Born: 12th August 191
Died: 30th December 1971
Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was born on 12th August 1919, Ahmadabad into a family of industrialists. He completed his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, England. He started research in cosmic rays, under Sir C.V Raman (physicist) at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore after his return to India during World War II.
In 1947 (post World War II) Sarabhai returned to Cambridge, continued to pursue his doctorate, and submitted a thesis “Cosmic Ray Investigations in Tropical Latitudes”. In Ahmedabad, he established the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), founded Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (1947), and set up the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad (1962) to serve the need for management professionals of the country. Sarabhai was also active in industry and business. In 1962, Vikram Sarabhai established a committee named “INCOSPAR” (Indian National Committee for Space Research) which was later renamed as “ISRO” (the Indian Space Research Organization). He should be accredited for setting up the ‘Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station’ in southern India. In 1966, Dr. Sarabhai took charge as the Chairman of the ‘Atomic Energy Commission’ of India after the death of Homi Bhabha (physicist). Also, he is the man behind foots for developing Indigenous Nuclear Technology for Defence. Vikram Sarabhai worked diligently to ignite India’s first satellite, “ARYABHATA”. Unfortunately, he died on 30th December 1971, and could not witness its launch in 1975, which took place four years after his death. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai was posthumously honored with India’s civilian awards Padma Bhushan (1966) and Padma Vibhushan (1972), respectively.
