Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, one of India’s most distinguished astrophysicists and a global name in theoretical cosmology, passed away in Pune on Tuesday at the age of 86. His death marks the end of an era in Indian science, leaving behind a towering legacy of intellectual brilliance, fearless scientific inquiry and unwavering commitment to public science education.
Best known internationally for the Hoyle-Narlikar theory of gravity, developed in collaboration with British astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle, Dr Narlikar brought a bold and alternative perspective to mainstream cosmology. The Hoyle–Narlikar theory offered a formulation of gravitation that synthesised Einstein’s general relativity with Mach’s principle, proposing that the inertial mass of a particle depends on the distribution of mass across the universe—an idea that challenged conventional big bang cosmology and continues to stimulate scientific debate.
Born on 19 July 1938, at Kolhapur in Maharashtra, Dr Narlikar was the son of noted mathematician Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar. He studied at Banaras Hindu University before going on to the University of Cambridge, where he worked closely with Fred Hoyle. He earned his PhD in 1963 and soon gained prominence as a young cosmologist unafraid to contest established paradigms.
Dr Narlikar served on the faculty of Cambridge and later returned to India, where he committed himself to nurturing scientific talent and promoting a culture of excellence in astrophysics. In 1988, he became the founding director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune which he built into a world-class institution. He remained associated with IUCAA as professor emeritus.
Equally passionate about public engagement, Dr Narlikar was a prolific writer in English and Marathi. He authored numerous books—both technical and popular—including science fiction and essays aimed at making complex scientific ideas accessible to lay readers. His outreach efforts made him a beloved figure beyond the scientific community, inspiring generations of students and amateur astronomers.
A recipient of several prestigious honours, Dr Narlikar was awarded the Padma Bhushan (1965) and the Padma Vibhushan (2004), two of India’s highest civilian awards. He was elected Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the Third World Academy of Sciences, among others. Internationally, he held visiting professorships and was often invited to speak on cosmology and the philosophy of science.
Despite his international stature, Dr Narlikar remained rooted in Indian science, advocating for indigenous research and voicing concern over pseudoscience and uncritical thinking. He was known for his integrity, humility, and unflinching belief in the scientific method.
Dr Narlikar is survived by his wife, Dr Mangala Narlikar, a mathematician, and their three daughters.
In mourning his passing, India has lost not just a scientist of rare calibre but also a tireless champion of rationality and curiosity. His work will continue to influence and challenge future generations in the quest to understand the cosmos.
A Statistical Test of Astrology
In 2009, four eminent personalities, prof Narlikar, Sudhakar Kunte, Dr Narendra Dabholkar and Prakash Ghatpande ran a famous experiment through the Sakal newspaper in Pune.
A paper published in 2009 by prof Narlikar and Dr Dabholkar and uploaded by
Neel Kolhe on the Internet Archive describes an experiment conducted in Maharashtra to test the predictive power of natal astrology. It collected 200 birth details of 100 bright (group A) and 100 mentally challenged students (group B). These details were used to cast horoscopes or birth charts for these children. After recording these details, the charts were mixed and randomised, and astrologers were invited to participate in a test of their predictive ability. Fifty-one astrologers participated in the test.
Each participant was sent a random set of 40 birth charts and asked to identify which group each chart corresponded to. Of the initial 51 participants, 27 sent their assessment back. Statistical analysis of the results showed a success rate marginally less than what would be achieved by tossing a coin. The full sample of 200 birth charts was given to the representatives of an astrology institute for identification. They also did not fare any better. The limited but unambiguous procedure of this test leaves no doubt that astrology does not have any predictive power regarding academic ability.
In the paper, they say, "We feel that our test asked a well-focused question and the astrologers could not point to any ambiguity of interpretation. Many astrologers looked upon their success (even though at a rate less than 50% expected by tossing a coin) as a testimonial to their predictive ability. We had to explain to them that real predictive success could be claimed only at a 70% level for their sample size."
"The test clearly demonstrated the hollowness of the basic claim of astrology as stated earlier. Diehard believers, of course, would not change their minds. However, conducting a similar double-masked test would be worthwhile to check other aspects of astrological predictions. One important aspect has been the one tested by Silverman. Since a large fraction of marriages are arranged (or forbidden) based on the matching of horoscopes, a statistical study of this aspect will be useful. There may be several difficulties in gathering this data, but the effort would be well worth it," they added.
Unfortunately Indian citizens are so hidebound that arranged marriages and that too within not just the caste but the sub-caste too are the norm as is belief in horoscopes which in reality should be called horrorscopes
Indian have adopted Western clothes, Western mannerisms, Western language but have not adopted the Western thinking that encourages individuals to think for themselves and not blindly obey what their parents or teachers tell them.