Sir C V Raman: The First Asian to Win Noble Prize in Science

 

Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, often known as C. V. Raman, was an Indian physicist who made important advances in the science of light scattering, widely known as the "Raman Effect." He passed away on November 21, 1970, in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He was born on November 7, 1888, in Tiruchirappalli, Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu, India). Raman graduated with a physics bachelor's degree from Chennai's (formerly Madras') Presidency College. After that, he continued his education at the University of Calcutta, where in 1907 he earned a master's degree in physics. At the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Raman started his scientific career.

Raman discovered phenomena in which light scattered by molecules displayed distinct wavelengths from the incident light in 1928 while examining the scattering of light. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for this ground-breaking discovery, which became known as the "Raman Effect," making him the first Asian to do so. Raman's study on the scattering of light led to new scientific discoveries and shed light on the molecular structure of materials. His discoveries laid the groundwork for the creation of Raman spectroscopy, a modern tool for material characterization and chemical research, etc.

Raman worked as the director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore from 1933 to 1937 in addition to his research endeavors. Throughout his career, he also held a number of other posts, including the leadership of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Science Academy. The contributions that C. V. Raman made to science and his commitment to advancing scientific investigation in India left a lasting impression. He is still regarded as a legendary figure in the scientific community, and his findings continue to motivate researchers and scientists everywhere.