C V Raman
C V Raman
C V Raman
https://archive.org/details/chandrasekharaveOOjaya
CHANDRASEKHARA
VENKATA RAMAN
— A MEMOIR
A line sketch of Raman by Homi Bhabha, 1949.
Chandrasekhara Venkata
RAMAN
A. Jayaraman
©2017 A. Jayaraman
Price: ^200.00
First Edition Published in 1989 by : Affiliated East-West Press Pvt. Ltd. G-I/16,
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Foreword — A. Jayaraman. xi
Foreword — A.K. Ramdas.xiii
Preface. xv
Chapter I
Prelude . 1
The scientific climate in India and British rule. 3
Family and education. 4
Entry into the Financial Civil Service. 8
The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science ... 9
Palit Professor. 11
First trip abroad and entry into light scattering. 14
Visit to Pasadena. 16
Discovery of the Raman Effect. 22
Sommerfeld’s visit to Calcutta. 33
Stockholm and the Nobel ceremony . 36
Civic honour by the Calcutta Corporation. 45
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Lady Raman.209
V. Radhakrishnan.213
Raman’s interest in music and musical instruments .... 219
The Raman Effect.222
A new radiation.223
Davisson on Raman.234
Epilogue.241
Some important dates in the life of C. V. Raman.244
Index 249-253
■
Foreword
XI
Xll C. V. Raman — A Memoir
observed the very weak scattered light that had undergone a change
in the frequency by interacting with molecules. Having seen with his
own eyes that a very weak glow was separated by a dark band from
the strong incident light, he employed a mercury arc lamp to confirm
the nature of the very weak scattered light, namely that it consists
of narrow lines, modified by the vibrating molecules. He has said
many times that the cost of the equipment to make the discovery was
a mere 500 Rupees of those times. I don’t think many realize this -
as well as the fact that it was scattered sunlight that gave him the first
clue!
During the early years at the Raman Research Institute we did not
have electricity for a long time - it took eighteen months to complete
electrification after my joining, when I went to work with Raman.
Undeterred by this disadvantage Raman asked me to direct a beam of
sunlight reflected by a mirror from outside to do some beautiful work
on optical phenomena exhibited by a class of mineral samples that
he had collected for display in his Museum as well as for research.
I did not realize at that time that the Raman effect was discovered
using sunlight until one day he demonstrated it to me while we were
doing other experiments.
Raman’s was a very inspiring and colourful personality, and his
contributions to science in India will last forever. I hope that this
book captures these different aspects of Raman - the man and the
scientist.
A. Jayaraman
Phoenix, February 2017
Foreword
The lives of men and women who achieve great distinction in sci¬
ence, literature or art hold a great fascination for the general public.
A creative accomplishment standing well above even superior excel¬
lence is awe-inspiring. Even great discoverers reach the height of
creativity only a few times during their career; the intense emotion
then felt by them is best illustrated by the story of Archimedes run¬
ning through the streets of Syracuse shouting “Eureka!”.
The contemporary style of scientific reporting, as it has evolved,
however, leaves out much of the drama — the initial inspiration,
the feverish pursuit, the false trails and frustrations, and, finally, the
ecstasy of discovery. Even the presentation of scientific controversies
in the professional journals is subdued, thanks to alert editors! The
excitement of scientific research, the colourful persons who populate
the scientific community, the clash of personalities — all of these are
carefully excluded from published literature, only to become a part
of scientific folklore. Biographies of great personalities in science
are, therefore, all the more precious documents. When written by
their contemporaries, especially if by one of their close associates,
they are invaluable.
Sir C. V. Raman, the discoverer of the Raman effect, made
numerous innovative and original contributions to modern physics,
optics and acoustics during the first half of this century. By his
scientific accomplishments and by his unique scientific leadership
in modern India, he made a profound impact. Dr A. Jayaraman, a
condensed matter physicist internationally known for his pioneering
xiii
XIV C. V. Raman — A Memoir
A. K. Ramdas
Professor of Physics
Purdue University
7 February 1989
West Lafayette, IN 47907
USA
Preface
XV
XVI C. V. Raman — A Memoir
point. His flow and style of English were extraordinarily lucid; read¬
ing his scientific memoirs is like reading a piece of literary exposi¬
tion.
He founded several scientific journals and nurtured them with
care, for he believed that the quality of work and the quality of a jour¬
nal go together. He published most of his scientific papers in these
journals and encouraged his students and coworkers to do the same.
