VIKRAM SARABHAI’S LEGACY AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Why in the news?

Vikram Sarabhai’s 105th birth anniversary, highlighting his significant achievements such as founding crucial research institutions, advancing space technology, and his family’s role in establishing the National Institute of Design.

VIKRAM SARABHAI’S LEGACY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - UPSCsource:medium

Key points:105th Birth Anniversary Vikram Sarabhai

Foundational Institutions and Early Research:

  • Vikram Sarabhai founded the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in November 1947, which initially operated from his residence before moving to the M.G. Science Institute in Ahmedabad.
  • Predecessor Body: Before INCOSPAR, space-related activities in India were overseen by the Indian National Committee for Space Research, which was later replaced by ISRO.
About Vikram Sarabhai:

Background:

  • Birth: August 12, 1919, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
  • Family: Father, Ambalal Sarabhai, an industrialist involved in Ahmedabad mill strike (1918).

Education:

  • Studied at University of Cambridge.
  • Returned to India during WWII, joined Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
  • Research under Sir C.V. Raman on cosmic rays.
  • PhD from Cambridge in 1947 for “Cosmic Ray Investigation in Tropical Latitudes.”
  • Death: December 30, 1971, Kerala.

Career:

  • Physical Research Laboratory (PRL): Founded in 1947, focused on cosmic rays and space physics.
  • Community Science Centre: Founded and later renamed Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre.
  • Indian Science Congress: President of the Physics Section, 1962.
  • Atomic Energy Commission: Chairman from 1966.
  • ISRO: Chairman of INCOSPAR (1962-1969) and ISRO (1969-1971).
  • IAEA: President, General Conference, 1970.
  • UN Conference: Vice-president, Fourth Conference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, 1971.

Contributions:

Indian Space Program:

  • Established ISRO.
  • Set up Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (1963).
  • Initiated SITE project (1975-1976).
  • Launched India’s first satellite, Aryabhata (1975).

Nuclear Energy:

  • Continued development of nuclear power plants.
  • Laid groundwork for the Fast Breeder Test Reactor(FBTR) project in Kalpakkam.

Institutes Established:

  • PRL: Physical Research Laboratory
  • IIM Ahmedabad: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
  • Community Science Centre: Later renamed Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre
  • VSSC: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
  • Space Applications Centre: Space Applications Centre
  • FBTR: Fast Breeder Test Reactor
  • UCIL: Uranium Corporation of India Limited

Awards and Honors:

  • Awards: Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (1962), Padma Bhushan (1966), Padma Vibhushan (posthumous, 1972).
  • Honours: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre named after him, Sarabhai Crater on the Moon, ISRO’s Chandrayaan lander named ‘Vikram’.