Raman's Nobel Prize

Every Year India celebrates National Science Day on February 28.On this day in 1928, Sir C.V.Raman announced his discovery of the Raman Effect.

C.V.Raman was born in Thiruchirapalli in Tamilnadu in 1888. He Finished School at the age of 11.and graduated in Physics and English, at the top of his class at 15. He received his master’s degree with honours, at the age of 18, from Presidency College, Chennai. Raman was primarily interested in the Science of Sound, the vibrations of musical strings and drums, and also in the behaviour of light. Raman’s systematic study of scattering of light with different substances led to the discovery of what came to be called the Raman Effect. The Raman Effect is of immense importance in studying the structure of molecules, and its discovery fetched Raman the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physics. He was the first Indian to get a Nobel Prize in Science .His achievement showed that India could produce world – class scientists and to the development of Physics in our country. As the discovery was made on February 28, 1928, the day is now celebrated as National Science Day. In 1934, Raman became the director of the newly established Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. In 1949, he established the Raman Research Institute. The Government honoured him with Bharat Ratna in 1954. Raman remained active till his death on November 21, 1970 at the age of 82.

Brain Power: Once a student came to C.V.Raman with a complaint. He was experimenting with an X-ray tube of one Kilowatt power while scientists in England were using a five-kilowatt X-ray tube. Raman gave him the solution.”Stop worrying about the five-kilowatt X-ray tube that you do not have. Instead, use a 10-Kilowatt brain on the problem.”

No effect on Raman: At the Nobel Prize award ceremony, C.V.Raman used alcohol as a medium to demonstrate the Raman Effect .At the get-together in the evening, Raman was offered a drink. He politely declined it and declared: “you can see the Raman effect on alcohol but not the alcohol effect on Raman!”

The Science of Mridangam: C.V.Raman conducted a research study while Palghat Mani played the Mridangam.He studied the waves generated on the surface of the water kept in a bowl while the mridangam was being played. He concluded that the unique feature of the mridangam was the harmonics that were produced while playing.