'Nuclear power stations testimonies to his contributions': Ramesh condoles Srinivasan's demise

New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday condoled the passing away of former Atomic Energy Commission chairman M R Srinivasan and said the nuclear power stations at Kalpakkam, Rawatbhata, Kaiga, Kakrapar, and Narora are shining testimonies to his yeoman contributions to nation-building.

Srinivasan, who played a key role in the country’s indigenous nuclear energy programme, died in Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday, his family said.

He was 95 and is survived by his wife and daughter.

“India’s legendary nuclear technologist Dr. M. R. Srinivasan has just passed away. Picked by Homi Bhabha himself, he played a pivotal role in the setting up of India’s very first nuclear power plant at Tarapur in the late 60s. Later, he led the team that established India’s extensive nuclear power complex at Kalpakkam,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

It was under his inspiring leadership that India resolutely and successfully withstood the withdrawal of Canadian association after India’s nuclear test of May 1974, the former environment minister said.

“The nuclear power stations now operating at Kalpakkam, Rawatbhata, Kaiga, Kakrapar, and Narora are all shining testimonies to his yeoman contributions to nation-building,” Ramesh said.

“He was a man of varied interests and in later years became deeply concerned with environmental issues. His 2002 memoir is essential reading and tells the story of India’s nuclear programme from his unique perspective,” he said.

Srinivasan had been the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission from 1987 to 1990 and also a member of the Planning Commission between 1996-98, Ramesh pointed out.

“It has been my good fortune to have known him for a long time and he is someone who has left a deep and lasting impression on me by the strength of his commitments, his deep appreciation of the larger social functions of science, and his profound understanding of India’s rich cultural traditions,” Ramesh said.

In another post, Ramesh condoled the passing away of eminent astrophysicist Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar.

Eminent astrophysicist, science communicator, and Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar passed away in Pune, Maharashtra, on Tuesday, family sources said. He was 87.

“One of the world’s greatest astrophysicists Dr. Jayant Narlikar, has just passed away. He hailed from a very distinguished intellectual family and excelled in Cambridge Univ in the 1960s. Along with his doctoral adviser Fred Hoyle, he set the world of cosmology ablaze with his path-breaking contributions,” Ramesh said.

“He returned to TIFR in 1972 and thereafter emerged as a phenomenal mentor, educator, author, science communicator, and institution-builder. The world-class Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) he established in Pune in 1988 and shaped decisively thereafter, is a tribute to his accomplishments, vision, and indeed his personality,” he said.

Narlikar wore his remarkable learning in various disciplines very lightly, and he combined to an unusual degree formidable scholarship with humility, Ramesh said.

“He was well and truly a most luminous star of Indian science, who reflected the noblest of our civilisational traditions. I had carefully preserved what the Planning Commission magazine Yojana had written about him way back in its July 5, 1964, issue. It captures the impact he had when he first shot into global fame,” Ramesh said, sharing the article on X.