmir. The Atomic Energy Department of the Government of India established a full-fledged High-Altitude Research Center at the same place.

• Indian Space Programme

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

Dr Sarabhai emphasized the importance of a space programme in his quote: "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."

Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha, widely regarded as the father of India's nuclear science program, supported Dr Sarabhai in setting up the first rocket launching station in India. This centre 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 of Dr Sarabhai's dialogue with NASA in 1966, the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) was launched during July 1975 - July 1976 (when Dr.Sarabhai was no more).

Dr 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.