A throwback to the physics textbook

From the country which had Aryabhatta and Chanakya, it came with no surprise when the ground-breaking scientific discovery, the Raman Effect was revealed by an Indian, Sir C.V. Raman.

Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, one of the greatest physicists of India and the world; Source: IndiaTV

The Raman Effect is a marvel in spectroscopy found by the prominent physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1928. Two years later, in 1930, he was honoured with the Nobel Prize for this astounding disclosure. This being the first-ever Nobel Prize for India in the field of Science was a matter of great pride for the country. The place which birthed this extraordinary scientific breakthrough was in the research centre of the Indian Association for the Development of Science, Kolkata.

In 1947, the newly independent India's government selected C.V. Raman as the first national Professor of the country.

So what exactly is the Raman Effect?

The effect is an adjustment in the frequency of light that happens when a beam of light is deflected by atoms. At the point when the emission of light navigates through a dust-free, transparent chemical compound, a tiny part of the light travels in different directions other than that of the normally occurring light source. The majority of this scattered light is of an unaltered wavelength. But the tiny fraction which does have differing wavelengths in relation to the primary light beam is what constitutes the Raman Effect!

For something that sounds relatively simple and insignificant, this was an unimaginable advancement in science. Look at it this way, the effect almost as significant as the fact that human beings and chimpanzees have a common ancestor. Yes, it is that sensational.

To mark this historic milestone, on the 28th of February every year, India celebrates National Science Day to remember the universal impact of the Raman Effect by C. V. Raman on 28 February 1928.

For his revelation, in 1930, Sir C.V. Raman was bestowed with the Nobel Prize in Material science.

Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of honour was presented by India to Raman in the year 1954.

It was only in 1986 that the National Committee for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) requested the Indian government authority to assign February 28 as National Science Day, thereby starting the annually commemorated day. The occasion is presently honoured all over India in schools, colleges and other scholarly, specialised, clinical and research foundations.

In the event of the first-ever NSD (National Science Day), NCSTC reported the founding of the National Science Popularisation grants for perceiving remarkable endeavours in science and communication.

The Indian Department of Science and Technology (IDST) had the pleasure of presenting five outstanding organisations with the 'National Award for Science Communication’ on the 2009 National Science Day.

In 2009, the award was presented to the Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre for its priceless contribution to the advancement of learning and training programs in the area of science, being the most noteworthy feat to be recognised!

The Nehru Planetarium in New Delhi hosts an eye-catching festival for all-ages, a festival of Measurement and Space Fair.