Eminent aerospace scientist Prof. Roddam Narasimha passes away

Bengaluru, December 15: Eminent aerospace scientist and Padma Vibhushan Prof. Roddam Narasimha breathed his last at a private hospital in Bengaluru last night. He was 87 year old.

 

 

He was shifted to the intensive care unit, after he suffered from a brain hemorrhage. Narasimha leaves behind a wife and a daughter.

Earlier, Prof Narasimha served as Director of National Aerospace Laboratories. He taught aerospace engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) from 1962 to 1999. He also served as the director of the National Aerospace Laboratories from 1984 to 1993. He was the chairperson of the Engineering Mechanics unit at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bengaluru from 2000 to 2014.

 

 

He contributed to some of India's major scientific programs, including ISRO and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Considering his contribution to the country’s aerospace programs like Light Combat Aircraft, the government awarded him with Padma Vibhushan in 2013. Earlier, he had been awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1987. Prof Narasimha was also the recipient of the Bhatnagar Prize, and the 2008 Trieste Science Prize. He had also served on many policy-making bodies of the Central Government including the Space Commission, the Prime Minister’s Science Advisory Council, and the National Security Advisory Board.

 

 

Prime Minister Modi expressed grief over the demise of an eminent aerospace scientist. He took to Twitter stating that he was "pained" by the news. "Roddam Narasimha personified the best of India’s tradition of knowledge and enquiry. He was an outstanding scientist, passionate about leveraging the power of science and innovation for India’s progress," the PM wrote.