Last week, media remembered Homi J Bhabha, father of India’s atomic energy programme. After much opposition and counter opposition, his bungalow 'Meherangir' was auctioned and sold for Rs. 372 crore. The family of Jamshyd Godrej, chairman of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd, had emerged as the highest bidder for Meherangir. Dr Bhabha had a keen eye for art and had a wonderful collection of modern Indian art.
Dr Bhabha was much more than a scientist. He was a visionary and it is because of him that India emerged a key player in atomic research. This institution builder was born on October 30, 1909 in Mumbai. His father Jehangir Hormusji Bhabha was an established lawyer. Meheren, his mother played a vital role in exposing young Bhabha to fine arts, music and painting.
Love for physicsBhabha finished his graduation in mechanical engineering from Cambridge University, UK but his thirst for making a mark in the field of physics left him wanting for more. With the able support of his father, Bhabha obtained another degree in theoretical Physics. Dr Bhabha has lot of firsts to his credit like Bhabha scattering, Bhabha-Heitler theory. At the age of 31, he was elected as a fellow of the Royal society, London. Here he shared work space with eminent scientists across the globe, which enhanced his knowledge and leadership abilities.
Various reasons, including the Second World War, halted Bhabha’s overseas ambitions.
In 1939, he joined the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore as a Reader in Department of Physics, which brought him in close contact with Sir C. V. Raman, who headed the institution. It was here that he set up a cosmic ray research unit.
The burning ambition of Dr Bhabha to achieve in the field of Physics instigated him to initiate steps to set up a centre for research in nuclear science. With the support of the Tata Trust which he had sought, Dr Bhabha set up a laboratory at Kenilworth, Bombay. Subsequently, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was formed and fullfledged research in physics, chemistry, electronics and mathematics commenced.
ContributionsThanks to the undeterred work of this great man, the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Atomic Energy were set up in 1948 and 1954 respectively. A major factor that contributed to the growth of nuclear sciences was Dr Bhabha’s rapport with the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Both shared similar visions and worked towards securing a place for India in this field.
After his death, the Atomic Energy Establishment at Bombay was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in his honour. The BARC Training School is the brainchild of this great scientist and is a standing example of the importance he gave to the development of quality human resources.
As a fitting tribute to Dr Bhabha, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 1954 for outstanding contributions to nuclear science. The next year, he was elected president of the first International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy organised by the UN at Geneva.
His illustrious life was cut short in 1966 when he died in a plane crash at the age of 56 but his work lives on.