He founded a Science Academy in Bangalore to serve as a forum for
discussing scientific results and disseminating scientific knowledge
through meetings, lectures and publications, by the Fellows of the
Academy and their associates. He took a keen interest in the affairs
of the Academy and got promising young scientists elected to the
Fellowship of the Academy, long before they reached the peaks in
their career. He could recognise talent and merit instinctively.
After his formal retirement from the Indian Institute of Science
he founded the Raman Research Institute to pursue his scientific in¬
terests, for retirement from scientific work was inconceivable for
Raman. The pursuit of Science was the most joyous experience for
him; it was the breath of his life. His scientific interests spanned sub¬
jects ranging from physics to biology and he could be truly called
a Natural Philosopher, a vanishing breed in these days of extreme
specialisation.
Raman was fiercely independent in thought and action and fear¬
less in expressing his views. He was respected and honoured by
Maharajas, princes, politicians and the general public. The men¬
tion of the name Sir C.V. Raman evoked respect and admiration
everywhere in India.
Raman had a finely honed aesthetic sense and loved Nature. He
loved colour, wherever it was found, in trees, gardens, flowers, sun¬
sets, mountains and lakes. He was very curious about Nature and
natural phenomena. If a subject interested him, he went into it deeply
without any preconceived ideas. He would question all previously
held views and reject them if they proved contrary to his experience.
He had the gift of being able to reduce complex problems to sim¬
ple and fundamental propositions. He often used to remark that a
Preface XV ll
researcher should get to the wood and not be lost in the foliage.
Raman was an experimentalist par excellence. In the understanding
of physical phenomena, his physical intuition often leaped several
steps over mathematics.
Raman was kind and generous to his associates and students.
He was quick to express appreciation of good work and also to give
tremendous encouragement at the right time. But he was also a man
of strong emotions and could get violently angry, when provoked.
In life he had fought many battles, both scientific and nonscientific.
He had to face very difficult situations, but he never gave up hope,
rejuvenating himself by immersion in scientific work.
What motivated Raman to do the extraordinary things he did
against all odds? What was the secret of his success? These are ques¬
tions to which there can be no simple answers. In fact, there will be
as many answers as there are minds that ponder over such questions.
But the events and course of his life are there, as facts, to examine,
to marvel at, and, perhaps, to provide a glimpse of understanding.
I had the greatest good fortune to be associated with him for
eleven years, from 1949 to 1960, and moved closely with him, on
a day to day basis. He was very kind and generous to me and trusted
me very much. In fact, he treated me like his son, sharing his views,
his ideas and his dreams. For me, this was a period of great education
and experience and I owe my whole scientific career to him.
There are only a few biographical sketches on Raman — very
few in fact — including a recent one by G. Venkataraman. I thought
a first-hand account of Raman and his life would be of interest to and,
perhaps, inspire some young aspirants to a career in Science. My
account is, therefore, highly personalised, contains a lot of anecdotes
and has been written with a lay reader (with some interest in Science)
in mind. I have tried to cover the entire life of Raman to make this
memoir complete. But because of my association with Raman in
the later period, it may seem that I have devoted more pages to this
period. My justification is that you get a more complete view of a
person only from the vantage point of proximity. I, however, did not
keep any diary and, hence, most of this account is from memory.
xviii C. V. Raman — A Memoir
A. Jayaraman
18 May 1989
AT&T Bell Laboratories
Murray Hill, NJ-07974
USA
'
Chapter I
Prelude
1
2 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
In 1931, C.J. Davisson, who shared the 1937 Nobel Prize for
physics with G. P. Thomson, commenting on ‘Sir Chandrasekhara
Venkata Raman, Nobel Laureate’ in the April 1931 issue of Bell
Laboratories Record, had this to say: “It was remarked earlier on
that the Raman experiment is a rather simple one which might have
been made with equipment available in any physical laboratory at
any time in recent decades. It was no accident, however, that this
particular discovery was made by Raman rather than someone else.
Important discoveries in physics, even quite simple ones, are usu¬
ally made only by investigators who have cultivated intensively the
particular held concerned, and this is strikingly true in the present
instance.”
