Renowned astrophysicist Prof Naresh Dadhich, former director IUCAA, passes away in Beijing

“My father had cardiac problems and I remember telling him a few hours before he passed away in the evening that we will work out ways for expediting his return to Pune,” his son Nishith said. Dadhich, who was director of IUCAA from 2003-09, was scheduled to return on November 19.

Born in a poor family in Rajasthan’s Churu district, Dadhich studied at a nearby village school, before he moved to Pilani and then to Pune for his PhD. Dadhich was associated with the Maths department of Pune University for 17 years, which were also the years of his research in general relativity, gravitation, black holes and other aspects of cosmology.

“Prof Dadhich was an internationally known general relativist and worked in various areas of gravitation theory. He has a great deal of research work to his credit, including the magnetic Penrose process. He worked right till the day before he passed away in Beijing, where he was visiting for a month for research collaboration and lectures,” his long-time colleague and distinguished astrophysicist Ajit Kembhavi said.

It was during his stint at Pune University that Dadhich got involved with Prof Yash Pal’s efforts to create an inter-university research centre. Dadhich and Kembhavi formed a formidable team with Jayant Narlikar to build Pune’s IUCAA. Narlikar was the first director of the institute, and was followed in this position by Dadhich and then Kembhavi.

“Jayant Narlikar wanted to move from TIFR Mumbai to Pune University, but in discu­ssion with Naresh the idea em­er­­ged that there should be a new centre in Pune for all universities. That was quickly announced by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Naresh acted as liaison between Pune University, Prof Yashpal in UGC and the Maharashtra government so that approval for IUCAA was obtained. He also worked hard to procure land for the centre on the Pune University campus,” Kembhavi said.

News of Dadhich’s death came as a shock to the scientific community in Pune, particularly to IUCAA family, which was still coming to terms with the loss of the charismatic Narlikar six months ago. “He was engaged in serious research till his last breath, I have benefitted a lot from his guidance,” IUCAA’s director R Srianand said.

Nishith said his father loved to be among scientists and researchers, and talk about latest developments. “Post-retirement, my father was regularly invited to various universities across the world for lectures and talks about his research. He was now at Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications and was set to return to Pune on November 19. Just a few days ago he had complained of uneasiness and was later hospitalised,” Nishith said.

“We are in contact with the Indian Consulate in Beijing to get my father’s body back,” he said. Dadhich is survived by wife Sadhana, son Nishith and daughter Juee.

Prof Jayant Narlikar’s daughter Leelavati Narlikar, herself a mathematician and science writer, remembered Dadhich as a particularly kind and fun-loving person.

“His science was, of course, beyond me, but he played a key role in founding IUCAA and further developed it after becoming its director. He was a close friend of my father’s, and I remember how, especially in the last few years, every visit from Prof Dadhich would bring a spark to my father’s eyes. I will miss him dearly. His passing is a great shock to us all. I remember him as a particularly kind and fun-loving person,” she told The Indian Express.

Tarun Souradeep, director of Raman Research Institute said Dadhich was the first researcher he had met after joining IUCAA for PhD. “He had driven me through the scenic NDA campus (in Pune). That was the start of our research careers and life together,” Prof Souradeep said.

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