2026-06-25T13:17:20Zhttps://oai.catalogue.archives.ncbs.res.in/oai:archives.ncbs.res.in:/repositories/2/resources/892026-06-22T05:18:05ZArchives at NCBSTata Institute of Fundamental ResearchMS-051https://catalogue.archives.ncbs.res.in/repositories/2/resources/89Vaidya, P. C. (Prahlad Chunilal), 1918-2010V., ParvathyP C Vaidya Papers1938 - 20094 Linear Feet; 8 Archival BoxesengLatngujGujrThis collection contains material related to the life and work of P C Vaidya, a mathematician and an astronomer. The papers have been arranged into seven series
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Scientific research and output and output
Series 3: Science and Mathematics Pedagogy
Series 4: Speeches, Addresses and Lectures
Series 5: Administration
Series 6: Other Writings
Series 7: Collectibles and Ephemera
The series on correspondence is further divided decade-wise into six sub-series which is arranged chronologically.
The second series consists of material relating to his work as a researcher and astronomer and has sub-series for Reprints and offprints, Drafts and Notes.
The third series has material relating to his work in science and mathematics education. It includes sub-series Publications, Drafts, Suganitham, Books, Review of Mphil.
The fourth series has scripts of his speeches, addresses and lectures delivered at multiple locations arranged chronologically.
The fifth series are materials relating to the various administrative positions that he had held.
The sixth series has his writings which is distinct from his research and pedagogical work. It has sub-series for Memoirs
and Commentaries/ Essays.
The final series has material which he had collected, received or are ephemeral. These include sub-Series for Ephemera, Biographical Materials, Tributes and Citations, Awards and Degrees and Photographic Material.The intellectual arrangement strives to preserve provenance and original order of the papers. Where an original order could not be found, the Archives has applied an order, and folders within sub-series are arranged usually in chronological or alphabetical order. See Scope and Content section for details.
Prahlad Chunnilal Vaidya was an Indian mathematician whose primary research was in General Relativity. However, he regarded himself primarily as a teacher of mathematics.
He completed his B.Sc. in Mathematics at the University of Bombay in 1937. Subsequently, he enrolled for an M.Sc.in pure mathematics , but later shifted to applied mathematics, choosing Electromagnetic Theory and Relativity as special subjects. After completing his M.Sc. in 1940, Vaidya briefly taught mathematics before leaving academia in 1941 to participate in Mahatma Gandhi’s Constructive Programme. He also helped establish the Ahimsak Vyayam Sangh in Bombay to train youth for non-violent resistance. In 1942, amid the political climate leading to the Quit India Movement, the Ahimsak Vyayam Sangh was dissolved.
In June 1942, he joined V V Narlikar in Banaras Hindu University as a private research student and began work in General Relativity. By early 1943, he derived an exact solution to Einstein’s field equations describing the gravitational field of a radiating star. His short note appeared in Current Science (June 1943).This solution, now known as the Vaidya metric, extended the 1915 solution of Karl Schwarzschild by incorporating radiation. However, financial constraints ended his full-time research within nine months, and he returned to Gujarat to resume teaching.
He re-started his teaching career as a lecturer in 1943, and went on to become Professor, Vice-Principal, and Principal of colleges, and eventually Head of the Department of Mathematics at Gujarat University. He also served as a Visiting Professor in the United States in 1964.
In the 1960s, reflecting his commitment to mathematics education, he founded and served as editor of Suganitam, a Gujarati-language mathematics magazine aimed at popularising mathematics among students and teachers. His other writings also indicate his effort to promote mathematical thinking in regional language and broaden access to the subject beyond university classrooms.
Collection is open for access unless mentioned in specific folders of the finding aid.
Copyright may not have been assigned to Archives, National Centre for Biological Sciences. Permission for reproduction or distribution must be obtained in writing from the Archives at NCBS (archives@ncbs.res.in). The Archives at NCBS makes no representation that it is the copyright owner in all of its collections. The user must obtain all necessary rights and clearances before use of material and material may only be reproduced for academic and non-commercial use.
Communication in scienceMathematicsScience in mass mediaGravitationGravitational collapseNaked singularities (Cosmology)Black holes (Astronomy)Mathematics--Education--PeriodicalsMathematics -- EducationScience--Study and teachingGeneral relativity (Physics)Sugaṇitam Ṭrasṭa