Eminent astrophysicist Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in Pune on May 20. He was 86. Internationally renowned for his contributions to cosmology, Dr Narlikar, who was also the founder of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), co-developed the Hoyle-Narlikar theory of gravity and advocated alternative models to the Big Bang theory. His work challenged conventional thinking and expanded the frontiers of astrophysics.

Born on July 19, 1938, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Dr Narlikar pursued his early education in Varanasi before completing his PhD at the University of Cambridge under Sir Fred Hoyle. Returning to India, he joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, where, under his charge, the Theoretical Astrophysics Group expanded and acquired international standing.