The auditorium of the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was packed with physicists of all ages on Friday evening. 230 additional participants from different time zones joined the online meeting, making it one of the largest gatherings of physicists ever. Amidst the discussions and camaraderie, many attendees came to a sobering realisation: Professor Rohini Godbole will never be among them again. Born in 1952, Godbole – a pioneer of particle physics in India and a champion of women in Indian science – died on Friday in Pune after a brief illness.
At a prayer meeting organised by IISc’s Centre for High Energy Physics (CHEP), where she spent over three decades teaching undergraduates, postgraduates and mentoring 14 PhD students, many colleagues remembered Godbole as jovial, enthusiastic and ever-curious.
Despite being unwell for the last four-five months, ill health failed to keep Godbole away from science as she and physicist Sunil Mukhi had finalised the topic for the next textbook just a few months ago. Recalling an incident earlier this year where Godbole had promised to present a tribute on Peter Higgs (after whom the Higgs boson is named), Justin David of CHEP said, “Rohini’s declining health was preventing her from making the submission on time and every time we met, she would regret the delay.” Just a fortnight ago, Godbole had shared a list of areas of particle physics that she wanted her young theoretical physics colleagues to pursue. “On October 5, Rohini sent a message and asked some of us to start thinking of some topics for research. She was full of life. Rohini later said she enjoyed the conversation,” said her longtime friend and IISc colleague Chanda.
Oxford University physicist Subir Sarkar said he had known Godbole for half a century and the news of Godbole’s death left him devastated. “Rohini was my oldest friend in physics,” he said. I have very fond memories of my days at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in the late 1970s.” A strong advocate of gender equality for STEM in India, Godbole has used every platform, big or small, to bring the concerns of women academics and scientists to the mainstream. She formed the panel on Indian women in science at the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc). She was a member of a committee that published a report titled ‘INSA Report: Indian women and access to science’, the first of its kind.
Her passion and drive to bring women’s issues to the forefront was lauded by scientists Vinita Bal, Subha Tole and Annapurna Subramaniam, all of whom said Godbole’s work to uplift women scientists must continue.
Along with academic publications, Godbole co-authored Lilavati’s Daughters, a collection of 100 biographical essays on Indian women scientists, with her colleague Ram Ramaswamy. Recalling her decades-old friend, “Rohini sensitised people to the issues of women scientists, the disadvantages they face and always advocated for gender equality in STEM,” Ramaswami said.
She travelled extensively for science and research and used these opportunities to build international ties with India. Her continuous efforts to bring top global scientists to India and to several international conferences were highly appreciated by the mourners.
Erik Laanen of the University of Amsterdam lauded her continuous efforts in bringing India closer to CERN, Geneva. Her long-time colleague, the Dutch physicist, said, “Rohini was my scientist sister since we were both doing PhDs at Stony Brooks University. She inspired many women and made friends wherever she went. India will benefit greatly from Rohini’s positive contributions at CERN.”
All who knew and interacted with Pune-born physicist Godbole agreed that she was charismatic, had an almost magnetic effect on young children and remained passionate about science till the end.
In her tribute, another colleague from France, Sabine Cramy, said Godbole introduced her to the idea of India. “He made me discover India and that was the beginning of collaborations with many Indian physicists. Until two weeks ago, we exchanged texts on work.” Students recalled how their teacher left an indelible mark on their learning during his undergraduate years and how, despite being a well-established researcher himself, he left no stone unturned to connect undergraduate courses in interesting ways.
