'Rocket Boys': Revisiting Homi J Bhabha's life & work ahead of release of Jim Sarbh's show

SonyLIV is all set to present the lives of Homi J Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, two Indian nuclear physicists, in a brand new series titled Rocket Boys. Neerja actor Jim Sarbh and Paatal Lok star Ishwak Singh will be seen in the lead roles. The series will follow the lives of the two physicists and how they made history with some of the greatest scientific discoveries.

Helmed by Abhay Pannu, it is produced under the banners Roy Kapur Films & Emmay Entertainment. The plot will dive deep into both Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai's personalities and how they achieved their greatest accomplishments. 

Know about Homi J Bhabha's life & work 

Homi Jehangir Bhabha, who is also known as the father of India's nuclear programme, laid the foundation of Indian nuclear power. His visions also made the country a responsible nuclear power country. Born in a wealthy family in Mumbai in October 1909, Homi J Bhabha studied engineering at Cambridge University, England. His father was a lawyer and wanted him to pursue mechanical engineering at the prestigious university, so he could join Tata Steel Mills in Jamshedpur. However, he chose physics. 

Before World War II, Bhabha returned to India and joined the Indian Institute of Science under Nobel laureate CV Raman. In 1944, he started the Cosmic Ray Research Unit in the Indian Institute of Science and began researching in the nuclear field. With the help of TATA, he established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in the year 1945 and later the Trombay Atomic Energy Establishment (TAEE) in 1954. TAEE played a vital role in India's nuclear programme in future. 

When India got freedom, Bhabha was also offered a post in the Cabinet, however, he rejected the offer only to become the scientific advisor to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri. During his tenure, he convinced PM Nehru to invest in his nuclear programme which became a turning point in countries nuclear progression.

His visionary statement said, "Within the next couple of decades, atomic energy would play an important part in the economy and the industry of countries and that, if India did not wish to fall even further behind industrially advanced countries of the world, it would be necessary to develop this branch of science." Later, as his words came true, many other countries began investing in nuclear power.

Bhabha was appointed as President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics from 1960 to 1963. He went on to become a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency Scientific Advisory Committee and remained a member till his death. In January 1966, Bhabha passed away in a plane crash. He was on his way to Vienna in order to attend a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

Image: Twitter/@dr_maheshsharma/Instagram/@jimsarbh