Thanu Padmanabhan, a renowned physicist and professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), died on Friday at his official house in Pune after suffering a heart attack. According to his old colleague, the theoretical physicist was rushed to a hospital and died during treatment. Wife Dr. Vasanthi Padmanabhan and his daughter Hamsa survive the 64-year-old scientist.
Padmanabhan was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007 for his contributions to the fields of gravitation, quantum gravity, and the structure and creation of the universe. Stanford University named him 24th among the world's best scientists for his research in Theoretical Physics.
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“He was a brilliant physicist, astronomer, and scholar,” said Professor Ajit Kembhavi, former IUCAA director, who worked with Prof Padmanabhan for more than 30 years. He is the author of a number of highly regarded technical publications on various topics of theoretical astrophysics and theoretical physics. The astronomy community has suffered a significant loss.”
According to Kembhavi,Prof Padmanabhan was a quiet person who focused on his job with his team of students, post-doctorates, and coworkers.
“He was quite active with his research in his area and used to publish his work on a regular basis,” Kembhavi explained.
Prof Padmanabhan was honoured by staff, colleagues, and students at the IUCAA campus, and he was taken to the Aundh cremation for final rites around 2 p.m.
IUCAA director Prof Somak Raychaudhury stated,“Today is one of the darkest days in IUCAA's history, as well as the history of Pune and the Indian scientific community. Professor Thanu Padmanabhan Padma Shri died after a heart attack early this morning. Padmanabhan, often known as Paddy, leaves behind his wife and children, as well as a large number of friends, fans, colleagues, and teachers, as well as a massive research and textbook legacy”.