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DI:Personality
Dr.C.V.RAMAN
Delight in Color and Light
Once in Paris he went shopping for diamonds and crystals. There two beautiful
butterflies with blue wings in a shop window attracted him. He bought them and
later collected thousands of specimens.
Raman loved flowers for their colors. He grew many flower plants. He used to
visit flower exhibitions to examine flowers.
Raman used to announce his newscientific discoveries at the annual sessions of the
Academy. At the Madras session (1967) he discussed the influence of the earth’s
rotation on its gaseous envelope. Next year he put forward his theory of the
physiology of vision.
Many countries and institutions continued to honor him. The membership of the
American Optical Society (1941), the National Professorship of India (1948),
the Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute (1951), the International Lenin Prize
(1957), the Membership of the Pontifical Academy of Science (1961) -these were some
of the honors conferred on him.
The greatest honor the Government of India confers on an Indian is the award of
'Bharat Ratna'. Raman became a 'Bharat Ratna' in 1954.
Interest in Music
Raman was a great lover of music. He used to say, "I should live long, because I
have not heard all the music I want to hear." He was a frequent visitor to a shop
selling musical instruments in Balepet, in Bangalore. He collected a variety of
musical instruments like the Mridangam, the Tabla, the Veena, the Violin and the
Nagaswaram.
'The Catgut Acoustical Society' of America is devoted exclusively to the study of
violins. It elected Raman as its honorary member.
'A General Practitioner in Science'
When Raman stepped into the field of research, Modern Physics was in its infancy.
It developed numerous branches by the time he began working in his own Institute.
Then research workers had access to modern equipment and methods, which were not
available six decades earlier. They tended to study a small field and to specialize
in it. But Raman never limited his activities and interests to a narrow field.
Raman once inaugurated the 'General Practitioners' Conference' in Bangalore. A
general practitioner is a doctor who treats common illnesses. Raman
humorously commented on that occasion that he was a general practitioner in science.
He liked all scientific problems whether they were small or big. His interest and
satisfaction lay in finding a solution to the problem.
In 1969, the daughter of Nagendranath (who had been a research student under him
thirty years earlier) was married; Raman and his wife attended thereception. Raman
drew Nagendranath aside and explained his new problem; he was trying to find a
theory of earthquakes taking into account the actual shape of the earth and the
wave-like nature of the quakes. Raman was not a person to be satisfied with his past
achievements. He was always seeking new and vaster fields of study.
Raman was a delightful speaker. Sprinkled with good humor, his talk was
usually focussed on realities. Raman used to say that the color of the sea
interested him more than the fish, which lived in it. He thought that we should have
our own ships for oceanographic research (the study of the sea). He often said that
India lost her freedom because she took no interest in the seas.
A Lion's Heart
Friends and admirers organized a special function at the Annual Session of the
Academy at Ahmedabad to honor him on his eightieth birthday. Many people expressed
warm sentiments. Raman never took much interest in birthday celebrations. Still, at
the end. He thanked the organizers; and with a twinkle in his eyes, he said, "I
wish some one had said that I had a lion's heart!" All who had spoken forgot to make
mention of his great asset, namely courage.
The True Research Student
Raman was studious. He kept in touch with the latest developments in science in
the world around him. He had personal contact with many scientists. He used to
read new books and research papers from different centres. On one occasion he was
addressing the students of Presidency College, Madras. Like an elder brother he
told them, "How much can you learn in an hour's lecture? Spend more time in the
library." Studying and experimenting, he remained a student throughout his life.
"The equipment which brought me the Nobel Prize did not cost more than three hundred
rupees. A table drawer can hold all my research equipment’s," he used to say with
pride. It was his conviction that if the research worker is not inspired from within
an amount of money can bring success in research.
He hoped that scientists of free India would win worldwide fame by their
discoveries. "If there are no facilities here, what is wrong with their going abroad
and spreading the fame of India? Did not the workers of the East India Company come
and rule India?" he used to say.
Raman was not conservative in his outlook. He used to spell out his opinions
boldly., When he was called 'India's illustrious scientist' he would correct the
description with humility: "I am just a man of science." When scientists were
criticized he would retort with confidence that they were the salt of the earth.
His God and His Religion
Raman would not speak much about God and religion. Science was his God and work his religion. He believed that new discoveries confirm the existence of God; if there is God we have to find Him in this universe.
A journalist once asked him, "What do you feel about the long and eventful period
of your scientific work and achievements?" Raman replied promptly, "I have no time
to think of the past and I am not inclined to do so. I spend my life as a scientist.
My work gives me satisfaction."
As he was completing his 82 year Raman organized a weeklong conference of
the members of the Academy in September 1970. On that occasion he invited
young scientists to present papers on different subjects.
Every year he used to deliver a popular science lecture on the Gandhi Jayanthi Day.
In 1970, he spoke on the new theories about hearing and the eardrum. This was his
last lecture.
A few days before his 83 birthday Raman suffered a mild heart attack. But there
was quick recovery. He never dreamt of a life without work. He had told his doctor,
"I wish to live a hundred- per-cent active and fruitful life."
Raman, a seeker of truth throughout his life, passed away on the 21st of November
1970.
Radhakrishnan, his younger son, became the Director of the Raman Research Institute.
Without much encouragement, Raman had entered the field of science in his early
years. Deeply attracted by the secrets of sound and light, he marched ahead in the
world of science. By his achievements and self-respect he earned a honored place for
India in the world of science. He laid the foundations of a scientific tradition in
India by building up institutes for research, by publishing science journals and by
encouraging young scientists. Truly he was the 'Grand Old Man of Indian Science'.
Raman possessed the curiosity of a little boy to know new things, and the intuition
of a great genius in understanding the secrets of Nature. The life of this great
scientist was truly the life of a great seer.
Author - A.Krishna Bhatt
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