Narinder Singh Kapany: He Invented Fibre Optics That Powers Internet Today!

Today if we are getting access to 'high-speed internet connection' or the doctors are performing endoscopy or laser surgeries, then it's because of Indian-born American physicist, Narinder Singh Kapany.

Born on October 31, 1927, in Moga area of Punjab, Narinder Singh Kapany pioneered the science of transmitting light through glass fibres.

Not many are aware of Dr Narinder Singh Kapany, the “Father of Fibre Optics”? His path-breaking research in 1950s on fibre optics paved way for high-speed broadband internet, laser surgeries & endoscopy. This unsung Sikh scientist deserves the Nobel Prize!https://t.co/KKAy1Z58oC pic.twitter.com/6Eh7u7iry0

— Harjinder Singh Kukreja (@SinghLions) March 1, 2018

Known as the ‘father of fibre optics’, Narinder Singh Kapany collected his graduation degree from Agra University before completing his Ph.D from Imperial College in London.

Very few of you might know that, Narinder Singh Kapany coined the term Fibre Optics in 1960.

Dr. Narinder Singh KapanyNamed as one of the 7 ‘Unsung Heroes’ by Fortune Magazine is widely recognized as the ‘Father of Fiber Optics’ for his pioneering work in Fiber Optics technology.#PositiveIndia @PositiveInd2019

— Abhishek Verma (@abhi9025) July 29, 2018

"When I was a high school student at Dehradun in the beautiful foothills of the Himalayas, it occurred to me that light need not travel in a straight line, that it could be bent. I carried the idea to college. Actually it was not an idea but the statement of a problem. When I worked in the ordnance factory in Dehradun after my graduation, I tried using right-angled prisms to bend light.

However, when I went to London to study at the Imperial College and started working on my thesis, my advisor, Dr. Hopkins, suggested that I try glass cylinders instead of prisms. So I thought of a bundle of thin glass fibres, which could be bent easily. Initially my primary interest was to use them in medical instruments for looking inside the human body. The broad potential of optic fibres did not dawn on me till 1955. It was then that I coined the term fibre optics," Mens XP quoted Kapany as sayings.

Born in India and educated in England, Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany is the man who has made high speed digital communication and medical procedures such as endoscopy & laser surgeries a reality!I am sure not many of you know about him.#UnsungHero #NationalTechnologyDay pic.twitter.com/3eUXWyqxKv

— Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) May 11, 2018

His groundbreaking research led to wide ranging applications in not just high speed communications, but also medical imaging from OFC networks to endoscopic to laser surgery.

Currently, Narinder Singh Kapany is living in the US. He is focusing on strengthening the ties between the Sikh and the other communities in America through his charitable foundation.

Narinder singh kapany, American physicist who first demonstrated transmission of an image through an optical fibre in the year 1953 paving way for internet and high speed communication . pic.twitter.com/jgMcNMOYaW

— Kanwaljit singh (@HarrySi05400534) June 17, 2019

We salute Narinder Singh Kapany for his extraordinary achievement.