Sixty years ago today—Jan 24, 1966—it was just another routine day in India, to start with. But around 12.30 pm, the news broke that the father of India’s nuclear programme, Homi Bhabha, was among 117 passengers killed in an Air India Boeing 707 crash over Mont Blanc in the Alps, Switzerland.The flight was headed for London from Mumbai via New Delhi, Beirut and Geneva. From Geneva, Bhabha was to travel to Vienna for a meeting of the IAEA. Miscommunication between the Geneva ATC and the pilot was cited as the official reason for the crash.Speaking about the circumstances behind the crash, Anil Kakodkar, current member of the Atomic Energy Commission and its former chairman told TOI: “Bhabha was to have left for Vienna on Jan 23. But on that day there was a suicide in Trombay which resulted in him postponing his departure by a day. At the last minute he changed his flight.”The unexpected manner of his death at a critical stage when India was moving towards developing nuclear weapon capability plunged the country into mourning.Sixty years hence, Mumbai—the city of his birth—is barely recognisable. Amid changes in the urban landscape, many landmarks associated with Bhabha’s life have disappeared. And there is little in the public domain, such as a memorial or a dedicated museum, to cherish the legacy of the man who brought nuclear independence to India.Kakodkar said, “Preserving history is not a strong point with us, but the archival department of TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) is doing a good job.” TIFR and BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) were both Bhabha’s creations, but they cannot be easily accessed by the public due to security considerations. A garden dedicated to Bhabha exists inside BARC, but access is not easy.Kakodkar’s remark on “preserving history” assumes significance because the Bhabha museum at the Kenilworth residential apartments on Pedder Road has remained shut for years for operational reasons—the reason was the department of atomic energy and Kenilworth Residents Association could not see agree on who would pay the museum’s electricity bill! Kenilworth is the site where a bungalow where Bhabha was born into a wealthy Parsi family, once stood.But the colonial bungalow where he spent most of his life was near the Hanging Gardens in Malabar Hill. Mehrangir was a sprawling house, which was inherited by his brother as Bhabha was unmarried and bequeathed to the National Centre for Performing Arts. However, it was sold and later demolished in 2016 after a failed attempt by many Mumbaikars and several from the nuclear fraternity to preserve it.Thus ended all efforts to build a public memorial to one of India’s foremost scientists and institution builders. Umeshkumar Rustagi, director, Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, said, “I agree there is no public museum honouring Bhabha. But it is also true that Bhabha and his contributions have been etched in memory through the many institutions which honour his work.”He said, “the Nehru Science Centre decades ago had presented an exhibition showcasing his life and works.” And there is a Hall Of Nuclear Power gallery at the Centre which has a dedicated space honouring Bhabha’s works.Kakodkar who had a personal association with Bhabha, told TOI: “I strongly feel that a lot needs to be done to strengthen and increase the legacy of Bhabha in various ways which is not there at the moment.”“Bhabha emphasized on the importance of autonomy and a liberal mindset. He had a long-term vision, and it is because of this that important fields like the Indian space programme and electronics developed,” he added.
