Shashikumar Chitre

Indian mathematician and astrophysicist (1936–2021)

Shashikumar Madhusudan Chitre

Born| (1936-05-07)7 May 1936

India

Died| 11 January 2021(2021-01-11) (aged 84)
Alma mater| Elphinstone College
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Occupation(s)| Astrophysicist, Mathematician
Awards| Padma Bhushan

Shashikumar Madhusudan Chitre FNA, FASc, FNASc, FRAS (7 May 1936 – 11 January 2021) was an Indian mathematician and astrophysicist, known for his research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The Government of India honored him, in 2012, with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for his services to the sciences.[1]

## Biography

[edit]

Illustration of the dynamo mechanism that creates the Earth's magnetic field: convection currents of magma in the Earth's outer core, driven by heat flow from the inner core, organized into rolls by the Coriolis force, creates circulating electric currents, which generate the magnetic field.[2] Gravitational Lensing - A Horseshoe Einstein Ring from Hubble

Shashikumar Chitre graduated in Mathematics from the Elphinstone College, Mumbai, in 1956, on completion of which he was awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Scholarship to study abroad. He joined Peterhouse, University of Cambridge and did another bachelor's degree in 1959. In 1960, he was selected as the Peterhouse Scholar, with which he completed his master's degree. Subsequently, he got selected for Gulbenkian Research studentship, moved to Churchill College and obtained his PhD from the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of Cambridge, in 1963.[3][4][5]

Chitre started his career as a lecturer at the University of Leeds, in 1963, and worked there till 1966 when he obtained another fellowship to join the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. In 1967, he returned to India and joined the faculty of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, which served as the base of his research till his retirement in 2001.[4][5] He lived in Mumbai, attending to his duties as the Academic Chair Person and professor emeritus of the Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (CBS) and the INSA Honorary Scientist at the University of Mumbai.[5] He was also on the board of Trustees of JN Tata Trust and worked as an Honorary Executive Director of Homi Bhabha Fellowship Council.[4]

Chitre died on 11 January 2021, aged 84.[6]

## Research highlights

[edit]

Chitre's scientific research was focused on solar physics, astrophysics and gravitational lensing.[5][7] He performed extensive research on the Sun's magnetic activity cycle, the solar dynamo theory, and the role of neutrinos in the solar atmosphere.[5]

## Positions held

[edit]

Sashikumar Chitre has been honored by fellowships by many prominent scientific institutions.[4][5]

* MaxPlanck Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
* Indian Academy of Sciences
* Indian National Science Academy (1988)[8]
* National Academy of Sciences, India (1992)
* Third World Academy of Sciences (1999)[9]
* Maharashtra Academy of Sciences
* Royal Astronomical Society
* International Astronomical Union

Chitre also served as a visiting fellow or visiting professor at various prestigious institutions around the world.[4][5]

* UGC National Lecturer in Physics - 1975-76
* Visiting Professor - University of Cambridge
* Visiting Professor - Princeton University
* Visiting Professor - University of Sussex
* Visiting Professor - University of Amsterdam
* Visiting Professor - University of Columbia
* Visiting Professor - University of Virginia
* Visiting Professor - Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London \- 1992-1993, '94-'95 and '97
* Senior Research Associateship at Goddard Space Flight Centre, NASA
* Senior Research Associateship of the National Academy of Sciences, USA
* Visiting Astronomer - Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge \- 2003-2005 and 2007
* Perren Visiting Fellow and Visiting Professor - Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad \- 1999-2000
* Raja Ramanna Fellow - University of Mumbai \- 2001-06.

He has also held the posts of:[4][5]

* President - Astronomical Society of India
* Chairman — Indian National Committee for Astronomy
* Chairman — Bombay Association for Science Education
* Member, Management Board - National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
* Member, Management Boards - Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education
* Council Member, - Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore
* Council Member, Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi
* Council Member, National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad

## Awards and recognitions

[edit]

* Padma Bhushan \- 2012[1]
* Professor A. C. Banerjee Memorial Lecture Award - 1992[4]
* INSA Vainu Bappu Memorial Medal - 1995[4]
* M. P. Birla Award - 1999[4]

## Writings

[edit]