In the same article, Davisson comments: “It speaks well for the
development of science in India that Professor Raman apparently
owes little or nothing of his eminence to direct contact with physi¬
cists in other countries. His formal training was received entirely in
India, and, except for a single year, he has worked only in his native
land. In 1924 he attended the Toronto meeting of the British Associ¬
ation and afterward carried on his researches for some months at the
California Institute of Technology.”
Raman was a native genius who put India on the scientific map by
his own efforts. For almost six decades, Raman’s personality made
its deep impression on the Indian scientific scene. The story of his
success has few parallels, at least in the Indian context. His achieve¬
ment can only be attributed to the singular nature of his personality,
and the energy and vigour with which he pursued his goals. Max
Born has said of Raman: “There is no Indian physicist of the rank of
Raman. No man can compare with regard to his vigour or intensity.
This European intensity which Raman exhibits to a marked degree
would make an average Indian scientist suspicious of him.”
Raman showed an uncommon ability for independent thinking
right from the beginning. When he took to scientific research, he
was supremely confident of outstanding achievement. He used to
remark that he would bring the Nobel Prize for physics east of Suez.
Rabindranath Tagore had won a Nobel Prize for literature in 1913,
The scientific climate in India and British rule 3
but Raman was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in a scientific
field. Viewed from the times in which he was born and raised, it
was a statement no one lesser than Raman in determination could
have made.
Raman was born on November 7, 1888, in South India and died
on November 21, 1970. He was active as a scientist almost to the
very end. 1988 marked both the birth centenary of Raman as well as
the diamond jubilee of the Raman Effect.
Raman’s real interest was rooted in physics and an inner urge drove
him to seek an opportunity to satisfy this inner calling. He then dis¬
covered the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science located
at 210 Bowbazar Street, only a few blocks away from where he lived.
alighted from the car and knocked on the doors of the Association,
full of excitement and enthusiasm. Admitted inside by a person
called Asutosh Dey, who was later to become Raman’s most devoted
assistant, Raman met Amrit Lai Sircar and asked him if he could
conduct research at the Association during his spare time. The story
goes that Amrit Lai Sircar embraced Raman, exclaiming that they
had been waiting for a person like him all these years, and how happy
his father would have been to witness the entry of such a person into
the Association.
The Association premises consisted of a dusty lecture hall and a
large laboratory with dustier equipment, most of it meant for demon¬
stration. However, Raman set to work with enthusiasm and very
soon started producing research papers. From 1907 to 1917, except
for short absences from Calcutta on transfer to Rangoon and Nagpur,
Raman spent all his leisure time, which meant the evenings and very
late into the night daily, conducting experiments at the Association.
At that time, Raman’s research was directed to the acoustics of Indian
musical instruments and he published his findings in foreign journals
as well as in the Proceedings and bulletins of the Association.
All the facilities of the Association were at his disposal and he
also had the devoted and loyal assistance of Asutosh Dey, known to
everyone in the Association as Ashu Babu. Raman soon turned the
Association into a beehive of activity. His devotion and dedication
to research attracted many young students, teachers and professors
from local colleges and the universities, who joined him to partici¬
pate in the scientific excitement he generated.
All this meant a different story for Lokasundari Raman, a young
bride thrust into the hands of a strange young man with a consuming
passion for science. Lokasundari Raman once described the routine
of Raman thus: At 5.30 a.m. Raman goes to the Association, returns
at 9.45 a.m., bathes, gulps his food in haste, leaves for his office,
invariably by taxi to be on time for work; at 5 p.m. he goes directly
to the Association on his way back from office and comes home at
9.30 or 10 p.m., after spending the evening at the laboratories of
Pal it Professor 11
Palit Professor
Raman made such a profound impression on the leading education¬
ists and citizens of Calcutta that Sir Asutosh Mookerjee, the Vice-
Chancellor of the Calcutta University, offered him the Sir Tarakanath
Palit Professorship of Physics at the University College of Science,
Calcutta. The appointment to the chair, however, required that the
candidate should have received training abroad. Raman refused to
comply with this condition. The Vice-Chancellor eventually changed
the provisions and Raman took the chair in 1917. His resignation
from the FCS meant giving up a lucrative job in exchange for one
with five times less emoluments.
When announcing his plans for filling the chair, Asutosh
Mookerjee stated:
I regret to say, does not carry even liberal emoluments. This one
instance encourages me to entertain the hope that there will be no
lack of seekers after truth in the Temple of Knowledge which it is our
ambition to erect.”
