Great indian scientists in the field of physical and biological sciences

Sir CV Raman

Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born at Tiruchirappalli in Southern India on November 7th, 1888. His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics so that from the first he was immersed in an academic atmosphere. He entered Presidency College, Madras, in 1902, and in 1904 passed his B.A. examination, winning the first place and the gold medal in physics; in 1907 he gained his M.A. degree, obtaining the highest distinctions.

His earliest researches in optics and acoustics - the two fields of investigation to which he has dedicated his entire career - were carried out while he was a student.

Since at that time a scientific career did not appear to present the best possibilities, Raman joined the Indian Finance Department in 1907; though the duties of his office took most of his time, Raman found opportunities for carrying on experimental research in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science at Calcutta (of which he became Honorary Secretary in 1919).

In 1917 he was offered the newly endowed Palit Chair of Physics at Calcutta University, and decided to accept it. After 15 years at Calcutta he became Professor at the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore (1933-1948), and since 1948 he is Director of the Raman Institute of Research at Bangalore, established and endowed by himself. He also founded the Indian Journal of Physics in 1926, of which he is the Editor. Raman sponsored the establishment of the Indian Academy of Sciences and has served as President since its inception. He also initiated the Proceedings of that academy, in which much of his work has been published, and is President of the Current Science Association, Bangalore, which publishes Current Science (India).

Some of Raman's early memoirs appeared as Bulletins of the Indian Associationfor the Cultivation of Science (Bull. 6 and 11, dealing with the "Maintenance of Vibrations"; Bull. 15, 1918, dealing with the theory of the musical instruments of the violin family). He contributed an article on the theory of musical instruments to the 8th Volume of the Handbuch der Physik, 1928. In 1922 he published his work on the "Molecular Diffraction of Light", the first of a series of investigations with his collaborators which ultimately led to his discovery, on the 28th of February, 1928, of the radiation effect which bears his name ("A new radiation", Indian J. Phys., 2 (1928) 387), and which gained him the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Other investigations carried out by Raman were: his experimental and theoretical studies on the diffraction of light by acoustic waves of ultrasonic and hypersonic frequencies (published 1934-1942), and those on the effects produced by X-rays on infrared vibrations in crystals exposed to ordinary light. In 1948 Raman, through studying the spectroscopic behaviour of crystals, approached in a new manner fundamental problems of crystal dynamics. His laboratory has been dealing with the structure and properties of diamond, the structure and optical behaviour of numerous iridescent substances (labradorite, pearly felspar, agate, opal, and pearls).

Among his other interests have been the optics of colloids, electrical and magnetic anisotropy, and the physiology of human vision.

Raman has been honoured with a large number of honorary doctorates and memberships of scientific societies. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society early in his career (1924), and was knighted in 1929.

APJ Abdul Kalam 

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was a Missile Man of India. He is popularly known as the People’s President of India. His full name was Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. He was a great scientist and 11th President of India. He was born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, in a poor Tamil Muslim family on 15th of October in 1931 to the Jainulabudeen and Ashiamma. He started supporting his family financially in his early age. He has completed his graduation from the St Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli in 1954 and Aerospace Engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai in 1960.

He joined the DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) as a scientist where he designed a small helicopter for the Indian Army. He also worked under Dr. Vikram Sarabhai as part of INCOSPAR committee. Later, he joined the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in 1969 as project director of India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III). Because of his great contributions for the development of ballistic missiles in India, he will be forever known as the “Missile Man of India”. The successful Pokhran-II nuclear tests of 1998 have also involved his important role.

He has been the third President of India who awarded with the Bharat Ratna (first Dr. Sarvapali Radhakrishnan 1954 and second Dr. Zakir Hussain 1963). He has also been awarded with the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for his contributions at ISRO and DRDO as well as the Government of India as a scientific advisor. He has written many books such as Wings of Fire, Ignited Minds, Target 3 Billion in 2011, Turning Points, India 2020, My Journey, etc.

Sir G Madhavan nair

Shri G Madhavan Nair was born on October 31,1943 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He graduated in Engineering from Kerala University in 1966 and underwent training at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), Bombay.

