Narinder Kapany, who is globally regarded as the ‘Father of Fibre Optics’ has been posthumously awarded Padma Vibhushan — the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna — by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.
The award was received by Narinder Kapany’s daughter Kiran Kaur Kapany on November 9, 2021.
Narinder Kapany coined the term fibre optics in the year 1960, in an article published in Scientific American. He also wrote the first book in the field, while being the field’s most renowned researcher and spokesperson.
In recognition of his contribution in the field of ‘fibre optics’, the Government of India bestowed Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, upon Indian-American Narinder Singh Kapany posthumously on Tuesday.
Born in the small town of Moga, Punjab on October 31, 1926, Kapany completed his graduation at Agra University and post his graduate studies, served as an Indian Ordnance Factories Services (IOFS) officer. He then moved to London in 1952 where visited the Imperial College to receive his PhD in the field of optics, in the year 1955.
For his innovations, he had over 100 patents to his name and was a renowned member of the National Inventors Council. He has also been a part of prestigious scientific communities such as the British Royal Academy of Engineering, the Optical Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