The encomiums paid to Raman on this occasion were well deser¬
ved. The remarks made by Asutosh Mookerjee, as well as the manner
in which Raman made his decision, have a deeper significance than
what is apparent, in the context of the situation in the country at the
time. Scientific research as a whole-time career was not heard of
in those days in India and most of the top students of the time, like
Raman, drifted from college into Government Service almost as a
matter of routine. However, the fact that Raman showed scant regard
for material prospects and did not hesitate to exchange the position
he was enjoying with an academic appointment, at the first available
opportunity, is unique. This decision of his was one of considerable
significance. Very few persons would have had the courage to do so.
The surrender of what might be called the preferments of office
in favour of the pursuit of knowledge, especially when a person is
well settled in life, as Raman was at that time, is certainly an act of
great courage. But it is interesting to note that Raman is reported to
have remarked on one occasion, in a mood of introspection, that Sir
Asutosh’s offer of the professorship to an unknown government
official was an act of great courage, whereas his own acceptance
of it without demur was just a case of following his inclinations.
Events that followed have more than justified the hopes entertained
by Asutosh Mookerjee in offering the professorship to Raman and
the ambitions that impelled the latter to accept it.
Prof. Raman’s residence at Calcutta used to be just behind the
Association. He had, therefore, provided himself a back door en¬
trance by which he could enter the Association at any time of the day
or night, for he never worked according to the clock. Asutosh Dey
(Ashu Babu), the Assistant Secretary, resided on the premises and
was ever ready to assist Raman whenever he wished to carry out his
experiments at the Association’s laboratories. Raman often used to
work far into the night and, when exhausted, sleep on a table until the
Palit Professor 13
Raman’s first trip abroad was to the UK, to attend the Congress of
Universities of the British Empire held in the summer of 1921 at
Oxford. He represented the University of Calcutta at the Congress.
This visit gave him an excellent opportunity to meet the leading sci¬
entists of the British Empire, who knew about Raman and admired
his researches at Calcutta. His lecture at the Physical Society of Lon¬
don on his latest researches in Optics and Acoustics, with experi¬
mental demonstrations, drew a large number of physicists and was
immensely appreciated.
About this time, Raman was getting deeply interested in Mod¬
ern Physics. Before long, in fact during the return voyage, he laid
the foundations for what were to be some of his most outstanding
researches for the next few decades. An intense love of Nature, of
the beauty of natural phenomena and of colour in scenery was one
of the most prominent traits of Raman. Now, during this voyage, he
became fascinated with the deep blue colour of the sea.
The late Lord Rayleigh had some years earlier explained another
natural phenomenon, viz. that the blue of the sky was due to the scat¬
tering of sunlight by the molecules constituting the atmosphere. Such
an authority like Lord Rayleigh also arrived at the questionable con¬
clusion that the blue of the sea was due to the reflection of the sky
blue by the ocean’s surface!
Raman’s marvellous intuition led him to examine the colour of
the ocean very critically during the voyage. He used the simplest
of equipment, viz. just a Nicol prism, to help him. His wonderful
imagination now led him to eliminate the sky-light reflected by the
sea surface at the Brewsterian angle by observing the sea surface in
the crossed position of the Nicol prism. He was dismayed to find the
colour of the sea persisting as a much richer blue than that of the sky!
Even on those occasions when the sea was disturbed by waves,
he found that the deep blue of the sea itself came out unmistakably,
First trip abroad and entry into light-scattering 15
on quenching with the crossed Nicol prism the polarised light of the
sky reflected by one side of the waves. By the time he got back
to Calcutta, he was quite convinced that the blue colour of the sea
was due to the scattering of the incident sunlight by the molecules
of liquid water and that Lord Rayleigh’s earlier suggestion was not
altogether correct.
Immediately after arriving in Calcutta, Raman started critical
laboratory experiments with samples of water kept in clean rectan¬
gular glass vessels and illuminated laterally with a strong parallel
beam of light. He observed the track of the beam in a perpendicular
direction. During the next three or four weeks he carried out several
crucial experiments with water. The disturbing effect of dust was
eliminated by using distilled water kept at rest for many weeks, thus
allowing most of the motes time to settle down. The lateral scattering
now came out as a feeble blue track that was very highly polarised.
The intensity of scattering by water, as observed and as calculated
from the Einstein-Smoluchowski formula (originally worked out to
explain the very strong critical opalescence of liquids at their critical
temperature), was shown to be just 160 times stronger than in pure
dust-free air.
