Nuclear Scientist PK Iyengar who played a Key Role in India's First Nuclear Explosion in 1974 died

India's top nuclear scientist and nuclear physicist PK Iyengar who designed India’s first atomic bomb and was a staunch opponent of the Indo-US nuclear deal, passed away at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) hospital in Trombay on 21 December 2011.

Iyengar started his career with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in 1952, joined the then atomic energy establishment in Mumbai in 1955. He was next deputed to the Chalk River Laboratories of the Canadian Atomic Energy Establishment. After returning from Canada, he built a number of experimental facilities around research reactors APSARA and CIRUS at the BARC.

He was trained under BN Brockhouse, a Nobel laureate in Physics, the nuclear physicist.

He had also played a major part in the design of the Dhruva reactor at Trombay.

He was transferred to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in 1971 where he was appointed the director of Physics Group (PG) and was one of the mainstream scientists in the development of India's first nuclear device under the code name Smiling Buddha.

He became director of BARC in 1984 and was chairman of the atomic energy commission (AEC) between 1990 and 1993.

Though Iyengar had contributed a great deal to various aspects of India's nuclear programme, he is best known for the country's first nuke test, code-named Smiling Buddha. The test had successfully ushered India into the elite nuclear weapons club, deceiving American spy satellites. Iyengar was one of the key figures in the Operation Smiling Buddha—the first peaceful nuclear explosion at Pokhran on 18 May 1974.

One of high points in his career came when he successfully led a team to indigenously develop a reactor called PURNIMA - 1 which was commissioned in 1972.

Iyengar identified the need for large-scale development of advanced science and technology. Research and development activities in several areas such as material science, radiation physics and molecular biology became a reality owing to his efforts.

After his retirement, Iyengar served several academic roles such as the chairman of the Council for Science and Technology and president of the Indian Nuclear Society.

In 1975, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. He was also honoured withBhatnagar Award (1971), Raman Centenary Medal of the Indian Academy of Science (1988) among others.