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Bhabha And His Magnificent Obsessions
Book by Venkataraman, G
209 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 25, 2017
3.5/5
I really get where the author is coming from. A physicist himself, the author has written this book as a sort of combination - that of particle physics, especially related to Bhabha's work, and of Homi Bhabha's persona, life, his all round accomplishments and the salient features that made the man. And the two parts are roughly the same, about a 100 pages each. While a lot of work (and a unique viewpoint) has gone into writing both the parts, this is one of those memoirs where the whole is actually smaller than the sum of its parts.
Being an M.Sc. in Physics myself, I more or less knew the physics that was discussed in the first half. My particle physics however was (and is) not among my strengths, so I cannot say that I had thorough understanding of the same. But, whatever background in Physics I had, I am thankful for it, because the author has actually presented the physics of and behind Bhabha's work quite quantitatively. There are quite a few equations, a considerable amount of theory in Physics and a rather detailed account of many experiments. Extending over about 85 pages, I am sure this must have left every layman who picked up this book rather flummoxed. In all probability, most of the readers who expected a sort of a biography would have had quite the shock and kept the book down by page 25.
I'm not saying that the physics is of a very high level or that it was undecipherable, or even unnecessary. I admire the intention of the author but frankly, covering decades of work in particle physics - not just of Bhabha, but his contemporaries too - condensed into 90 odd pages feels like a bad idea (at least for the reader uninitiated in physics). The treatment could have been wholly qualitative, thus incurring a few inappropriate analogies and oversimplifications. This way, those lacking in knowledge of physics could at least feel involved in the stories and circumstances around the experiments, which are actually well articulated, without bothering with symbols they don't understand. Or, as the author proclaims to "make an attempt to write in the style of Feynman Lectures", it could've been more comprehensive, structured, and complete. For example, discussing for many pages about an experiment that relies upon scattering cross-sections, the mathematical nuances of the topic could have been formally presented to the reader. The middle road that the author has taken, intimidates the newcomer while not delivering much novel information to the informed.
And here ends my criticism for this book. Past the 50% mark, the book transitions into a full-fledged memoir about the life and times of H. J. Bhabha. While maintaining the fealty to his work in physics, many facets about the man are described in candid detail. The reader can actually feel invested in the story of Bhabha halfway through the second part, and one can feel themselves internally cheer for the "big man". I specifically liked the way the book isn't chronological, like a history textbook; instead, it unravels Bhabha part by part and replays the timeline. This adds intrigue to the already charismatic persona, and keeps one hooked till the end.
The letter correspondences, the memoirs by Bhabha's colleagues, the detailed evolution of his "enterprises" - BARC and TIFR are all chosen, structured and written perfectly. The account as a whole is truly awe-inspiring, and will do the job of igniting young minds very well. The author too feels personally involved and/or attached while describing quite a lot of events, which only adds to the authenticity of written matter. There are a lot many "info boxes" lying about in the book, which give detailed snippets of information about something mentioned in the text without breaking the link of the narration. A well executed idea in my opinion. This book also delves into a few unusual but warm friendships, built not out of formality and necessity but mutual respect and candour. I for one thoroughly enjoyed going through all of it.
While I do have my gripes about the way the subject matter has been treated in the first half, I feel I have benefited quite a bit reading this book. The author has succeeded in qualitatively presenting the life of a great man, much larger than life, and yet, inspiring the reader by example without explicitly saying so.
I really get where the author is coming from. A physicist himself, the author has written this book as a sort of combination - that of particle physics, especially related to Bhabha's work, and of Homi Bhabha's persona, life, his all round accomplishments and the salient features that made the man. And the two parts are roughly the same, about a 100 pages each. While a lot of work (and a unique viewpoint) has gone into writing both the parts, this is one of those memoirs where the whole is actually smaller than the sum of its parts.
Being an M.Sc. in Physics myself, I more or less knew the physics that was discussed in the first half. My particle physics however was (and is) not among my strengths, so I cannot say that I had thorough understanding of the same. But, whatever background in Physics I had, I am thankful for it, because the author has actually presented the physics of and behind Bhabha's work quite quantitatively. There are quite a few equations, a considerable amount of theory in Physics and a rather detailed account of many experiments. Extending over about 85 pages, I am sure this must have left every layman who picked up this book rather flummoxed. In all probability, most of the readers who expected a sort of a biography would have had quite the shock and kept the book down by page 25.
I'm not saying that the physics is of a very high level or that it was undecipherable, or even unnecessary. I admire the intention of the author but frankly, covering decades of work in particle physics - not just of Bhabha, but his contemporaries too - condensed into 90 odd pages feels like a bad idea (at least for the reader uninitiated in physics). The treatment could have been wholly qualitative, thus incurring a few inappropriate analogies and oversimplifications. This way, those lacking in knowledge of physics could at least feel involved in the stories and circumstances around the experiments, which are actually well articulated, without bothering with symbols they don't understand. Or, as the author proclaims to "make an attempt to write in the style of Feynman Lectures", it could've been more comprehensive, structured, and complete. For example, discussing for many pages about an experiment that relies upon scattering cross-sections, the mathematical nuances of the topic could have been formally presented to the reader. The middle road that the author has taken, intimidates the newcomer while not delivering much novel information to the informed.
And here ends my criticism for this book. Past the 50% mark, the book transitions into a full-fledged memoir about the life and times of H. J. Bhabha. While maintaining the fealty to his work in physics, many facets about the man are described in candid detail. The reader can actually feel invested in the story of Bhabha halfway through the second part, and one can feel themselves internally cheer for the "big man". I specifically liked the way the book isn't chronological, like a history textbook; instead, it unravels Bhabha part by part and replays the timeline. This adds intrigue to the already charismatic persona, and keeps one hooked till the end.
The letter correspondences, the memoirs by Bhabha's colleagues, the detailed evolution of his "enterprises" - BARC and TIFR are all chosen, structured and written perfectly. The account as a whole is truly awe-inspiring, and will do the job of igniting young minds very well. The author too feels personally involved and/or attached while describing quite a lot of events, which only adds to the authenticity of written matter. There are a lot many "info boxes" lying about in the book, which give detailed snippets of information about something mentioned in the text without breaking the link of the narration. A well executed idea in my opinion. This book also delves into a few unusual but warm friendships, built not out of formality and necessity but mutual respect and candour. I for one thoroughly enjoyed going through all of it.
While I do have my gripes about the way the subject matter has been treated in the first half, I feel I have benefited quite a bit reading this book. The author has succeeded in qualitatively presenting the life of a great man, much larger than life, and yet, inspiring the reader by example without explicitly saying so.
December 23, 2025
I am a fan of the author. I like the simple and concise nature of his writing. The last two books I read (cv raman and chandrasekhar) were quite comprehensible to me. But I had to stop this one at 50%. It started to feel overwhelming because of less explanations of the new concepts introduced, perhaps because it's hard to summarise Bhabha's work for people like me in these few pages.
Anyways, I might give it a try again some time later but not today.
Anyways, I might give it a try again some time later but not today.
November 23, 2025
The book primarily focuses on the technical aspects of Bhaba's life. It is written in a precise and straightforward manner, as is usual for this author. It may be somewhat difficult for people who are not very familiar with the fundamentals of physics. However, if the reader continues reading, it begins to make more sense. The last two chapters are good for general readers.
June 16, 2020
Very good & brief biography of the legendary scientist Dr Bhabha. Vivid description of his struggle with the intransigent indian bureaucracy !
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews