What happened when Isaac Newton’s famous apple tree refused to take root in Pune

This tree, like another one on campus, serves as a reminder of the institute’s effort to bring a piece of scientific history to the city. Except that the trees are not descendants of the one that gave science its most famous apple and enabled Sir Isaac Newton to conceptualise the law of gravity.

Here is the story behind IUCAA’s bid to get a slice of Newton’s legacy to Pune.

Of an apple beneath a banyan tree

In a 2012 interview, Jayant V Narlikar, the then director of IUCAA, spoke about a speech he gave at the Australia Telescope National Facility in 1993. During his lecture, he began to show slides, one of which featured a picture of Newton’s statue at the IUCAA campus with a sculpted apple at its feet. Narlikar joked that Newton was puzzled over how the banyan tree spread out above the statue had dropped an apple. The incident prompted Narlikar to think of bringing a grafted descendant of Newton’s apple tree to Pune.

According to the official information from Queens’ College, Cambridge University, “The East Malling Research Station is the source of most of the apple trees worldwide that claim to be descendants of Newton’s original apple tree at Woolsthorpe Manor. There are other scions of the East Malling Newton apple tree at the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden, and outside Trinity College.”

In 1997, two apple trees grafted from a descendant of Newton’s original apple tree at Cambridge University were planted near the statue of Newton on the IUCAA campus as living tributes to the mathematician-physicist.

An eminent scientist and astrophysicist, Narlikar said that he had been motivated to act because it seemed visually inappropriate for Newton’s statue to be under a banyan tree. An apple tree, he thought, would be more fitting.

From Shimla, a resilient tree

Growing Newton’s apple trees in the Pune environment, however, proved challenging. Somak Raychaudhury, another former director of IUCAA, said that attempts were made to grow the trees between 1997 and 2007. While the trees flowered and even fruited, the last one died in 2007.

Following this, scientists experimented with domestic Shimla apple tree varieties to understand why the original trees could not survive. Through rigorous testing and determination at IUCAA, the Shimla apple trees proved capable of thriving in Pune.

Two of these Shimla variants now stand in the IUCAA Main Kund, replacing the original Cambridge apple trees. These trees not only honour Newton and his groundbreaking work but also pay homage to the resilience and ingenuity of Indian scientists, symbolising their ability to adapt and grow in any environment.

Officials told The Indian Express that the trees are expected to bear flowers soon – a phenomenon that would occur after nearly five years.

A link to Newton’s legacy

Many students at IUCAA are not aware of the history of these trees, but for those who do, the trees serve as powerful reminders. Faculty member Maharudra Mate said, “Having ‘Newton’s apple trees’ on our campus constantly reminds us of the simplicity and beauty of scientific discovery. It has inspired our students and faculty to pursue knowledge with curiosity and determination.”

Susobhan Ghosh, a student at IUCAA, shared the feeling. “It was really satisfying to be part of IUCAA and follow the legacy of Newton’s apple tree,” said Ghosh. Harsh Yadav, another student, felt similarly inspired. “It really felt great to study near ‘Newton’s apple tree’. Since IUCAA focuses on gravity and a lot of work is being done here on gravitational wave detection, it was an honour and a motivation,” he said.

Clearly, the presence of the trees connects the current study of gravity and astrophysics at IUCAA to its historical roots, linking back to Newton’s groundbreaking insights.