New Delhi: It was January 2001 when British physicist Stephen Hawking came to India for the first time, later describing the 16-day long tour as "magnificent".
In the first leg of the tour in Mumbai, Hawking addressed an international physics seminar at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).
He was felicitated with the first "Sarojini Damodaran Fellowship" during the "Strings 2001" conference.
Hawking delivered several lectures during the five-day seminar, including one titled "The Universe in a Nutshell," Quartz reported on Wednesday.
Later, Hawking took a city tour in a specially designed vehicle from Mahindra & Mahindra that accommodated his wheelchair.
The physicist also celebrated his 59th birthday at the Oberoi Towers hotel where he stayed.
In New Delhi, Hawking met then President K.R. Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan who later described the 45-minute meeting with the British physicist as "an unforgettable experience".
"Indians are so good at mathematics and physics", the British theoretical physicist had told the President.
According to Narayanan, Hawking was the "symbol of human hope and inspiration for all those who are handicapped in one way or the other".
Hawking also visited Jantar Mantar and Qutab Minar.
He delivered the Albert Einstein Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on January 15.
Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday. He was 76.
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Alipurduar: A 40-year-old man accused of raping and murdering a five-year-old girl was allegedly tied to a tree and beaten to death by agitated locals in Alipurduar district located in West Bengal on Friday evening. Later, another man surrendered before the police claiming he was also involved in the crime, and was subsequently arrested.
The girl went missing on Friday evening. When her family began searching for the girl, they learned that she had last been seen with Mona Roy, as reported by the Indian Express.
The police said that the girl’s body was found floating in a local pond. They added that the locals caught Roy and took him to his residence where they allegedly noticed blood on the bed. Enraged by this, they tied Roy to a tree and started assaulting him.
Roy was beaten to death before the local police could reach the spot.
When the police arrived at the scene, angry locals prevented them from moving the two bodies. Eventually, a large team of police personnel was sent to the location. After two hours, they were able to remove the bodies from the area.
The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, a man named Bhakta Roy approached the police, claiming that he was involved in the crime and feared for his safety from the angry mob. He was subsequently arrested.
Y. Raghuvanshi, Superintendent of Police, Alipurduar, asserted it is a heinous crime, adding that they have started a detailed investigation in connection to the incident.