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DI:Personality
Dr.C.V.RAMAN
Introduction
The genius who won the Nobel Prize for Physics, with simple equipment barely worth
RS. 300. He was the first Asian scientist to win the Nobel Prize. He was a man of
boundless curiosity and a lively sense of humor. His spirit of inquiry and devotion
to science laid the foundations for scientific research in India. And he won honor
as a scientist and affection as a teacher and a man.
Dr. C.V. Raman
One day in 1903, Professor Eliot of Presidency College, Madras, saw a little boy in his B.A. Class. Thinking that he might have strayed into the room, the Professor asked, "Are you a student of the B.A. class?"
"Yes Sir," the boy answered.
"Your name?"
"C.V. Raman."
This little incident made the fourteen- year- old boy well known in the college. The
youngster was later to become a world famous scientist.
A Child Genius
Tiruchirapalli is a town on the banks of the river Cauvery. Chandrasekhara Ayyar was
a teacher in a school there. He was a scholar in Physics and Mathematics. He loved
music. His wife was Parvathi Ammal. Their second son was born on 7th November 1888.
They named the boy Venkata Raman. He was also called Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman
or C.V. Raman.
Raman grew up in an atmosphere of music, Sanskrit literature and Science. He stood
first in every class and was. Talked about as a child genius. He joined the B.A.
class of the Presidency College. In the year 1905, he was the only boy who passed in
the first class. He won a gold medal, too.
He joined the M.A. class in the same college and chose Physics (study of matter and
energy) as the main subject of study. Love of science, enthusiasm for work and the
curiosity to learn new things were natural to Raman. Nature had also given him the
power of concentration and intelligence. He used to read more than what was taught
in the class. When doubts arose he would set down questions like 'How?' 'Why?' and
'Is this true?' in the Margin in the textbooks.
The works of the German scientist Helmhotlz (1821 - 1891) and the English scientist
Lord Raleigh (1842 - 1919) on acoustics (the study of sound) influenced Raman. He
took immense interest in the study of sound. When he was eighteen years of age, one
of his research papers was -published in the 'Philosophical Magazine' of England.
Later another paper was published in the scientific journal 'Nature'.
Officer - Scientist
Raman's elder brother C.S. Ayyar was in the 'Indian Audit and Accounts Service'
(I.A.A.S.). Raman also wanted to enter the same department. So he sat for the
competitive examination. The day before this examination, the results of the M.A.
examination were published. He had passed in first class recording the highest marks
in Madras University up to that time. He stood first in the I.A.A.S. examination
also.
On May 6, 1907, Raman married Lokasundari Ammal.
At the age of nineteen, Raman held a high post in the government. He was appointed as
the Assistant Accountant General in the Finance Department in Calcutta. And the same
year something happened to give a new turn to his life.
210, Bow Bazaar Street
One evening Raman was returning from his office in a tramcar. He saw the name plate
of the 'Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science' at 210, Bow Bazaar
Street. Immediately he got off the tram and went in. Dr. Amritlal Sircar was the
Honarary Secretary of the Association. There were spacious rooms and old scientific
instruments, which could be used for demonstration of experiments.
Raman asked whether he could conduct research there in his spare time. Sircar gladly
agreed. Raman took up a house adjoining the Association. A door was provided between
his house and the laboratory. During the daytime he would attend his office and carry
out his duties. His mornings and nights were devoted to research. This gave him full
satisfaction. So he continued his ceaseless activities in Calcutta.
From Accounts to Science
At that time Burma and India were under a single government. In 1909, Raman was
transferred to. Rangoon, the capital of Burma. When Chandrasekhara Ayyar passed
away in 1910, Raman came to Madras on six months' leave.
After completing the last rites, Raman spent the rest of his leave period doing
research in the Madras University laboratories.
The Science College of Calcutta University was started in 1915.
There a chair for Physics was established in memory of Taraknath Palit, a generous
man. Raman was appointed Professor. He sacrificed the powerful post in the government,
which brought a good salary.
The Indian Science Congress was started in 1913. Its aim was to bring together
scientists engaged in research; theyshould meet and exchange ideas. Its first
session was held in 1914. Asuthosh Mukherjee was the President. Raman was the
President of the Physics section. Later he worked for many years as the Secretary of
the Science Congress. He presided over its annual sessions in 1929 and 1948.
Professor Raman
In 1917, at the age of 29, Raman became the Palit Professor. He continued research
along with the new assignment.
Raman was very deeply interested in musical instruments such as the Veena, the
Violin,the Mridangam and the Tabala. He began to work on them. Around 1918 he
explained the complex vibrations of the strings of musical instruments. He later
found out the characteristic tones emitted by the Mridangam, the Tabala etc.
Amritlal Sircar, who was devoting all his time to the welfare of the Indian
Association for the Cultivation of Science, passed away in 1919. Professor Raman
became its Honarary Secretary. Two laboratories - those of the College and of the
Association - were under him; and this gave a new stimulus to his researches. Both
his body and his mind could do all the work that had to be done. Many students came
to him from different parts of the country for post-graduate studies and research.
210, Bow Bazaar Street and the University Science College Laboratory - these became
the active research centers of India. Research workers like Meghnad Saha and S.K.
Mitra, who became famous later, worked at these centres.
The Great Teacher
That was a time when Raman was completely immersed in experiments and research.
According to the terms of the Palit Chair, he could have remained free from teaching
work, doing research only. But Raman had great pleasure in teaching. Students were
inspired by his lectures. They were eager to listen to him. He would not stick to
one particular textbook. His lectures brought the fragrance of fresh research. They
reflected Raman's great curiosity about the secrets of nature. Usually the lecture
was of an hour's duration. Forgetting the time in the discussion of the subject,
Professor Raman would sometimes lecture for two or three hours. Any doubt or
question from a student would stimulate new scientific ideas.
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