Homi Jehangir Bhabha:
Homi Jehangir Bhabha, an Indian nuclear physicist renowned as the father of the country’s nuclear programme, celebrates his birth anniversary. He was born on 30 October 1909 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India). Generations of young people in this country continue to be inspired by his immeasurable contributions to science. Homi J Bhabha was born into a prominent wealthy Parsi family.
October 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
Bhabha died on January 24, 1966, when Air India Flight 101 crashed near near Mont Blanc. The official reason for the crash-A misunderstanding between Geneva Airport and the pilot about the aircraft’s position near the mountain. However, there are assassination claims like the involvement of a foreign intelligence agency to paralyse India’s nuclear program.
Here are some intriguing details about this great personality:
- Homi J Bhabha was the founding director and professor of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).
- Homi J Bhabha was also the founding director of the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET). It is now named the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honour.
- TIFR and AEET were the cornerstones of Indian development of nuclear weapons and both were supervised by Bhabha as director.
- Bhabha received the Adams Prize in 1942 and the Padma Bhushan in 1954.
- Bhabha was also a nominated for the Physics Nobel Prize in 1951 and 1953–1956.
The career of Homi Jehangir Bhabha:
- Bhabha earned his doctorate in nuclear physics in January 1933 after publishing “The Absorption of Cosmic Radiation,” his first piece of original research. This very paper helped him win the Isaac Newton Studentship in 1934.
- There was no institute in India that had the necessary facilities for original work in nuclear physics and this prompted Bhabha to send a proposal in March 1944 to the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust for establishing one.
- • Homi J. Bhava is also known for developing a strategy to focus on extracting capacity from the country’s vast thorium reserves. It is pertinent to mention here India has meager uranium reserves.
