CV Raman is one of the greatest physicists that the world has ever seen. His work on the scattering of light had earned him recognition throughout the world. In respect of his intellect and brilliance, India celebrates National Science Day every year on 28th February which also marks the discovery of the Raman Effect.
National Science Day first began in 1986 under the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. Every year India finds unique ways of celebrating the event. As India takes over G20 presidency this year, the government has sought to celebrate the spirit of this day with the theme “Global Science for Global Wellbeing”. The event is celebrated with a lot of pomp at educational institutions in the form of science exhibitions, seminars, speeches, etc. In order to keep up with the pace of scientific development, India has tried to promote the event on a larger scale.
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born in Trichy (present day Tiruchirapalli) to a family of intellectuals and scholars. Later the family shifted to Vishakhapatnam where Raman finished his schooling. He further obtained his BA degree from Presidency University, Madras where he stood first and was the gold medallist of his batch. Raman completed his M.A with highest distinction from the same university. At a tender age he began publishing research papers on various subjects in physics.
Soon Raman trailed on a different path. He became a civil servant by the day and a researcher by night. He was serving as the Assistant Accountant General in Calcutta and alongside did his research at Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS). Finally at the age of 29, he resigned as a civil servant and took up professorship at Presidency College, Calcutta.
With time Raman became a renowned name in the world of Science and began travelling to various countries. On one trip to England he was amazed seeing the Mediterranean Sea and doubted if the sea even looked blue because it reflected the colour of the sky. Thus, The Raman Effect was discovered. The inference revolutionized the way we saw the phenomenon of scattering of light and earned Raman the Nobel Prize in 1930.
