The Man Who Bent Light: Father of Fibre Optics

by Narinder Singh Kapany

Overview

The father of fiber optics, Narinder Singh Kapany was far more than your typical multi-hyphenate. Inventor, art collector, sculptor, farmer, entrepreneur, teacher, and a successful businessman, Dr Kapany was what Fortune magazine in its 1999 issue called, ‘one of the seven unsung heroes of the 20th century’. An insightful and inspirational life story, this memoir chronicles his 90 remarkable years. Charming, idiosyncratic, and highly engaging, The Man who Bent Light serves up enough variety and verve to celebrate the lives of a half-dozen individuals. But there is only one Narinder Singh Kapany, and his life, illuminated in his singular memoir, is a life like no other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788195256600
Publisher:	Roli Books Private, Limited
Publication date:	04/04/2022
Pages:	290
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany (1926–2020), widely known as the father of fiber optics, was born in Punjab and after graduating in India, moved to the Imperial College London for his doctorate. In 1953, working alongside Harold Hopkins at Imperial College London, Dr. Kapany was the first to successfully transmit high-quality images through fiber bundles. He coined the term fiber optics in a famous 1960 article for Scientific American. His breakthrough achievements helped create a foundational element of the internet age, affecting the lives and businesses of millions around the world. In 1961, Dr Kapany along with his wife moved to Woodside where he founded Optics Technology Inc. successfully taking it public in 1967. He was the first Sikh Indian to take a company public in Silicon Valley. The San Francisco Examiner, in February 1969, described him as ‘…the most dashing corporate officer in the area.' Subsequently, he founded Kaptron Inc. in 1973, which was later acquired by AMP Inc. A noted philanthropist, he was deeply committed to championing Sikh culture and language. He created the Sikh Foundation in 1967 which pioneered the display of Sikh Arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC and at the Rubin Museum New York. He established the first permanent Sikh Art Gallery in the United States at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and in Canada at the Montreal Museum of Art. Recipient of various awards and honours, including Padma Vibhushan, one of the highest civilian awards of India, he was a man of enormous intellect, boundless energy and a lovely loud and infectious laugh. His passionate commitment to science and Sikh art has left an indelible impact on the lives of innumerable people around the world.

Table of Contents

I Boyhood

Property 4

Sodhi-Wala 7

The Ring 9

The Power of Belief 13

'Here, Bino, Take My Hand…' 15

Stolen Fruit 18

Naughty 22

Almost-True Stories 25

Chain Reaction 30

Father's Radio 32

The Drunken Elephant 34

Deadheading 37

Partition 39

II Learning

Obsessed 52

More Mentors 55

Satinder 58

My Wee Scottish Sojourn 61

Rainy Day Woman 65

Re-obsessed 67

London Snapshots 76

Piled Higher and Deeper 80

The 80-Pound Car 82

The Plan and the Man at the Back of the Room (1) 86

Campari 88

III Coming to America!

Gestation 96

It was a Very Good Year 102

The Plan and the Man at the Back of the Room (2) 104

The Right Thing 113

IV In Business

The Bet 122

Optics Technology 127

Searching for Something New/Veni, Vidi, da Vinci 134

Delhi Again? 140

'If There's a Fork in the Road, Take It' 144

The Little Company that Could… and Did 146

V Teaching

'Anything you Want' 154

Making it Happen/Seeds 157

VI Farming

A Sikh, a Farmer 172

Wine and Oil 178

VII Being Sikh

Sikhism: Equality and Charity 186

The Art of Giving 191

Sikhism: A Spiritual God and an Equal Opportunity 194

VIII Collecting and Sharing Sikh Arts

The Gift of Art 198

The Koh-i-noor 201

The Sikh Foundation: Inspire, Educate, Enrich 207

IX Rule, Britannia!

A Home with a View 216

'I Cooked for You!' 220

X Belonging

Belonging 226

XI Massacre

Massacre 236

XII Family Matters

Once-in-a-Lifetime 244

Kids 248

Family Ties 254

Passing 260

Oh, Satinder… 269

Eulogy 272

In Closing 276