Homi Jehangir Bhabha

Chintamani Deshmukh did his M.Sc. from Bombay University and taught Physics at the V.J.T. Institute, Mumbai for thirty years. He has been a science communicator and was associated with Lok Vidnyan Sanghatana and Vidnyan Granthali in Maharashtra for a number of years. His books include biographies of Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi and Homi Bhabha in Marathi published by Granthali. He lives in Mumbai.

A lot has been written about Bhabha over a period of more than fifty years. Occasional articles and reminiscences by a number of scientists, who worked with him, abound. A number of short and full-length biographies have been written in English and other Indian languages. I have read some of these in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati. In 1993, I myself wrote a biography of Bhabha in Marathi after in terviewing a number of persons. These have proved useful in writing this book. Some of the more important writings are mentioned in the references given at the end of the book. In addition, a number of persons have extended valu able help in the task of writing this book, and I am very grateful to them. Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, AEC, was gracious enough to grant me audience, and made possible my visit to the BARC complex. Dr. A. P. Jayaraman, Head, Media Relations and Public Awareness, BARC, provided valuable insights and interesting material. Prof. S. G. Dani and Shri. M. H. Jadhav (PR) from TIFR helped me see the art collection in the Institute, and the Director, TIFR, kindly supplied photographs of paintings in their posses sion. Shri. Kekoo Gandhy helped in revealing Bhabha's role in the world of art in India. Shri. Dilip Mahajan and Dr. Sudhir Patwardhan helped in arranging some of the interviews. My wife, Shailaja Deshmukh, contributed substantially, in the preparation of the final manuscript. Finally I am grateful to NBT and its Editor Shri. Subba Rao for making this book possible Provide.

Homi Bhabha is widely regarded as one of the chief architects of post-independence science and technology (S & T) development in India. He stands head and shoul ders above other eminent, and even senior, Indian scien tists of the time. He was solely responsible for establishing and expanding the large atomic energy programme in our newly independent and largely underdeveloped country. A first rate young physicist, who had already made his mark in the exciting 1930s in Cambridge, UK, he was stranded in India in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II. During this enforced extended holiday at home, he was deeply affected by the turbulent period at the dawn of the independence. In a way, the young boy who had left India at the tender age of 18 and had spent twelve action packed, creative years in the UK and Europe, discovered his Indian roots and saw the vision of independent India, a modernised and self-reliant country earning her due place in the comity of developed nations. Bhabha had a difficult choice before him. He could return to Europe and resume his purely scientific career that was almost certain to reach great heights. Alterna tively, he could stay back in India and contribute to the development of Indian science. It was going to be a leap in the dark, the chances of success being very uncertain and unpredictable. In the end he made the latter choice and fortunately for him he did not have to suffer any pangs of regret for this crucial decision. He was successful in building up a research institute of international standards and almost simultaneously on a larger and wider level he built up the Indian atomic energy programme, a compre hensive scientific-technological-industrial enterprise which has resulted in half a dozen indigenously built nuclear power plants and ultimately made possible the Pokharan 1998 explosions. His indelible mark on the entire domain of Indian S & T, beyond theoretical physics, mathematics, and atomic energy is clearly visible even to this day. More than five decades have passed since the post independence S & T build- up started in which Bhabha made a zestful contribution. The time is ripe now to take stock of the present situation, to find out what part of Bhabha's dreams we have achieved and what remains to be achieved, and where we have gone astray. A fresh look at the life of this great son of India at this juncture should prove to be both valuable and inspiring, because Bhabha's origi nal vision contains many aspects which have not been realised and are still relevant.

**Contents and Sample Pages**