This Indian born scientist, Homi Jehangir Bhabha, who played an important part in contribution to The Quantum Theory was born on October 30, 1909 in Bombay. He was the first one to become the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of India.
Bhabha belonged to a wealthy Parsi family that was very influential in the west of India. He got a doctorate degree from the University of Cambridge in 1934 after he had completed his studies from the Elphinstone College and graduated from the Royal Institute of Science that resided in Bombay. All this time, he worked along with Neil Bohr that led them to discover the quantum theory. Bhabha also did some work with Walter Heitler and they made a breakthrough in the cosmic radiation’s understanding by working on cascade theory of electron showers. In 1941, Bhabha got elected for his work in the Royal Society.
Bhabha went back to India in 1940 and started his research in Banglore at an institute in India named The Indian Institute of Science about the cosmic rays. He was given a position as a director at an institute in Bombay known as Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He was a skilful manager and it was due to his prominence, devotion, wealth and comradeship with Jawaharlal Nehru, PM of India, that he was able to gain a leading position for allocating the scientific resources of India.
Bhabha was the first one to become the chairperson of India’s Atomic Energy Commission in the year 1948. It was under his direction that the scientists of India made their way into making an atomic bomb and the first atomic reactant was operated in Bombay in the year 1956. Bhabha also led the first UN Conference held for the purpose of Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva, 1955. It was then predicted by him that a limitless power of industries would be found through nuclear fusion’s control. He promoted nuclear energy control and also prohibition of atomic bombs worldwide. He was absolutely against India manufacturing atomic bombs even if the country had enough resources to do so. Instead, he suggested that the production of an atomic reactor should be used for lessening India’s misery and poverty. A post in Indian Cabinet was rejected by him but he served as a scientific advisor to PM Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri. Bhabha got many rewards and award from Indian as well as from foreign universities and he was an associate of various societies of science including a famous one in the US known as National Academy of Sciences. Bhabha was killed in an air-crash accident on January 24, 1966 in Switzerland.
