Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany, born in 1926 in Moga (Punjab), known as the “Father of Fiber Optics”, and referred to as the ‘Jewel of Punjab’ left for his heavenly abode on December 03, 2020.
Dr. Kapany had applied the term “Fiber Optics” first in 1956 and defined it as the art of active and passive guidance of light along transparent fibers through predetermined path. It caught global attention as he reiterated it in a 1960 article in Scientific American. He wrote the first book in this field titled ‘Fiber Optics : Principles and Applications” (Academic Press, 1967), and played a prominent role in advancing the field both as a researcher and as the founder of several companies.
He had lifelong association with University of California, Santa Cruz, and he also founded and chaired the The Sikh Foundation in 1967 at Palo Alto.
Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar in association with National Academy of Sciences, India (Chandigarh Chapter) and Society for Promotion of Science & Technology in India (SPSTI) has scheduled a Webinar in honour of Dr. N.S. Kapany on January 25, 2021 at 11 AM. The event is open to all. Director, IIT Ropar would inaugurate the Webinar, and the Scientific Session would be Chaired by Director, CSIO.
The Speakers at this Webinar would be:

  1. Dr. Sivanand Kanavi, NIAS, Bangalore:  “Dr. N.S. Kapany: Unsung Hero of 20th Century”. Abstract: The speaker was previliged to have had several conversations with Dr Kapany about his journey in life. Some excerpts of which are published and some unpublished. Based on these and other materials the speaker will narrate briefly the life story of this remarkable son of Punjab and India”.
  2. Dr. Rajesh V Nair, IIT Ropar: “Transmitting photons for humanity: An account of Dr. N.S. Kapany’s research & its present relevance”. Abstract: Prof. Nair would discuss Dr. N. S. Kapany research work along with the basics of light transmission in optical fibers. The present status of the nano-scale wave-guiding and applications would be elaborated with a future perspective.
  3. Dr. Umesh Tiwari, CSIR-CSIO: “Optical Fiber Technology Evolution: The Perspective of Dr. N.S. Kapany’s  contributions towards Sensing & Communication Application”. Abstract: The talk will cover some of the important contributions of Dr. N. S. Kapany along with the applications of fiber optics in sensing and optical communication applications. Some of the recent work on the functionalised optical fiber platform as biosensors will also be discussed.
  4. Dr. Kamal P Singh, IISER, Mohali: “The Story of N S Kapany : Pushing the biology frontier with optics”. Abstract: This talk will highlight rather less-known yet important contributions of Kapany in solving biology problems of human relevance. I will also discuss two contemporary challenges in ultrafast bio-photonics.
How & When to join the webinar on Google Meet:
Date: Monday, January 25, 2021
Time: 11:00 AM – 01:30 PM
Google Meet Link:
You are kindly requested to join the meeting as per the details above.
Coordinators:
Prof. Arun K. Grover
Emeritus Professor, P.E.C. Chandigarh
Prof. Javed N. Agrewala
Dean Research, IIT Ropar