Jayant Narlikar
contemporaryScientific Naturalismb. 1938
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (born 1938) is an Indian astrophysicist and cosmologist best known for developing the Hoyle-Narlikar theory of gravity and co-authoring the Quasi-Steady State Cosmology (QSSC) as an alternative to the Big Bang model. He has argued that continuous matter creation in the universe can be explained through naturalistic physical mechanisms without invoking divine causation. A prolific science communicator, he founded the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune and has written extensively on cosmology for general audiences.
Notable Achievements
1
Co-developed the Hoyle-Narlikar theory of gravity, a Machian reformulation of general relativity
2
Co-authored Quasi-Steady State Cosmology (QSSC) with Fred Hoyle and Geoffrey Burbidge as a Big Bang alternative
3
Founded the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune
4
Argued that nonconservative matter creation requires no supernatural causal agent
5
Awarded the Padma Vibhushan (2004), India's second-highest civilian honor, for contributions to science