He joined Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in 1967. Since then, he has held various positions posting illustrious milestones on his way to the position of Chairman ISRO. During his tenure of six years as Chairman, ISRO/Secretary, DOS, 25 successful missions were accomplished i.e.,

INSAT-3E, RESOURCESAT-1, EDUSAT, CARTOSAT-1, HAMSAT-1, INSAT-4A, PSLV-C5, GSLV-F1, PSLV-C6, CARTOSAT-2, INSAT-4B, SRE-1, PSLV-C7, PSLV-C8, GSLV-F04, INSAT-4CR, PSLV-C10, CARTOSAT-2A, IMS-1, PSLV-C9, CHANDRAYAAN-1, PSLV-C11, PSLV-12, PSLV-C14 and OCEANSAT-2.

He has taken initiatives towards development of futuristic technologies to enhance the space systems capabilities as well as to reduce the cost of access to space. He has given major thrust for evolving application programmes such as tele-education and telemedicine for meeting the needs of society at large.

As on today, more than 31,000 classrooms have been connected under the EDUSAT network and telemedicine is extended to 315 hospitals - 269 in remote/rural/district hospitals including 10 mobile units and 46 super speciality hospitals.

He has initiated schemes for Village Resource Centres through satellite connectivity which aims at improving the quality of life of the poor people in the villages. More than 430 VRCs are facilitating access to spatial information on important aspects like land use/land cover, soil and ground water prospects and enable the farmers in taking important decisions based on their query.

VRCs also enable online interaction between the local farmers and agricultural scientists. It also provides information of many governmental schemes, farming system, action plans based on weather, community specific advice on soil and water conservation, etc.

In his tenure as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre from 1995-99, India's efforts towards indigenous development of cryogenic technology took concrete shape and vital infrastructures were built and critical technologies were developed.

In his role as the Director of VSSC from 1999 till he took over the present position, Shri G.Madhavan Nair led VSSC, the largest Centre of ISRO with about six thousand employees working in various engineering and scientific disciplines towards the development of India's Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle - GSLV capable of orbiting 2000 kg class of satellite into Geo Transfer Orbit, which had its successful flight in the very first attempt, and declared operational after its successful flight in 2003.

He was also responsible for charting the road map for future development of ISRO's activities, especially in the launch vehicle area targeting low cost access to space.

Shri G Madhavan Nair as Chairman, Space Commission is responsible for chalking out the future plan for space research in the country. Major thrust are in scientific exploration of outer space using the ASTROSAT and Chandrayaan (moon) missions apart from implementing schemes for telemedicine, tele-education and disaster management support systems.

He is also providing guidance and leadership in undertaking new technology developments related to launch vehicle, spacecrafts for communication, remote sensing and applications programmes to meet societal needs.

In the international arena, Mr Madhavan Nair has led the Indian delegations for bilateral cooperation and negotiations with many Space Agencies and Countries, specially with France, Russia, Brazil, Israel, etc., and has been instrumental in working out mutually beneficial international cooperative agreements.

Shri G Madhavan Nair has led the Indian delegation to the S&T Sub-Committee of United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS) since 1998.

Shri G Madhavan Nair's focus has always been to achieve self-reliance in the high technology areas and to bring the benefits of space technology to the national development, specially targeting the needs of the rural and poor sections of the society.

P.C.Ray

Prafulla Chandra was born on 2 August 1861 in Raruli-Katipara, a village in the District of Khulna (in present day Bangladesh). His early education started in his village school. He often played truant and spent histime resting comfortably on the branch of a tree, hidden under its leaves. After attending the village school, he went to Kolkata, where he studied at Hare School and the Metropolitan College. The lectures of Alexander Pedler in the Presidency College, which he used to attend, attracted him to chemistry, although his first love was literature. He continued to take interest in literature, and taught himself Latin and French at home. After obtaining a F.A. diploma from the University of Calcutta, he proceeded to the University of Edinburgh on a Gilchrist scholarship where he obtained both his B.Sc. and D.Sc. degrees.

In 1888, Prafulla Chandra made his journey home to India. Initially he spent a year working with his famous friend Jagadish Chandra Bose in his laboratory. In 1889, Prafulla Chandra was appointed an Assistant Professor of Chemistry in the Presidency College, Kolkata. His publications on mercurous nitrite and its derivatives brought him recognition from all over the world. Equally important was his role as a teacher - he inspired a generation of young chemists in India thereby building up an Indian school of chemistry. Famous Indian scientists like Meghnad Saha and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar were among his students.

Prafulla Chandra believed that the progress of India could be achieved only by industrialization. He set up the first chemical factory in India, with very minimal resources, working from his home. In 1901, this pioneering effort resulted in the formation of the Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Ltd.