* SM Chitre (December 1995). "Probing the Solar Interior". Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy. 16 (Supplement): 343. Bibcode:1995JApAS..16..343C.
* F. Bernardeau; T. P. Singh; B. Banerjee; S. M. Chitre (1994). "The Quasi-Linear Evolution of the Density Field in Models of Gravitational Instability". Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 269 (4): 947. arXiv:astro-ph/9311055. Bibcode:1994MNRAS.269..947B. doi:10.1093/mnras/269.4.947.
* Narasimha, D.; Chitre, S. M. (1993). "Probing galaxy clusters with straight arcs". Institut d'Astrophysique, Liège. 31: 641. Bibcode:1993LIACo..31..641N.
* D. Narasimha; S. Nair; S. Chitre (1992). "Unobserved lensing agents". Gravitational Lenses. Lecture Notes in Physics. Vol. 406\. p. 379\. Bibcode:1992LNP...406..379N. doi:10.1007/3-540-55797-0_140. ISBN 978-3-540-55797-5. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12.
* D. Narasimha; S. Chitre (1992). "The Triple Quasar PG1115+080". Gravitational Lenses. Lecture Notes in Physics. Vol. 406\. pp. 128–133\. Bibcode:1992LNP...406..128N. doi:10.1007/3-540-55797-0_91. ISBN 978-3-540-55797-5. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12.128-133&rft.date=1992&rft_id=info:doi/10.1007/3-540-55797-0_91&rft_id=info:bibcode/1992LNP...406..128N&rft.isbn=978-3-540-55797-5&rft.au=D.+Narasimha&rft.au=S.+Chitre&rft_id=http://65.54.113.26/Publication/48072379/the-triple-quasar-pg1115+080&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Shashikumar+Chitre" class="Z3988">
* B. BANERJEE; S. M. CHITRE; P. P. DIVAKARAN; K. S. V. SANTHANAM (1976). "Polymerisation and the solar neutrino problem". Nature. 260 (5551): 557. Bibcode:1976Natur.260..557B. doi:10.1038/260557a0.

* India portal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Padma". Retrieved August 6, 2014.
2. ^ "Dynamo Theory and Earth's Magnetic Field" (PDF). Retrieved August 6, 2014.
3. ^ "PhD". Retrieved August 6, 2014.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "INSA". Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h "CBS". Retrieved August 6, 2014.
6. ^ Renowned astrophysicist Professor Shashikumar Madhusudan Chitre passes away at 84
7. ^ "IAS profile". Retrieved August 6, 2014.
8. ^ The Year Book 2014 // Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi
9. ^ TWAS profile

## External links

[edit]

* List of Publications on Microsoft Academic Search[1]
* Publications listed on CBS web site
* Profile on Indian Academy of Sciences
* Lecture by Sashikumar Chitre on Outstanding Problems in Astronomy[2]
* Profile on International Astronomical Union[3]

* v
* t
* e

Padma Bhushan award recipients (2010–2019)

2010|

* Satya Paul Agarwal
* Mohammad Amin
* Sailesh Kumar Bandopadhyay
* M. S. Banga
* Anil Bordia
* Bipan Chandra
* B. K. Chaturvedi
* Sant Singh Chatwal
* G. P. Chopra
* Tan Chung
* Madhusudan Dhaky
* P. R. Dubhashi
* Puttaraj Gawai
* Belle Monappa Hegde
* Ilaiyaraaja
* Jagdish Chandra Kapur
* Shrinivas Khale
* Aamir Khan
* Sultan Khan
* Ram Kumar
* Kumudini Lakhia
* Kuzhur Narayana Marar
* Chhannulal Mishra
* Eledath Thaikkattu Narayanan Mooss
* C. P. Krishnan Nair
* S. P. Oswal
* Akbar Padamsee
* Ramakanta Panda
* Balasaheb Vikhe Patil
* Arogyaswami Paulraj
* A. R. Rahman
* Moosa Raza
* Mallika Sarabhai
* Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana
* Abhijit Sen
* Satya Vrat Shastri
* Noshir M. Shroff
* Kushal Pal Singh
* Bikash Sinha
* Balagangadharanatha Swamiji
* Narayanan Vaghul
* P. K. Warrier
* Fareed Zakaria

2011|

* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
* Rajashree Birla
* M. N. Buch
* C. V. Chandrasekhar
* Ajai Chowdhry
* Yogesh Chander Deveshwar
* Satyadev Dubey
* T. J. S. George
* Shankha Ghosh
* Kris Gopalakrishnan
* Keki Byramjee Grant
* Shashi Kapoor
* Krishen Khanna
* Khayyam
* Chanda Kochhar
* Dwijen Mukhopadhyay
* Madavoor Vasudevan Nair
* Ramdas Pai
* Dashrath Patel
* Rajendra Singh Pawar
* Suryanarayanan Ramachandran
* Shobhana Ranade
* Gunupati Venkata Krishna Reddy
* Kallam Anji Reddy
* Waheeda Rehman
* Shyam Saran
* Analjit Singh
* Arpita Singh
* Surendra Singh
* R. K. Srikantan
* Raghavan Thirumulpad

