The most befitting recipient of the very first ASI Govind Swarup Lifetime Achievement award is Prof. Jayant V. Narlikar, an astronomer par-excellence, the founding director of IUCAA, Pune.
Key points
- Prof. Narlikar was amongst the first to initiate cosmology research in India.
- He came up with an idea of creating a dedicated center to nucleate and spread astronomy curriculum and research in the Indian Universities.
- In the year 2022, as it celebrated its golden jubilee, the Astronomical Society of India (ASI) instituted the Govind Swarup Lifetime Achievement award to recognise eminent Indian astronomers for the contributions they have made to the field of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India over their careers.
- The award is named in honour of Prof. Govind Swarup (1929-2020). Prof. Swarup is widely regarded to be the founder of Indian radio astronomy.
- He conceived of and led the construction of the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) using innovative, cost-effective ideas optimized for the Indian environment.
