Eminent aerospace scientist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Roddam Narasimha passes away

By Asianet Newsable English | First Published Dec 15, 2020, 9:03 AM IST

Veteran aerospace scientist and Padma Vibhushan Professor Roddam Narasimha passes away at the M S Ramaiah Hospital in Bengaluru. He was 87.

He had been hospitalised since December 8 after he suffered a brain haemorrhage.

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Dr Sunil V Furtado, neurosurgeon and senior consultant at the Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, told media persons: "When he (Professor Narasimha) was brought to the hospital, he was in a very critical stage. There was bleeding inside his brain. He breathed his last at 8.30 p.m on December."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the demise of Professor Narasimha.

Shri 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. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi)

Professor Narasimha's research had been chiefly concerned with aerospace and atmospheric fluid dynamics.

He was renowned for his extensive studies of transitions between laminar and turbulent flow (going in either direction), the structure of shock waves, various characteristics of fully developed turbulent flow (e.g. their memory, the bursting phenomenon in boundary layers), the fluid dynamics of clouds, near-surface temperature distributions and eddy fluxes in tropical atmospheric boundary layers.

Professor Narasimha had served as director of National Aerospace Laboratories and as chairperson of the Engineering Mechanics unit of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru.

Earlier, he taught Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science.

He was bestowed with Padma Vibhushan in 2013 for his contribution to the country’s aerospace programmes like the Light Combat Aircraft. At the NAL, he initiated and oversaw several major technology programmes, including the development of carbon composite wings and flight control systems for the LCA.

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.

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