Eminent scientist Yash Pal dies at 90
NOIDA: Eminent scientist Professor Yash Pal, noted for his contribution to the study of cosmic rays as well as for being an institution builder, died Monday night. He was 90.
Pal was admitted to Max hospital on July 17 due to age related illness, said his younger brother Colonel (retd) Sunil Bhutani. Pal is survived by his wife, two sons and their families. “My brother took part in India’s freedom struggle. He was always very hopeful that our country will successfully deal with all the issues,” said Sunil. “He believed in nonviolence. He took part in many rallies of Mahatma Gandhi,” added Sunil. Yash Pal was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1976 for his contribution to science and space technology. The scientist also featured in a popular science series called Turning Point on Doordarshan in the 80s and became a household name for explaining scientific concepts in layman’s language.
NEW DELHI: Professor Yash Pal is someone who brought science to the children. He became a household name through his TV show “Tuning Point” where he simplified even the most intricate scientific phenomena.
His focus was on simplifying learning that made him immensely popular as a teacher.
He took an active interest in the education of children. I’m aware he took personal interest in the education of his employees’ children, often picking and dropping them to school.
He had a knack for presenting complex ideas in a simple way. It is this quality that helped him translate the vision of University Education Commission (1948-49) into reality by way of establishing high-end common research facilities for university teachers. During his tenure as the UGC chairman in the 80s, he set up the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, Consortium for Educational Communication, Delhi and Inter-University consortium for Department of Atomic Energy facilities at Indore and INFLIBNET, Ahmedabad. He had an unassuming personality and he was able to lighten up even during testing situations.
His recommendations to lessen the burden of the school bags and shift from rote learning to more engaging learning techniques are still relevant.
His another contribution was in the form of a report on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education wherein he reiterated some of the recommendations of Kothari panel which were not implemented but they are as relevant then as they were in 1964.