Pune, May 20 (PTI) In a little-known tribute to scientific legacy, renowned astrophysicist Dr Jayant Narlikar had planted saplings grafted from Isaac Newton’s legendary apple tree at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune during the mid-1990s.
Narlikar, one of the most distinguished astrophysicists, passed away in Pune earlier on Tuesday at the age of 86.
His associates at IUCAA recall that the institute’s courtyard features statues of Galileo, Einstein, Newton, and Aryabhatta.
However, the statue of Newton stood incongruously beneath a banyan tree. This visual mismatch prompted Narlikar to import saplings descended from Newton’s original apple tree at Cambridge and plant them near the Newton statue.
Speaking to PTI in 2017, then IUCAA Director Somak Raychaudhury had said there were at least three attempts between 1997 and 2007 to grow the Newton apple trees.
“Some were successful and even bore apples. But the last one died by 2007,” Raychaudhury had said, attributing their short lifespan to Pune’s rising temperatures.
Dr Raghunath Srianand, the current IUCAA director, recalled that one of the trees bore fruit, which was shared among staff at the institute’s canteen.
“We would cut the apples into small pieces so everyone could taste it,” he said, adding that Himalayan apple trees have now replaced the originals.
“They are healthy, but haven’t borne fruit yet.” Dr Ajit Kembhavi, noted astrophysicist and close associate of Narlikar, said IUCAA’s campus was designed by renowned architect Charles Correa.
“It was during this phase that Dr Narlikar came up with the idea of planting a descendant of Newton’s Apple Tree beneath his statue. I recall that one of the three trees did bear apples,” he said. PTI SPK NSK
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