Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya

Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya was a distinguished Indian physicist and mathematician who was renowned for his instrumental work in the general theory of relativity. He was born on May 23, 1918 in Shahpur, a town in Gujarat. He completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in physics from Osmania University in Hyderabad and then his B.E. degree in metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. He moved to Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for his doctoral studies under the guidance of Vishnu Vasudev Narlikar, a pioneer of relativity theory in India. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in 1958 and then joined the faculty of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at BHU. He carried out research on various topics such as thunderstorms, western disturbances, movement of monsoon depressions, orographic rain, etc. He was appointed as the director of Colaba and Alibag Magnetic Observatories in 1959 and then founded the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune in 1962. He served as the director of IITM until 1971 and established it as a premier institution for research and training in tropical meteorology and atmospheric sciences. He also initiated several national and international projects such as the Monsoon Experiment (MONEX), the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE), and the International Geophysical Year (IGY). He was also instrumental in introducing remote sensing technology to India. He conducted the first successful experiment of detecting coconut wilt-root disease using aerial photography from a Soviet aircraft and American equipment in 1970. He also demonstrated the use of satellite imagery for weather forecasting and crop assessment. He became the director of Remote Sensing and Satellite Meteorology at ISRO Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad from 1972 to 1975. He retired from ISRO in 1975 and joined the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad as an emeritus scientist. He continued his research activities at PRL until his death in 2010. He also mentored many young scientists and students who became eminent in their fields. He received many awards and honors for his achievements in science and technology. He was elected as a fellow of several scientific societies such as the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, India, and the Third World Academy of Sciences. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 1971 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 by the Government of India. He was also named one of the seven 'Unsung Heroes' of the 20th century by Fortune magazine in 1999. He died on March 12, 2010 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He was cremated with full state honors. He is remembered as a visionary leader, a pioneer scientist, and a great patriot who dedicated his life to the service of science and society.