PEOPLE
IDEAS
PLACES
CULTURE
CREATE
STORIES
GAMES
Vikram Sarabhai
विक्रम साराभाई
The father of Bhārat's space programme
Years
1919 – 1971
Known as
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai — physicist and institution-builder
Birthplace
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Field
Scientists & Thinkers
“There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To them I say: there is no better way to solve our problems.”
— Vikram Sarabhai
The Story
Born into the great industrial family of Ahmedabad, Sarabhai studied at Cambridge, where he worked under the Nobel physicist C.V. Raman and began his research on cosmic rays. He returned to Bhārat determined to build science on soil of Bhārat, and in 1947 he founded the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad — the seed of space research of Bhārat.
His genius was institution-building: he created the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, the Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association, and the Community Science Centre, and in 1962 he took charge of the Indian National Committee for Space Research, which became ISRO in 1969. From the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station — a church in a fishing village that he turned into the world's gateway to space — rocketry was born of Bhārat.
He lived to see the planning of Aryabhata, Bhārat's first satellite, but died suddenly in 1971, before its 1975 launch. The satellite was named after the ancient astronomer, and the space centre he founded at Sriharikota bears his name — the Satish Dhawan Space Centre's neighbour, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, still launching Bhārat to the stars.
Core Ideas
The Father of ISRO
He built Bhārat's space organisation.
The Church to Space
Thumba's launch station rose from a fishing village.
The Institution-Builder
He created IIM Ahmedabad and PRL.
Space for the People
He wanted satellites to serve the common man.
Aryabhata
Bhārat's first satellite grew from his vision.
Why it matters today
Vikram Sarabhai is honoured as the father of space science of Bhārat, and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre carries his name into every launch. From Chandrayaan to Mangalyaan, every space mission flies of Bhārat on the foundations he laid.