Opinion Ranjit Nair: The physicist-philosopher who connected science with society

The other aspect of Ranjit’s life that truly impressed me was his untiring commitment to the cause of fostering scientific awareness and culture in Delhi. Securing a visit by Stephen Hawking was no mean feat. It was his stature as a philosopher of science and his zeal that brought Hawking to Delhi. It may be worth mentioning that for reasons unknown, none of the “so-called” renowned institutions seemed to have exerted much effort to get such distinguished visitors like Hawking. For Ranjit, this was essentially a one-man show where others chipped in, only after he managed to get things moving. That single event inspired so many young minds to delve into the realms of physics and science. I remember the interest that the event elicited among common people in Hawking and his Big Bang theory. In fact, a very prominent public school got in touch with me to ask if I could help them get Hawking to speak to students of their primary classes who had expressed much interest in the Big Bang Theory. This does not happen often in Delhi. Lest we gather the impression that this was a one-off event in Ranjit’s scheme of things, let me dispel that notion at once; he managed to get Roger Penrose and so many other distinguished scientists to visit Delhi.

Anyone who was even tangentially familiar with Ranjit’s oeuvre would have realised at once that he was a vital intellectual bridge between science and society. I would like to mention the outstanding contribution he made by editing the collected works of the theoretical physicist E C G Sudarshan. Ranjit also boldly advocated for greater acknowledgement of Sudarshan’s contributions in quantum optics and called for its much higher recognition, like the Nobel Prize. Alas, India lacks the right exposure for so many of its distinguished scientists. For instance, some distinguished scientists from foreign institutions told me that the discoveries of Meghnad Saha, Subbarow and A S Paintal were worthy of Nobel Prizes.

Many noteworthy things have been mentioned in many obituaries that have appeared in the wake of Ranjit’s demise. All of them give details of his academic and scientific lineage and also mention his family. Nowadays, a number of young people are graduating from high school without any clear views and insights about science and higher education. India needs to overcome the challenges in engaging our youth with science and technology in meaningfully rigorous and relevant ways. Or else, we are in danger of being left behind in the realms of vital areas like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, nuclear fusion and energy. Men like Ranjit are sorely needed by the nation at this time.

The writer is former vice-chancellor, University of Delhi