Vikram Sarabhai death anniversary: Know interesting wedding tale of India’s space pioneer

Vikram Sarabhai, known as the father of the Indian Space Program, is responsible for initiating space research and nuclear power development. He died after suffering cardiac arrest on December 30, 1971. Due to his discovery and work in the field of science, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972.

Sarabhai was born in a prestigious business family of Ahmedabad, where there was no shortage of money. He did his early education in India, later he went to study at St. John's College, Cambridge University in England.

Vikram Sarabhai, the renowned Indian scientist and space pioneer, married classical dancer Mrinalini Swaminathan in 1942. However, due to the ongoing Quit India Movement, Sarabhai's family could not attend the wedding. During that time, the country was embroiled in intense political agitation, and protestors had uprooted train tracks, disrupting transportation. As a result, Sarabhai's family was unable to make it to the ceremony.

Sarabhai met Mrinalini during his trip to Ooty and had fallen in love with her beauty. In her autobiography, Mrinalini Sarabhai: The Voice Of The Heart, she had disclosed that she had fallen in love with Vikram at first sight. She had written: "It was like some powerful Rajput has landed on a tennis court right in front of me. He was so handsome and good-looking."

Sarabhai established the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad in November 1947. Later, due to the efforts of Vikram Sarabhai, the foundation of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was laid.

ISRO was earlier known as Indian National Space Research Committee (INCOSPAR), which was established by the Government of India in 1962 due to the foresight of Vikram Sarabhai. and superseded INCOSPAR with an expanded role to harness space technology.

He served as the first chairman of ISRO and played an important role in developing India's space program. Sarabhai also established the Space Application Center in Ahmedabad which is considered very important for India's space programme.

Some of the most well-known institutions established by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai are: Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, Community Science Centre, Ahmedabad, Darpan Academy for Performing Arts, Ahmedabad, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad (this institution came into existence after merging six institutions/centres established by Vikram Sarabhai), Faster Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), Kalpakkam, Varaiable Energy Cyclotron Project, Calcutta, Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), Jaduguda, Bihar.