'Blast from the past!': Anand Mahindra shares 20-year-old picture with Stephen Hawking

Indian business tycoon Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to share an old picture featuring him with late theoretical physicist and the century's biggest scientist Stephen Hawking.

The Mahindra Group Chairman told his fans that the picture was from Hawking's visit to Mumbai in 2001. A friend of Mahindra shared this "Blast from the past" picture from her archive, the 65-year-old business magnate revealed.

Mahindra also said that the auto team at Mahindra Group had created a specially kitted minivan for Hawking's Mumbai visit so he could travel comfortably within the city.

"Blast from the past! Thanks to a friend who shared this pic from her archives; from Stephen Hawking's visit to Mumbai in 2001," wrote Mahindra. "I was particularly proud that our auto team created a specially kitted minivan for him so he could travel with ease throughout the city," he added.

Hawking, the celebrated scientist and author of A Brief History of Time, spent much of his life in a wheelchair, steadily losing control over his muscles because of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Hawking was first diagnosed with ALS at age 21.

The British physicist came to India in January 2001. During his 16-day long tour, 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.

The physicist also celebrated his 59th birthday at the Oberoi Towers hotel where he stayed. He also met then-president KR Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Hawking also visited Jantar Mantar and Qutab Minar.

Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on March 14, 2018. He was 76.

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