Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha the chief architect of the Indian atomic energy program.

Dr. Bhabha, mechanical engineer and Phd from Cavendish Laboratory in physics by profession, from Gonvile and Caius College in Cambridge.

Dr. Bhabha was a world citizen qualified in all three subjects - education, science and culture.

In 1937, together with W. Heitler, a German physicist, Bhabha solved the riddle about cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are fast moving, extremely small particles coming from outer space. When these particles enter the earth’s atmosphere, they collide with the atoms of air and create a shower of electrons  by the cascade production of gamma rays and positive and negative electron pairs.. Bhabha’s discovery of the presence of nuclear particles (which he called mesons) in these showers . 'In 1938 Bhabha was the first to conclude that observations of the properties of such particles would lead to the straightforward experimental verification of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity'.

He derived a correct expression for the probability of scattering positrons by electrons, a process now known as Bhabha scattering.

In 1941, Homi Bhabha was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, London, in recognition of his contributions to the field of cosmic rays, elementary particles and quantum mechanics.

His Realization for a dedicated institute to research on fundamental science lead to the creation of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945 by The Great Legend, J R D Tata, Dr Bhabha become the Director of these institute from 1945-1966.It was inagurated in Kenilworth’ building, which was Bhabha’s ancestral home.

In 1948, Homi Bhabha was appointed the Chairman of the International Atomic Energy Commission.

Promulgation of the Indian Atomic Energy Act 1948, the Atomic Energy Commission was formed in August 1948.

The first Atomic Energy commission had three members with Bhabha as its Chairman. The other members were Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar and Kariamanikkam Srinivasa Krishnan.

Atomic Energy Commission started Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay on January 3, 1954 by the efforts of Dr Bhabha.

He served as the President of the first United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, which was held in Geneva in 1955.

He was the President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics from 1960 to 1963.

Bhabha was President of the National Institute of Sciences of India in 1963.

President of the Indian Science Congress Association in 1951.

He was awarded the title of Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1954.

Bhabha was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1941.

In 1943 he was awarded the Adams Prize by the Cambridge University for his work on cosmic rays.

In 1948 ,the Hopkins prize of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.

In 1963 he was elected Foreign Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and Honorary Life Member of the New York Academy of Sciences.

In 1964 he was made Foreign Corresponding Academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Madrid.

The research reactors Apsara, Cirus and Zerlina were built under his active guidance.

Bhabha was killed in an air-crash near the famous Mont Blanc peak of the Alps on January 24, 1966.

Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET)  was renamed as Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) on January 22, 1967 as a fitting tribute to Dr. Homi Bhabha who died in an air crash.