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Homi Bhabha
Monday, November 1, 1999
Widely acclaimed for his work in the field of atomic energy, Bhabha is considered the father of India's nuclear program.

He was born in Bombay. The son of a barrister, he grew up in an environment where education held great importance. At sixteen, he passed the Senior Cambridge Examination and went to Cambridge to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Gonvile and Caius College. His mathematics teacher, Paul Dirac, introduced him to the fascinating world of theoretical physics.

He traveled to Europe and met scientists like Neil Bohr, Pauli and Fermi, among others. In 1940, at the behest of C. V. Raman, Bhabha joined the Indian Academy of Sciences in Bangalore. In 1943, he became the President of the Physics section of the Indian Science Congress.

Bhabha, aware of the importance of translating theory into experiments, began applying his knowledge in the practical study of cosmic rays. In 1945, with funds from J. R. D. Tata, he established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Bhabha's work soon became important to physicists worldwide. Also the President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, Bhabha died in a mysterious plane crash on Mount Blanc in 1966.
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