Raman wrote his classic paper The Molecular Scattering of Light
in Water and the Colour of the Sea within a month of his return to
India and it was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of
London (Vol. A. 101, 1921, pp. 64-80). Only after sending away
this paper for publication did he travel down to South India to meet
his wife.
Soon after his return from South India, Raman started writing out
his memoir entitled The Molecular Diffraction of Light. In its chap¬
ters, besides discussing results already obtained, he outlined plans
for the many further experimental researches to be undertaken ur¬
gently to investigate the molecular diffraction of light by matter in
the gaseous, liquid and solid states, during its transitions from the
gaseous to the liquid and from the liquid to the solid states, in liquid
mixtures, in solutions and in relation to chemical constitution. In this
16 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
Visit to Pasadena
Very soon after he became FRS, Raman was invited by the British
Association for the Advancement of Science to inaugurate the dis¬
cussion on The Scattering of Light at its session in Toronto in Canada
in June 1924. After opening the discussion at Toronto, he travelled
with the Association across Canada, and then visited Toronto again
to attend the International Congress of Mathematicians, as a repre¬
sentative of the Calcutta University. He then proceeded to Philadel¬
phia, USA, to attend the Centenary of the famous Franklin Institute.
Also attending this Centenary was the leading American physicist,
R. A. Millikan, who invited Raman to spend some months as Vis¬
iting Professor at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
During the fall and winter of 1924, Raman delivered a regular course
of lectures on thermodynamics to a group of American physicists
and senior scholars at the Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics,
Pasadena.
Visit to Pasadena 17
The noted scientist, who has come to the Southland from Toronto,
Canada, where he recently arrived from India, received a splendid
tribute from his interested audience at the close of his address.
Both the physicist and the chemist, Dr Raman believes, have left a
neutral space between their theories as to the construction of the atom,
especially as those theories apply to light, and his mission was to give
each food for thought, so that the two great sciences might be brought
closer together.
One piece of apparatus which he has invented for the study of light¬
scattering in gases and vapour, is a huge black box, seven feet in
height, in which an observer may station himself, and in which an
apparatus contains the gas, air, or vapour, to be studied. Dr Raman,
with rare humor has named this ‘The Black Hole of Calcutta’.
The lecture will be given in the lecture hall of the Norman Bridge
Laboratory of Physics from seven to eight o’clock, Friday evening,
December 12th. It is open to the public without charge.”
“The evening drive usually led to the Calcutta Maidan, stopping some¬
where near the statue of Lord Kitchner or Lord Roberts. Getting
down. Prof. Raman would take a brisk walk towards Fort William
and then take some quick jerks of ‘Kasrat’ and ‘Dand’ for exercise.
He would then walk back to his carriage and drive home. On the oc¬
casion when I was with him, while walking back to the carriage at a
distance of half-a-mile, he suddenly asked for the exact time. I said
7.20 p.m. He asked me if I had a watch. I said ‘No’ but pointed at the
distant tower clock of Whiteaway and Laidlaw. He said that it takes
him exactly 12 minutes to cover the distance and would check if I was
right. To my great relief the time was 7.32 when we reached the car¬
riage! He complimented me on what he called my excellent eye-sight.
On the return drive we had a very interesting discussion on our current
22 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
the classical theory and this helped him to realise that the "weak
fluorescence’ might be the incoherent scattering with a change of
wavelength, analogous to the Compton scattered radiation. Back
from vacation and with new insights, Raman decided to find a sat¬
isfactory solution to the problem and asked Krishnan to stop his
work on theoretical problems and start more intensive experimental
studies on the anomalous scattering in liquids and vapours. He put
Venkateswaran and Krishnan on purifying the liquids and got them
to repeat the observations. In January 1928 the former found that in
pure glycerine the scattered light was greenish in colour instead of
the usual blue, and that the radiation was strongly polarised. This
gave them a fresh impetus to attack the problem.
Raman and Krishnan set up a better scattering set-up to exam¬
ine the scattered intensity. They used a powerful beam of sunlight,
focussed by an 18 cm telescope objective lens combined with a short
focus lens. This was passed through a blue-violet filter and then
through the liquid (contained in a sealed flask) purified by repeated
double distillation in vacuo. When a second filter of green glass,
which was complementary in colour to the blue-violet filter, was
placed in the path of the incident beam, no track of the scattered
light was visible in the transverse direction. When the same was
placed between the bulb and the observer, the track within the liquid
continued to be visible, though less brightly.
