Ranjit Nair: Physicist Philosopher Extraordinaire

Tragedy has once again touched Kerala’s small but globally respected scientific community. On this year's Vishu day, Dr. Ranjit Nair—distinguished physicist, philosopher, and founder of the Centre for Philosophy and Foundations of Science—passed away in Delhi at the age of 70, his departure largely unnoticed in his home state. Just four years earlier, Dr. Thanu Padmanabhan, Nair's junior in physics undergraduate class in Trivandrum's University College who later became a Distinguished Professor at Pune’s Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, died at 62. The two, along with another University College, Thiruvananthapuram alumnus, Dr. V. Parameswaran Nair—now a Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York—had co-founded the Trivandrum Science Society as young students, laying the foundation for a lifelong engagement with science and ideas.

Formerly associated with the National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS), Nair earned his masters and doctorate in physics and philosophy from Cambridge. He was a staunch advocate of the idea that science and scientists must remain “accountable and accessible to the society they serve.” Deeply committed to popularising science, he championed a vision of scientific inquiry that engages meaningfully with broader social values and institutions. He also edited several influential works, including Mind, Matter and Mystery (2001) and The Republic of Science (2008).

Here goes a note on Nair's widely regarded anthology, Mind, Matter and Mystery; Questions in Science and Philosophy: “It brings together essays from eminent thinkers exploring profound questions at the intersection of science and philosophy. Contributors include Nobel laureate Ilya Prigogine, who discusses harmonising Einstein's unification ideals with Darwin's evolutionary vision; physicist ECG Sudarshan, reflecting on reconciling the arrow of time with contemporary physical theory; and mathematician Roger Penrose, challenging AI-inspired models of mind by arguing that mathematical understanding transcends computational capabilities. Philosophers Michel Bitbol and Ranjit Nair respond to Erwin Schrödinger's provocative ideas, further enriching the discourse. This collection delves into the complexities of consciousness, the nature of reality, and the limitations of scientific inquiry”. His other edited volume, Republic of Science examines the role of science within a democratic society.

Nair’s lifelong mission was to connect India with the world’s leading scientific minds. He played a pivotal role in bringing luminaries such as Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose to India for lecture tours, fostering rare intellectual exchanges. According to K Vijay Raghavan, former Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, there were few who were as committed to the cause of science dissemination as Dr. Nair.

A passionate advocate of Indian science, he edited the collected works of Kerala-born quantum physicist ECG Sudarshan in 2006, firmly believing that Sudarshan was unjustly denied the Nobel Prize. During his time at Cambridge, Nair was instrumental in installing a bust of one of its most celebrated Indian alumni, Jagdish Chandra Bose. One of his final posts on X reflected his enduring engagement with India’s scientific legacy—it was on Madhavan of Sangamagrama, the pioneering medieval Kerala mathematician.

Nair is survived by his Bengali wife, Rukmini Bhaya Nair, noted poet, linguist and professor in IIT, Delhi, whom he met during their college days at Cambridge, and a son and daughter. Born in Mavelikkara, Nair was the son of B Madhavan Nair, a state meteorologist and Kamala Pandala. Nair was the younger brother of prominent global management expert, Arun M Kumar, Managing Partner with Celesta Capital and former head of KPMG, India, who also had served as an assistant secretary in the Barack Obama administration.

“The news of Ranjit's passing came as a heavy shock. He had spoken to me from Kolkata just the day before, calling to wish me Vishu greetings,” recalled Shailaja Sreekumar, Nair’s younger sister. He died of cardiac arrest, after living for over two decades with dystonia—a neurological condition that affects muscle control and speech. According to Shailaja, he had made significant recovery from the debilitating illness and had no other major health concerns at the time of his sudden death.

Nair completed his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom in Thiruvananthapuram. A voracious reader from an early age, he was also an athlete and was trained in Kathakali at Kerala Kalamandalam. Shailaja fondly remembered their childhood years on Amini Island in Lakshadweep, where their father was posted to establish a meteorological centre. “There was nothing to do on that deserted island. That’s when Ranjit became a bookworm,” she said.

Shailaja said it was their father who inculcated her brother's interest in physics. “Ranjit was knowledgeable about almost everything under the sun. He also used to sing and had a great sense of humour”. Shailaja, who was a director of Toroid India, one of the first companies set up in Trivandrum’s Technopark, now named Noratel India Power Components.

Despite his chronic illness, Nair had been very active with the CPFS until last. Even a week before his death, Nair moderated an online session titled Cosmic Conundrums with Nobel laureate Penrose. Shashi Tharoor, a long time friend of Nair, posted on the X: “A great loss to Indian science. Ranjit was an exceptional man, who fought the affliction of dystonia & continued to produce remarkable work”.

Dinesh Singh, former vice chancellor of Delhi University, wrote about Nair’s single-handed efforts that brought Hawking to India in 2001: “For Ranjit, this was essentially a one-man show where others chipped in, only after he managed to get things moving. That single event inspired so many young minds to delve into the realms of physics and science. I remember the interest that the event elicited among common people in Hawking and his Big Bang theory”.