Bhabha convinced PM Nehru to start India's nuclear programme
Born on October 30, 1909, Padma Bhushan-awardee Homi J Bhabha was instrumental in convincing then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to start India's Nuclear Programme. In 1954, Nehru appointed Bhabha as the Director of Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) to develop nuclear weapons. India's first nuclear test was carried out at Pokhran following Bhabha's death in a plane crash in 1966.