Eminent educationist, physicist and award-winning popular science writer Dr Vidwan Singh Soni died in Patiala on Friday following health-related ailments. He was 83.Soni, a former principal of Government Mohindra College, Patiala, and Government College, Ropar, had more than three decades of teaching experience. He is survived by two daughters and a son.A physicist by training, Prof Soni turned his fascination for fossils and prehistoric stone tools, particularly those found in the Shivalik region, into decades of research in the sub-Himalayan region, where he travelled extensively in search fossils and Stone Age artefacts.His collection included rare fossils and prehistoric tools, some of which were exhibited at Punjabi University. Among the striking specimens were a pair of elephant tusks, about 12 feet long and estimated to be nearly five lakh years old, and another seven-foot pair estimated to be around 55 lakh years old. His collection also included fossils of hippopotamuses, pigs, horses, fish, crocodiles and large tortoises.Soni’s work was not limited to collecting. Along with his son, Dr Anujot Singh Soni, he carried out research on prehistoric stone tools and fossils in the north-western sub-Himalayas. Their work led to the discovery and documentation of several types of prehistoric tools, including pitted cobbles and edge-ground stone tools.Punjabi University later entrusted the father-son duo with helping set up a fossil museum to create awareness about prehistoric life and artefacts among students, researchers and the general public.Their research also found an academic audience. Prof Soni and Anujot published research on stone tools from the Soanian regime of the north-western sub-Himalayas. Soni also authored scientific papers examining the age and context of prehistoric artefacts.A Fellow of Punjabi University, Soni had also pursued research in physics, particularly in the area of the Special Theory of Relativity. He authored physics textbooks, including Mechanics and Relativity, which was subsequently published in several editions.Science, however, was was not confined to his classrooms and academic journals. Soni was also an award-winning popular science writer and used Punjabi to take scientific subjects to a wider audience. In 2023, his Punjabi book “Dilchasap Kahani Dharti Amber Di” was released at a literary gathering in Patiala.His interest in communicating science also took him beyond physics. At a National Translation Mission programme, he spoke about the practical issues involved in translating natural science texts, underlining the importance of conveying scientific meaning while making technical material accessible.Soni brought an unusual combination of disciplines to his work. Alongside teaching Physics and researching relativity, he explored fossils, rocks and prehistoric tools, documenting material that offered glimpses into the distant past.