The galactic trekker

His calm and dignified disposition appealed to everyone. This bearded and bespectacled gentleman would sit in his plush cabin at the Nati...

His calm and dignified disposition appealed to everyone. This bearded and bespectacled gentleman would sit in his plush cabin at the National Centre of Radio Astrophysics NCRA, always ready to receive you with a smile. Despite being one of the senior-most astrophysicists of the country, a walking encyclopaedia who would rattle off details of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope GMRT project, he had no airs about him.

Dr. Vijay Kapahi, director, NCRA, passed away on March 16, leaving behind a void in the world of astrophysics, where his observations and research are still referred to by scientists all over the world.

Govind Swarup, one of the country8217;s leading astrophysicists the GMRT is his brainchild considers it a 8220;personal loss, since I had shared so many moments of joy with him.8221; Kapahi was his first student, a man whose brilliance and hard work made him an indispensable part of Swarup8217;s Radio Telescope, the Kalyan Radio Telescope, the Ooty Telescope and the still-under-construction GMRT teams.

Says Swarup, 8220;Way back in June 1963, I gave a talk at the Bhabha Atomic Centre8217;s training school on the building of the Ooty Telescope. Kapahi was then a young student and he got so excited with the idea that he joined up. We began by building the Kalyan Radio Telescope, which was ready in 18 months. Kapahi played a lead role in this effort, and what caught my eye was his remarkable intelligence and willingness to work hard.8221;

With Kapahi8217;s demise, Swarup has been inundated with condolence messages from all over the world. He reads out an e-mail from Martin Rees, a world renowned astrophysicist: 8220;It is a tragic loss8230; specially at a time of such crucial progress in radio astronomy in India. I shall treasure the memories of my discussions and meetings with him.8221;

Kapahi8217;s exhaustive and comprehensive research paper on the Ooty Telescope observations is termed a 8220;classic8221; and is widely referred to by students and senior radio astrophysicists all over the world.

Although he had a serious demeanour at work, he loved to have fun and was always up to pranks. Says Swarup, 8220;There are innumerable happy moments that I shared with him. I remember how delighted he was when he recorded the first observations after the Ooty Telescope was constructed. He decided to celebrate with his young colleagues 8211; in high spirits! But there was prohibition in Tamil Nadu, so he decided to cycle down to Mysore. All of them went, with Kapahi merrily peddling ahead. Suddenly, he saw elephants crossing the road at Bandipur. He stopped his cycle and started waving his hands furiously, as if something serious had taken place. His colleagues had a mighty laugh when they saw Kapahi trying to warn them about the elephants,8221; reminisces Swarup affectionately.

Story continues below this ad

Selecting a site for the GMRT project was a daunting task and Kapahi travelled with Swarup over 50,000 km before they zeroed in on Narayangoan. Relates Swarup, 8220;Once the site was chosen, Kapahi, S. Ananthakrishnan and I decided to talk about this gigantic project over dinner. I warned the two that if they ditched me and went abroad, I would kill them. All the three of us took an oath in that restaurant on Jungli Maharaj Road that we would never desert the GMRT project.8221;

Now, the man at the helm of the GMRT project has been snatched away by fate. However, the goodwill and team spirit that he left behind will continue at the NCRA.