The president of India Ram Nath Kovind has posthumously conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India, to Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany, The Tribune reported.
Dr. Kapany is known as the "father of fibre optics", whose work laid the foundation for high-speed Internet, passed away last year aged 94.
His daughter, thanking the Government of India, said that his whole family realises "how deeply he touched so many lives and how he laid the groundwork for so many to know that they could also reach for the stars."
The awards were presented on 9 November at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Dr. Kapany graduated from Agra University and earned his doctorate from the University of London in 1955.
He figured out how to transmit high-quality images across optical fibres.
“The recognition of Kapany by the government of India was long overdue,” said Javad K. Hassan, an Indian American entrepreneur who is also a friend of Dr. Kapany.
Srikant Madhav Datar, an economist, and Rattan Lal, a scientist specialising in soil research, were awarded the Padma Shri.
Both of them are Indian Americans, reported American Bazaar.
(With inputs from The Tribune and American Bazaar)
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