Life of Venkata Raman

Life of  Venkata Raman
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Who is Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman ?

Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman, the renowned Indian physicist, popularly known as C.V. Raman, was born on 7th November, 1888 in Thiruvanaikkaval, Tamil Nadu. he was a brilliant and promising lad from the very beginning. He took keen interests in his books and learning and passed his Matriculation examination from Madras University at the age of 12.

Later he studied at Hindu College, Visakhapatnam and Presidency College, Madras and secured a gold medal. he obtained his M.A. degree in 1907. in the same year Raman got the first position in the Finance Service Examination and became Assistant Accountant General at Kolkata. then he was 19 years old.

Career Achievements Venkata Raman

In Kolkata Raman came in contact with an eminent scientist named Dr. Amritlal Sarkar who was secretary of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of science. This contact proved a turning point in the life of young Raman. Dr. Sarkar allowed Raman to make experiments in the laboratory of the Association. Raman devoted himself whole- heatedly in his research work and published his results in the leading journals in regard of the subject of propagation of light.


These original research papers were of fundamental scientific value and came to the notice of the then Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University, Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee. He appointed Raman Professor of Physics in the Calcutta University. During his stay ( 1917-1933) in the university he continued his research and won immense honour and recognition as a scientist and professor.

Known for his Raman Effect, his reputation increased by leaps and bounds and several universities and institutions of repute honored him with Ph. D and D.Sc. degrees. His discovery, known as Raman Effect, enabled for the first time, the mapping of possible levels of energy gains of molecular and atomic structures. His work and discovery of the scattering of the light led to the development of a simple alternative to infrared spectroscopy, namely, Raman spectroscopy.

Raman Research Institute, Nobel Prize

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. He was the first Asian and Indian scientist to obtain this most prestigious award. He traveled abroad delivering lectures about his discoveries and researches. Later in 1933 he became the Director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and then founded the Institute of Physics there.

Again in 1934 he founded the Indian Academy of Sciences in Bangalore which has been a leading research institute in the country all these years. In 1943 he founded the Raman Research Institute and became its Director.

Awards and Achievements

Raman received many honours from national and international universities and organizations. He was awarded Bharat Ratana in 1954. He held many prestigious positions. Some of these were Fellow of Royal Society, London: President, Indian Academy of Sciences; Foreign Associate, Paris Academy of Sciences; Corresponding Member, Soviet Academy of Sciences; President of Indian Science Congress etc.
Raman was born genius and a self-made man and scientist with deep religious convictions. His interests were wide and deep so were his contributions to the human knowledge. Raman also contributed to the mechanical theory of bowed strings and musical instruments like violin, cello, piano, veena, tanpura and mridangam. He breathed his last on November 21, 1970 at the ripe age of 82 at Bangalore.