Kolhapur

Born on 19 July, 1938, in the town of Kolhapur in the western state of Maharashtra, Narlikar was raised in a home steeped in academic tradition.

On a hot humid day in early June, Hindu activist Sambhaji Salunkhe delivered a charged speech in the city of Kolhapur, rehashing far-right conspiracy theories about Muslim men who allegedly court Hindu women so they will marry and convert to Islam.

Kolhapur is in the state of Maharashtra, which is under Bharatiya Janata Party rule.

At 8 a.m. the following day, about 5,000 Hindus converged at the designated spot in Kolhapur.

"We became more active with our demands," said Sonkawade, thumping his palm on the table in his office at Shivaji University, in the west Indian city of Kolhapur, where he now teaches physics.