Prof E V Chitnis' 100th birthday: IISER to host mega space conference in Pune

Mumbai: In the backdrop of giant strides made by India in the space sector and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s visit to the International Space Station, the centenary celebrations of eminent space scientist Prof E V Chitnis, will be held in Maharashtra’s cultural capital of Pune.

Prof Chitnis played a crucial role in the early years of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which later transformed into the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

From selecting Thumba as the site for India’s first rocket launch to leading projects in satellite-based mass communications, Prof. Chitnis’ legacy spans scientific innovation, leadership, and institution-building.

Prof Chitnis, born on July 25, 1925, now stays in Pune.

Prof Chitnis was a close associate of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the visionary architect of India’s space programme.

The Prof E V Chitnis Centenary Conference on ‘Pioneering Space, Science, Policy & Innovation’ is being hosted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune and National Centre for Science Communicators (NCSC), Mumbai.

The conference would be held on July 26 in the IISER campus in Pune, according to Suhas B Naik-Satam, the Conference Convenor.

Among those who would attend the conference are - Dr Sunil Bhagwat, Director, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, A P Deshpande, former Chairman, National Centre for Science Communicators, Mumbai, Dr AP Jayaraman, Director, National Centre for Science Communicators, Mumbai, Dr Pramod Kale, former Director, Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, Dr Kiran Karnik, former Director, ISRO’s Development and Educational Communication Unit, Dr Chetan Chitnis, Scientist, Pasteur Institute, Paris, who is IAS Fellow and INSA Fellow, Dr Nilesh Desai, Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad and Prof Anil Bhardwaj, Director, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.

“Prof E V Chitnis stands as a titan in Indian space science and technology. A founding Member, Secretary of INCOSPAR, which paved the way for creation of ISRO, he played a key role in the conception and execution of India’s space program from its inception. He was instrumental in selecting Thumba as India’s first rocket launch site and contributed to the launching of India's first rockets, starting with the Nike Apache in 1963,” said Naik-Satam.

“Later, he pioneered the use of satellites for mass communication, leading the SITE project in the 1970s, the largest experiment at the time to use satellites to bring educational television to far flung villages across India. As Director of the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, Prof Chitnis led several programs that demonstrated the powerful potential of satellite technology for telecommunications and remote sensing to provide practical solutions for national problems,” he added.

Recognized with the Padma Bhushan in 1985, his contributions encompass the application of space technology to diverse areas including mass communications, telecommunications and remote sensing.

Prof. Chitnis moved to Pune in 1989 after retirement and helped establish the Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC) at Pune University, where he taught for the next two decades. His centenary is a celebration of lifelong endeavour and achievement as well as India’s scientific vision and evolution.