Vikram Sarabhai

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Vikram Sarabhai
H.N. Sethna
Personal details
Born
Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai

(1919-08-12)12 August 1919
Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram), Kerala, India
SpouseMrinalini Sarabhai (m.1942)
ChildrenMallika Sarabhai (daughter)
Kartikeya Sarabhai (son)
Parent(s)Ambalal Sarabhai (father)
Alma mater
Indian Space Research Organisation
Physical Research Laboratory
Doctoral advisorC. V. Raman
Doctoral studentsUdupi Ramachandra Rao

Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai Jain (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped to develop nuclear power in India.

He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972.

Personal life

Vikram and Mrinalini Sarabhai (1948)

Son of

PhD and wrote a thesis, "Cosmic Ray Investigations in Tropical Latitudes", in 1947.[3]

Professional life

Dr. Vikram A. Sarabhai, (left) Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and head of India's Department of Atomic Energy and Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator, sign an agreement to cooperate in an unprecedented experiment using a space satellite to bring instructional television programs to some 5,000 Indian villages.

Known as the cradle of space sciences in India, the

cosmic rays
.

The institute was formally established at the M.G. Science Institute, Ahmedabad, on 11 November 1947

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

Hyderabad and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) in Jaduguda, Jharkhand
. Sarabhai started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian satellite. As a result, the first Indian satellite,
cosmodrome.[4] He was the founder of Indian Space Research Organisation
.

Death

On 30 December 1971, Sarabhai was to review the SLV design before his departure for

Bombay the same night. He had spoken to A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on the telephone. Within an hour into the conversation, Sarabhai died of cardiac arrest at the age of 52 in Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram). His body was cremated in Ahmedabad
.

Distinguished positions

Legacy

Sarabhai on a 1972 Indian stamp
  • The
    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
    .
  • Indian Postal Department released a commemorative Postal Stamp On his first death anniversary (30 December 1972)
  • In 1973, the
    Sea of Serenity will be known as the Sarabhai crater.[9][10]
  • The lander on India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 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.[11][12]
  • ISRO's Vikas (rocket engine) is named after him.
  • On his 100th birthday on 12 August 2019, the
    Indian Space Research Organization (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.[13]

In popular culture

On 12 August 2019, Google's Doodle for India commemorated Sarabhai's 100th birth anniversary.[14] On 30 September 2020,

ISRO 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.[citation needed
]

A 2022 web-series Rocket Boys was based on the fictionalized lives of Sarabhai and Homi J. Bhabha, played by Ishwak Singh and Jim Sarbh respectively

In the 2022 film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect based on Nambi Narayanan's life, Sarabhai was played by Rajit Kapur in the Hindi version and by Ravi Raghavendra in the Tamil version.[15][16][17][18]

References

  1. ^ Shah 2016, Chapter 1.
  2. Times of India
    . 9 April 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 program, or poet, thinker and spiritual leader Banarsidas who composed the magnum opus Ardhakathanaka, the first-ever autobiography in Hindi literature.
  3. ^ a b Goyal, Shikha (12 August 2019). "Vikram Sarabhai founder of ISRO 100th Birthday: All you need to know". Jagran Josh. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b R., Parthasarathy (3 April 2003). "Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971): Architect of Indian space programme". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 May 2003. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  5. ^ "BRIEF HISTORY". Physical Research Laboratory, Department of Space, Government of India. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  6. ISSN 0971-751X
    . Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Former Chairmen of Atomic Energy Commission" (PDF). Government of India Department of Atomic Energy. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Space Applications Centre". www.sac.gov.in. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  9. ISBN 80-85277-10-7
    (in Czech)
  10. ^ Sarabhai (crater) – "Planetary Names: Sarabhai on Moon;". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, IAU, USGS, NASA. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  11. ^ "Space Museum opened at Hyderabad with ISRO Collaboration - ISRO". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  12. ISSN 0971-751X
    . Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  13. ^ "ISRO announces Vikram Sarabhai awards for journalism in the fields of space science, applications, and research". Firstpost. 8 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Vikram Sarabhai's 100th Birthday".
  15. ^ "'Rocket Boys' gets Vikram Sarabhai wrong". The Indian Express. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Why Rocket Boys didn't need to take so many creative liberties". Mintlounge. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  17. ^ "As a Historian of the Nuclear Program, I Can Only Laugh at the Howlers in Rocket Boys". The Wire. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  18. ^ "'Rocket Boys' Begins Well, Then Turns Into Hagiography With a Blatantly Communal Touch". The Wire. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
Bibliography

External links

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Government offices
Preceded by
Position created
ISRO Chairman

1963–1971 		Succeeded by
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