Vikram Sarabhai

Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Sarabhai
Born Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai
(1919-08-12)12 August 1919[1][2]
Ahmedabad, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died 30 December 1971(1971-12-30) (aged 52)
Halcyon Castle, Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Nationality Indian
Alma mater Gujarat College, University of Cambridge
Known for father of Indian space program
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Spouse(s) Mrinalini Sarabhai
Children

Mallika Sarabhai (daughter)[3][4][5][6]

Kartikeya Sarabhai (son)[7]
Awards Padma Bhushan (1966)
Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) (1972)
Scientific career
Fields Physics
Institutions Indian Space Research Organisation
Physical Research Laboratory
Doctoral advisor C. V. Raman
Doctoral students Udupi Ramachandra Rao

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 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. 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.

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 the many institutes he helped set up are the Nehru Foundation for Development in Ahmedabad, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), the Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association (ATIRA) and the (CEPT). 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.

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.

Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad

The decade following independence in 1947 was a 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.

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

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". Times of India. December 30, 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Vikram Sarabhai's love affair gave birth to IIM-A". Times of India. 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Jains steal the show with 7 Padmas". The times of India. Times of India. 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". Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Antonín Rükl: Atlas Měsíce, Aventinum (Praha 1991), chapter Bessel, page 74, ISBN 80-85277-10-7 (in Czech)
  14. ↑ Sarabhai (crater) – "Planetary Names: Sarabhai on Moon;". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, IAU, USGS, NASA. Oct 18, 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
Government offices
Preceded by
Position created		 ISRO Chairman
1963–1971		 Succeeded by
M. G. K. Menon
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