On National Science Day, February 28, the nation remembers C.V. Raman’s audacious plea that led to physics’ Raman Effect and his Nobel triumph. This day marks the 1928 announcement of his discovery, celebrated since 1986.
Raman, born in 1888 in Tamil Nadu, questioned everyday optical mysteries: the ocean’s blue, the sky’s tint. Proving light scattering required equipment he couldn’t afford. A government clerk from 1907 in Kolkata’s finance department, he quit in 1917 for academia at Calcutta University and IACS research.
Desperate for a spectrometer costing 22,000 rupees – a fortune then – Raman penned a daring letter to young philanthropist G.D. Birla: ‘Help me import this tool; I’ll deliver a Nobel.’ Birla obliged. Within a year, Raman demonstrated how light alters frequency scattering through molecules, dubbing it the Raman Effect.
The 1930 Nobel Prize followed, a first for any Asian. No labs, no riches – just grit and a patron’s faith propelled him. India’s ancient scientific prowess, from zero’s invention to metallurgy, found modern voice in Raman.
Today, schools, labs, and conferences buzz with demos of spectroscopy, quantum insights, and youth innovation challenges. Raman’s tale teaches resilience: barriers crumble before determined minds. In an era of space missions and tech booms, his effect endures, scattering inspiration across generations.