IUCAA - Khagol # 129 - Oct 2022 - English

KHAG L OCTOBER 2022 No. 129 ISSN 0972-7647 A quarterly bulletin of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (An Autonomous Institution of the University Grants Commission) Follow us on our face book page : Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics Editor : ( ) Dipanjan Mukherjee dipanjan@iucaa.in Editorial Assistant : Manjiri Mahabal (mam@iucaa.in ) Available online at http://publication.iucaa.in/index.php/khagol | KHAG L | No. 129 - OCTOBER 2022 | 01 TRIBUTES TO PROFESSOR T. PADMANABHAN Contents... Tributes to Kameshwar Wali Tributes to Professor T. Padmanabhan 7 to 8 1 to 6 Research Highlights at IUCAA 8 to10 Welcome to... Congratulations to ... 11 10 Addition to the IUCAA Family 11 to 13 Astronomy Centre for Educators 14 to 15 Outreach Activities 15 to 20 Visitors [Upcoming] Colloquium 14 Seminars 14 This is not a formal obituary but an appreciation of a scientist with many talents and achievements, with whom I had the privilege to interact. Like me, there will be many who will miss his wit and wisdom: indeed, his early demise has left a gap that will take a long time to bridge. For, Thanu Padmanabhan (commonly known as 'Paddy') was that academic rarity, a good student and a good teacher. * * * My interaction with Paddy started in 1979, at the Einstein Centenary Conference at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad organized by Indian astronomers and relativists in 1979. The organizers had gone out of the way to attract postgraduate students to basic physics. Review talks were expected to make students aware of the current developments and challenges in physics in the hundred years since Einstein's birth. I noticed that although different students would respond differently (if at all!) , there was one who stood out distinctly 'ahead in the Jayant Narlikar pack'. Almost after each talk when the session chairman called for questions, this student had something to say. Onmy enquiry I was told that he was T. Padmanabhan from Kerala, an M.Sc. student in physics. That his intervention was nontrivial could be seen fromthe nature of reply by the speaker. After the conference I returned to TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) and inmy daily routine lost touch with that student. Every year in July, TIFR Physics Faculty recruited students for the graduate school after a series of rigorous interviews. As a rule I took part in the deliberations of the Final Selection Committee which decided which students were good enough for the offer of TIFR studentship. However, that year I was abroad in July and so missed the selection process. But the Director (Professor B.V. Sreekantan) informedme that one student was found to be exceptionally good and answered all questions correctly. The reason for informing me was that when the Final Committee made the offer of admission to this student, he had THANU PADMANABHAN: An Ideal Student and Teacher Life (1957-2021) Padmanabhanwas born to Thanu Iyer and Lakshmi on 10March 1957 in Thiruvananthapuram. He did his schooling in Thiruvananthapuram and earned his B.Sc. (1977) and M.Sc. (1979) in Physics, from the University College Thiruvananthapuramunder KeralaUniversity. 20