A tribute to the Homi Bhabha, the chief architect of the Indian atomic energy programme who was actively involved in the establishment of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

   Homi Jehangir Bhabha was born on October 30, 1909 in a rich Parsi family. He took his Ph.D from Cambridge in 1934 and was awarded a D.Sc. honoris causa from many universities. After graduating from Elphinstone College and the Royal Institute of Science in Bombay, he went to Cambridge University. He received his doctorate in 1934. During this period he worked with Niels Bohr on the studies that led to quantum theory.

    Bhabha also worked with Walter Heitler on the cascade theory of electron showers, which was a revolutionary concept in the field of cosmic radiation and behaviour of high energy electrons and gamma rays. He also established the existence of a new elementary particle, the meson. His....