Bhabha, Homi

Homi Bhabha, in full Homi Jehangir Bhabha, (born October 30, 1909, Bombay [now Mumbai], India—died January 24, 1966, Mont Blanc, France), Indian physicist who was the principal architect of that country’s nuclear energy program.

Born into a rich aristocratic family, Bhabha went to the University of Cambridge, England, in 1927, originally to study mechanical engineering, but once there he developed a strong interest in physics. Armed with an honours degree, he started his research in 1930 at the Cavendish Laboratories in Cambridge and in 1935 obtained a doctorate. When World War II broke out in 1939, Bhabha was in India on a holiday. With Europe in turmoil, he decided to stay, and at the behest of physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (Bengaluru), he joined the institute as a reader in physics in 1940.

A visionary, Bhabha realized that the development of nuclear energy was crucial for the future industrial growth of the country, as the available sources of power and energy were limited. Funded by businessman J.R.D. Tata, Indian nuclear research began with the inception of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in 1945, with Bhabha at the helm. Appointed chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission instituted by the government of India in 1948, Bhabha was instrumental in setting up the Atomic Energy Establishment in Trombay. All the scientists conducting research in nuclear power and related areas were transferred from TIFR to this institute. After the death of Bhabha in an air crash on Mont Blanc in 1966, the institute was renamed the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in his memory.

Bhabha’s contribution to the development of atomic energy made him a significant figure in international scientific circles. He served as president of the United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955 and as president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics from 1960 to 1963.