Moga in Punjab will mark physicist Narinder Singh Kapany’s birth centenary with a two-day programme featuring scientific sessions, school exhibitions and the inauguration of a memorial gallery at his birthplace. The district administration has planned the observance for October 30 and 31 to connect Kapany’s scientific achievements with students and future generations.
Kapany, who was born in Moga on October 31, 1926, is widely regarded as a pioneer of modern fibre-optic communication. He is best known for coining and popularising the term “fibre optics” and for his work on transmitting images through optical fibres.
The celebrations are being led by Moga Deputy Commissioner Sagar Setia under the theme “Science Beyond Boundaries — From Light to Life, Earth to Space”. The programme will include science exhibitions for school students and sessions covering fibre optics and other areas of physics and science, according to the district administration.
The Kapany Memorial Gallery will document his early life, his links with Moga and his scientific achievements. Its inauguration is scheduled during the two-day event. The administration has described the centenary programme as an effort to turn Kapany’s life and work into an inspiration and guiding reference for younger generations.
Kapany’s career extended across academic and scientific institutions in the United States. He taught at the University of California, Berkeley, served as director of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and was a visiting scholar in Stanford University’s physics department.
He was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2021, following his death at the age of 94 in California on December 4, 2020. The centenary programme will also feature the Dr Narinder Singh Kapany Young Innovator Award, adding an institutional recognition component to the district’s science outreach plans.
For Moga, the event combines a local memorial project with a public education programme. The gallery will preserve the connection between the town and Kapany’s scientific career, while the exhibitions and award are intended to bring science and innovation into direct engagement with school students. The district administration’s next scheduled milestones are the exhibitions and scientific sessions on October 30 and 31, followed by the gallery inauguration and presentation of the young innovator award.