He retired from the Presidency College in 1916, and was appointed as Professor of Chemistry at the University Science College. In 1921 when Prafulla Chandra reached 60 years, he donated, in advance, all his salary for the rest of his service in the University to the development of the Department of Chemistry and to the creation of two research fellowships. The value of this endowment was about two lakh rupees. He eventually retired at the age of 75. In Prafulla Chandra Ray, the qualities of both a scientist and an industrial entrepreneur were combined and he can be thought of as the father of the Indian Pharmaceutical industry.

Meghnad Saha

Mechnad Saha was born on October 6, 1893 at Seoratali village in Dacca, now in Bangladesh. His father Jagannath Saha was a small shopkeeper. The name of his mother was Bhubaneshwari Devi. He was the youngest of the five children in the family.

Sahas were poor and so Meghnad’s school education was not smooth and trouble free. Meghnad was admitted to a school which was about 7 miles away from his house. Later he joined Government Collegiate School in Dacca. He had secured a scholarship on account of securing first division in the whole of the district of Dacca. He passed the entrance examination of the Calcutta University in 1909 and secured first division.

Meghnad was an intelligent and hardworking student and very good in mathematics. He was equally skilled in languages. In 1911 he passed the Intermediate Examination securing excellent marks in chemistry and mathematics.

Then he joined the Presidency College, Calcutta for higher studies. Here some of his colleagues and classmates were such as to become famous in the world of science and learning. Some of his teachers were also among the well-known persons, and they included Acharya PC. Ray, J.C Bose and D.N. Mallik. He passed B.Sc. in 1913 and M.Sc. in 1915 with honours.

He devoted himself to the study and research in physics and applied mathematics. He had to take up private tuitions to support himself and his younger brother who lived with him in Calcutta.

A new University College of Science for post- graduation studies was opened under the dynamic leadership of Calcutta University’s Vice-Chanceller Ashutosh Mukharjee. Meghnad was appointed lecturer in this college. In 1918 C.V. Raman joined this institution as Palit Professor of Physics

He was in-charge of the Heat Laboratory there. He continued his studies in thermodynamics and spectroscopy besides astrophysics. He became deeply interested in Einstein’s theory of relativity and prepared an English translation of Einstein’s papers jointly with S.N. Bose and published them in a book- form.

Meghnad Saha wrote many papers and got them published in reputed magazines and periodicals. He obtained his D.Sc. degree in 1918 from the Calcutta University. His theory of high-temperature ionization and its application to stellar atmosphere made him renowned all over the world.

He toured Europe to lecture on his theory of thermal ionization which introduced an epoch-making theory in astrophysics. In London he worked in the laboratory of Fowler for 5 months and then went to Berlin.

In 1921 he returned to Calcutta and joined the Calcutta University as Professor of Physics but later moved to the Allahabad University as Professor and Head of Physics Department

There he stayed for 15 years. He became instrumental in organizing research in many subjects in the University. He presided over the Physics and Mathematics Section of the Indian Science Congress Association in 1926. In 1927 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London at the young age of 34.

In 1936 Saha was offered the Palit Chair in Physics at the University of Calcutta. He occupied this chair for 15 years and then retired in 1953 at the age of 60. He continued his research at Calcutta University. Realizing the increasing importance of nuclear physics in the field of country’s scientific and industrial progress, the Institute of Nuclear Physics was set up in 1948 in the Calcutta University.

He also took great care of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, the oldest of its kind in the country. It was in the laboratory of this institution that the “Raman Effect” was discovered. First he was elected the Honorary Secretary in 1944 and then President of this Association in 1946.

In 1952 Saha became its full time Director. He also wrote extensively on the recurring problems of floods in India and suggested ways and means to control them by harvesting river waters properly. He also underlined the importance of setting up a River Research Laboratory.

He took great interest in flood relief measures as well. As a result of his initiative the Damodor Valley Project was set up besides the River Research Institute. He also remained the first President (1932—1934) of National Academy of Science, Allahabad and then of the National Institute of Science (1937—1939).

He occupied many more prestigious positions in the other national institutes like Indian Council of Scientific Research, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal etc. He was elected in 1951 to the Indian Parliament. But unfortunately, he did not keep good health during the last years of his life and finally he breathed his last on February 16, 1956.

Saha’s life story has been a story of scientific progress in India during these years. He would always remain a rich source of inspiration to Indian scientists and students. His life and works are a great example of dedication, hard work and research in the fields of science, education and nationalism.