Astronomny 3rd Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Lecture Introductory Address

Hon Prime Minister Dr Navin Ramgoolam
Vice Prime Minister, Hon Xavier Duval
Hon Ministers & Hon Members of the National Assembly
Our Distinguished Guest and Speaker, Prof Jaswant Vishnu Narlikar
Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Members of the Media
Ladies & Gentlemen
And My Dear Students

Good Morning and welcome to the third Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Lecture to be delivered by Prof Narlikar. The theme of the Lecture is :The Amazing World of Astronomy.

Let me, first of all, extend a very warm and cordial to our distinguished visitor. Let me also thank you all for your kind presence.

The Hon Prime Minister has apologized as he is unable to attend to-day’s lecture due to unforeseen circumstances.

L & G, Science is knowledge and one of the important aims in life is to seek new knowledge and to apply it for benefit of people and society. Our Prime Minister is a strong proponent of life-long learning. This is why he was so interested to come for the lecture.

Laudable initiative
My thanks also go to the Chairman Prof Bhuruth and Director Dr Maulloo, as well as the Indian High Commission for facilitating the visit of Professor Narlikar.

The first contacts were established in the context of the International Year of Astronomy last year and we are pleased that our efforts have borne fruits.

I must say that it is indeed a very laudable initiative of RGSC whose mission is to popularize the Sciences. May I remind you L & G that in March 2006, the Center welcomed another distinguished personality ,the President of the Republic of India, Dr Abdul Kalam, who also came to this auditorium and spoke on Sciences and the Society.

L & G, at a time when Mauritius is aspiring to become a Knowledge-based society, when we want Mauritius to embrace a model of sustainable, pro-environment development, Science, Technology and Innovation will be called upon to play a catalytic role.

Both DCs and NICs are adopting this option. In the words of Lord Drayson, the UK Minister of Science: “The priority now is to focus scientific effort and research on those sectors most likely to deliver national success. As arguably our greatest national – our greatest natural – resource, scientists and engineers must be fully involved in the new industrial activism.”


For the benefit of our distinguished visitor ,allow me to mention that to drive this movement in favour of mainstreaming Science Research ,Technology and Innovation, our Prime Minister created a new Ministry, in September 2008—the Ministry of Industry, Science and Research.

Your visit Professor Narlikar forms part of the strategy of my Ministry, in collaboration with Science and Research-based organizations like the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre to boost the status and the role of Science, technology and Innovation for national development.

We thank the Government of India, and the Indian High Commission for facilitating the visit of Prof Narlikar. We have in the pipeline a new MOU in the field of Science and Research which will be signed soon between India and Mauritius. My Ministry is also elaborating a Framework document on STI.

A world renowned Scientist
L&G it is against this backdrop that we must view the visit of Prof Narlikar. We are all gathered to embark upon a unique learning experience. We have a very exciting theme-Astronomy (not Astrology about which there is also considerable interest these days in Mauritius!).


Our speaker,Prof Narlikar, is a world renowned Scientist---to be more precise ,a scientist specializing in Astronomy and Astrophysics—who will address us and unravel for us the wonders of Astronomy, about the creation and the evolution of our universe.

I do not propose to give a detailed account of the life, career and achievements of Prof Narlikar. I seek your indulgence but we have prepared a Fact Sheet on Prof Narlikar which you may wish to go through and learn more about our distinguished speaker.

But with your permission ,I would like to make a few remarks about Prof Narlikar.

Prof Narlikar was born in 1938 in Kolhapur Mahrashtra, India. He is married to Dr Mangala Rajwade and has three daughters: Geeta, Girija and Leelavati.

He studied in India and UK and has travelled extensively.

He has worked for the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research(1972-1989) and it is under his leadership that the Theoretical Astrophysics Group acquired international recognition.





It was a real feat for Prof Narlikar to work with Professor Fred Hoyle, Britain’s most eminent astrophysicist, on a new theory of gravitation when he was only 26.This theory was then considered as significant as Einstein’s Theory of relativity. Prof Narlikar is often hailed as India’s Einstein

He is internationally known for his work in Cosmology, in championing models alternative to the Big Bang model.

Between 1999-2003, he broke new grounds in space research; he headed an international team in a pioneering experiment designed to sample air for microorganism in the atmosphere at heights of up to 41 km. Biological studies of the samples collected led to the findings of live cells and bacteria, thus opening out the possibility that Earth is being bombarded by microorganism, some of which might have seeded life itself on Earth.

Prof Narlikar has written and published extensively; he has contributed to numerous Radio and TV programmes.

For his outstanding works ,he has been rewarded nationally and internationally, receiving the coveted Padmabushan Award of the Republic of India In 1965 at the young gae of 26,and then crowning it with the other more prestigious Padmavibushan Award in 2004,India’s second highest civilian honour. Prof Narlikar has also received the Kalinga Award of UNESCO and Indira Gandhi Prize by the Indian National Academy in 1990.

It is indeed a great privilege to have Prof Narlikar in our midst and in a few moments we shall have the pleasure of listening to him.

Let me take the opportunity to announce that the vote of thanks will be presented by Prof Jugessur ,the Chairman of the Mauritian Academy of Science and Technology, and also Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Mauritius Research Council.

And before Prof Narlikar takes the floor, may I request Mrs Sannassee of the RGSC to offer a Bouquet to our distinguished visitor.


May I now invite Prof Narlikar to make his address.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010