2012|

* Suresh H. Advani
* Shabana Azmi
* Homi K. Bhabha
* Shashikumar Chitre
* Khaled Choudhury
* Jatin Das
* Vidya Dehejia
* Dharmendra
* S. N. Goenka
* M. S. Gopalakrishnan
* T. V. Gopalakrishnan
* Buddhadev Das Gupta
* Sunil Janah
* Anish Kapoor
* S. B. Mujumdar
* B. Muthuraman
* Mira Nair
* Arvind Panagariya
* José Pereira
* Mata Prasad
* M. S. Raghunathan
* P. Chandrasekhara Rao
* Ronen Sen
* Devi Shetty
* M. V. Subbiah
* N. Vittal
* N. H. Wadia
* George Yeo

2013|

* Satya N. Atluri
* Maharaj Kishan Bhan
* Jaspal Bhatti
* Rahul Dravid
* Adi Godrej
* Abdul Rashid Khan
* Rajesh Khanna
* Mary Kom
* Nandkishore Shamrao Laud
* Mangesh Padgaonkar
* Hemendra Singh Panwar
* Jogesh Pati
* Shivajirao Girdhar Patil
* A. Sivathanu Pillai
* D. Ramanaidu
* Kanak Rele
* V. K. Saraswat
* Ashoke Sen
* Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
* B. N. Suresh
* Sharmila Tagore
* Ramamurthy Thyagarajan
* Saroja Vaidyanathan

2014|

* Anisuzzaman
* Mrityunjay Athreya
* Padmanabhan Balaram
* Dalveer Bhandari
* Ruskin Bond
* Anita Desai
* Pullela Gopichand
* Kamal Haasan
* Jyeshtharaj Joshi
* V. N. Kaul
* Neelam Kler
* M. Mahadevappa
* Leander Paes
* Koppillil Radhakrishnan
* Anumolu Ramakrishna
* Thirumalachari Ramasami
* Lloyd Rudolph
* Susanne Hoeber Rudolph
* Vinod Prakash Sharma
* Gulam Mohammed Sheikh
* Parween Sultana
* Dhirubhai Thaker
* Vairamuthu
* J. S. Verma
* T. H. Vinayakram

2015|

* Jahnu Barua
* Manjul Bhargava
* Vijay P. Bhatkar
* Swapan Dasgupta
* David Frawley
* Bill Gates
* Melinda French Gates
* Swami Satyamitranand
* N. Gopalaswami
* Subhash C. Kashyap
* Gokulotsavji Maharaj
* Saichiro Misumi
* Ambrish Mithal
* Sudha Ragunathan
* Harish Salve
* Ashok Seth
* Rajat Sharma
* Satpal Singh
* Shivakumara Swami
* Khadg Singh Valdiya

2016|

* Ravindra Chandra Bhargava
* Robert D. Blackwill
* Hafeez Contractor
* Indu Jain
* Heisnam Kanhailal
* Anupam Kher
* Sania Mirza
* Pallonji Mistry
* Udit Narayan
* Saina Nehwal
* Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad
* Vinod Rai
* N. S. Ramanuja Tatacharya
* A. V. Rama Rao
* D. Nageshwara Reddy
* Dayananda Saraswati
* Barjinder Singh Hamdard
* Ram V. Sutar
* Tejomayananda

2017|

* Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
* Deviprasad Dwivedi
* Ratnasundarsuri
* Niranjanananda Saraswati
* Cho Ramaswamy
* Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
* Tehemton Erach Udwadia

2018|

* Pankaj Advani
* Philipose Mar Chrysostom
* Mahendra Singh Dhoni
* Alexander Kadakin
* Ramachandran Nagaswamy
* Laxman Pai
* Arvind Parikh
* Sharda Sinha

2019|

* John T. Chambers
* Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa
* Pravin Gordhan
* Dharampal Gulati
* Darshan Lal Jain
* Ashok Laxmanrao Kukade
* Kariya Munda
* Budhaditya Mukherjee
* Mohanlal
* Nambi Narayanan
* Kuldip Nayar
* Bachendri Pal
* V. K. Shunglu
* Hukmdev Narayan Yadav

# Posthumous conferral

* 1954–1959
* 1960–1969
* 1970–1979
* 1980–1989
* 1990–1999
* 2000–2009
* 2010–2019
* 2020–2029

Authority control databases: Academics |

* Mathematics Genealogy Project

|

1. ^ "Microsoft". Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
2. ^ "Lecture". Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
3. ^ "International Astronomical Union". Retrieved August 6, 2014.

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template