Homi Jehangir Bhabha

Homi Jehangir Bhabha was a multifaceted personality - scientist, visionary and institution builder. It was from Bangalore in 1944, Bhabha wrote his historical letter to the Tata trust for support in setting up a centre for research work in nuclear science, which could play a central role in the development of nuclear energy. This was just two years after 1942, when the first experimental demonstration of nuclear reactor was made in USA. All the more so, the country was still under the British rule and industrially undeveloped. There was a clear similarity in vision between the great Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata and Bhabha with respect to the need for education, scientific research and human resource development for economic prosperity. Based on this letter, Tata Trust supported him to set up a laboratory at Kenilworth, Bombay. Subsequently, Tata
 

Institute of Fundamental Research was formed and large scale research in physics, chemistry, electronics and mathematics commenced. Thus, Bhabha had converted the difficulty of not going back abroad to a great opportunity of setting up of front ranking research facilities within the country.
 

Bhabha was instrumental for the formation of Atomic Energy Commission in 1948 and the Department of Atomic Energy in 1954 and he chalked out a focussed research and minerals exploration programmes for nuclear energy. He was such a visionary that he had realized the importance of nuclear power programme way back in 1950s and enunciated a three stage nuclear programme so as to meet the energy security of the nation. It consisted of utilization of natural uranium, plutonium and abundant thorium resources in thermal, fast and advanced nuclear reactors with closed fuel cycle. He also had balanced perspective on the role of other energy resources such as coal, oil and solar. A significant factor that contributed for the growth of nuclear sciences and its applications was Bhabha's rapport with the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal
 

Nehru, who reposed complete confidence in him.
At a young age of 56, Bhabha suddenly passed away in 1966 due to a plane crash in Switzerland. A vibrant and robust organization, that he had left behind with many signal achievements in nuclear science and technology as well as a dedicated and talented pool of human resources, bears testimony to the visionary zeal of Bhabha. His life was an example forW all of us, which stood for deserve, desire and demonstrate