http://hdl.handle.net/2289/6095 2026-03-18T13:43:54Z http://hdl.handle.net/2289/8666 Title: Radiation Reaction in Electrodynamics and General Relativity Authors: Iyer, Bala R Abstract: It is a privilege and pleasure to be invited to contribute an article to the JVN Fest. When I received this invitation, I tried to go back along my world-line and look for intersections with Jayant. A popular article by Jayant Narlikar entitled ’The Arrow of Time’ [1] mystified and fascinated me. It roused an almost romantic longing and an urge to appreciate, if not investigate, such basic problems. Probably it was these subconscious fantasies that propelled me towards physics and eventually, general relativity. I still remember the first time I heard a public talk by Narlikar on Cosmology after his return to India. It was at the Homi Bhabha auditorium of TIFR in 1972. The hall was overflowing and I heard his (favorite?) joke on the mathematician, physicist and astronomer for the first time. I heard it again this year in his talk at the Academy and was impressed by his un-apologetic use of it to make his point! I met Jayant Narlikar at the Einstein centenary symposium in Ahmedabad in 1979 and his interests then included scale invariant cosmology (with Ajit Kembhavi) and black holes as tachyon detectors (with Sanjeev Dhurandhar). He carried his fame lightly, was unassuming and though he was not very talkative, he felt very approachable. When I finished my Ph.D. with Arvind Kumar at the Bombay University, I could not get a post doc at TIFR or work with Jayant, since he was away that particular year. Over the last sixteen years, I have had much overlap with Jayant in the organization of Relativity related activities in India. There is much to admire in Jayant and emulate. His time management, missionary zeal to the popularization of science, vision and hard work, pedagogic skills, fervor for the non-standard and ability to play devil’s advocate in his research almost as a point of faith. In addition to the above, personally, I also admire him for his ability to take criticism and his democratic mode of functioning. Description: Restricted Access 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2289/6624 Title: A Random walk in relativity and cosmology: essays in honour of P.C. Vaidaya and A.K. Raychaudhuri Authors: Dadhich, N.; Krishna Rao, J.; Narlikar, Jayanth V.; Vishveshwara, C.V. Abstract: This volume is a collection of essays written in honour of Professor P.C. Vaidya and Professor A.K. Raychaudhuri. These two distinguished scientists are well-known for their important contributions to general relativity and cosmology, and are widely respected as inspiring teachers. Topics in general relativity fall broadly into two types namely the study of gravitational effects around local objects and the investigation of the global structure of spacetime. The Vaidya metric is an example of the former while the Raychaudhuri equation belongs to the latter category. Appropriately, the articles in this volume highlight problems of both kinds and are written by experts in the respective fields. These essays span a wide spectrum of diverse areas from abstract concepts to observational techniques within the framework of relativity, cosmology and astrophysics. Some of them represent original results of recent research, while others are broad-based state of the art reviews. The variety of subjects discussed here includes the detection of gravitational radiation, structure of spacetimes, the nature of singularities, positivity of gravitational energy, relativistic astrophysics in relation to gravitational collapse, neutron stars and black holes and fundamental conceptual problems in general relativity and cosmology. General relativity and associated fields constitute today a rapidly expanding area of research. A Random Walk in Relativity and Cosmology, by presenting new ideas and offering a glimpse of the excitement of ongoing exploration, should be both useful and stimulating to any interested reader. Description: Open Access 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2289/6623 Title: Gravitation, quanta, and the universe Authors: Prasanna, A.R.; Narlikar, Jayant V.; Vishveshwara, C.V. Description: Open Access 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2289/6622 Title: Cosmic perspectives : essays dedicated to the memory of M.K.V. Bappu Authors: Biswas, S.K.; Mallik, D. C.V.; Vishveshwara, C.V. Abstract: Cosmic Perspectives is a collection of essays that details modern cosmology and its relationship to the development of human civilization. Written by leading astronomers, cosmologists and historians, these fourteen essays cover a wide range of subjects. These include the place of astronomy in China, frontiers in cosmology, the dark matter problem and the origin of life. This is an engaging collection of facts, written in nontechnical language, which encourages the reader to explore the scientific heritage of various cultures, the current problems of observational astronomy, the unsolved mysteries of evolution and the use of astronomy in fiction. Description: Open Access 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z