Krishnan confirmed on February 7, 1928, the presence of ‘weak
fluorescence’ observed by Ramanathan earlier in a number of organic
liquids and vapours. Nearly 80 different aromatic, aliphatic and in¬
organic liquids were examined and the effect was seen in all cases,
indicating thereby the universal character of the phenomenon. It was
shown to be distinctly different from the usual fluorescence, because
of its feebleness and strong polarisation which was nearly the same
as that of the unmodified scattered light.
Raman personally verified all these observations and was very
excited. Krishnan noted in his diary, that on the night of Febru¬
ary 7th, Professor Raman rushed to Krishnan’s residence to tell him
that the observations they had made that morning were related to the
Discovery of the Ramon Effect 25
from such a lamp was passed through the bulb containing a dust-free
liquid, and the spectrum of the scattered light was observed through a
direct vision spectroscope, it was found to exhibit two or more sharp
bright lines in the blue and green regions of the spectrum. These
lines were not present in the spectrum of the incident light or in the
unfiltered light of the mercury arc and are thus manufactured by the
molecules of the liquid.”
“5th February, 1928: For the last 3 or 4 days, I have been devoting
all my time to fluorescence. The subject promises to open out a wide
field for research, since, at present, there is no theory of fluorescence
which could explain even the outstanding facts.
When I told Professor about the results, he would not believe that
all liquids can show polarised fluorescence and in the visible region.
When he came into the room, I had a bulb of pentane in the tank,
a blue filter in the path of the incident light, and when he observed
the track with a combination of green and yellow filters he remarked,
“You do not mean to suggest, Krishnan, that all that is fluorescence”.
However, when he transferred the green yellow combination also in to
the path of the incident light, he could not detect a trace of the track.
He was very much excited and repeated several times that it was an
amazing result. One after another, the whole series of liquids was
examined and every one of them showed the phenomenon without
exception. He wondered how we missed all that five years ago.
he was much excited and had come to tell me that what we had ob¬
served that morning must be Kramers-Heisenberg Effect we had been
looking for all these days. We were talking in front of our house for
more than a quarter of an hour when he repeatedly emphasised the
exciting nature of the discovery.
9th February, Thursday. Set up this morning the long telescope and
made preliminary arrangements for observing the effect with vapours.
Before the arrangements were completed, Professor left for the Col¬
lege for his lecture.
In the afternoon, tried ether vapour and it was surprising that the mod¬
ified radiation was very conspicuous. Tried a number of others in
quick succession without however the same success.
Evening was busy, and when Professor returned after his walk he told
me that I ought to tackle big problems like that and asked me to take
up the problem of the experimental evidence for the spinning electron
after this work was over.
Raman’s work was done with liquids which turned out to be strong
scatterers. When Raman’s first two papers were seen by the French
group they immediately recognized the nature of the phenomenon
and quickly realised its importance to chemical physics.
Quite independently, Landsberg and Mandel’shtam had
been working on light scattering in crystalline quartz and, within
a short time of Raman’s announcement of the discovery, these two
Russian physicists came out with their announcement of having ob¬
served a modified line in the scattered spectrum. Raman, however,
had clearly established his priority. From the very beginning he held
the view that scientific results should find prompt publication and he
practised this throughout his life. It was precisely for this reason that
he created the Indian Journal of Physics in Calcutta and started the
Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences when he shifted to
Bangalore.
Raman with his experimental apparatus used in the discovery of the Raman
effect.
32 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
my gratitude for this act of kindness. The literature of the new effect
is growing at a great pace. I hope the Nobel Committee may give a
favourable decision in December next if my name is put before them
on the occasion also.”
After receiving the Nobel Prize, Raman visited Sommerfeld in
Munich. He was received with great joy: “We welcome our guest
not only as a successful scientist and discoverer but also as a rep¬
resentative of the age-old and now rejuvenated culture of the Orient
which trustfully cooperates with the Occidental culture and strives
for the same ends.”
Raman was proposed for the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1929 by
N. Bohr and C. Fabry and in 1930 by E. Bloch, N. Bohr, L. and M.
deBroglie, O. Khvolson, J. Perrin, R. Pfeiffer, E. Rutherford, J. Stark
and C. T. R. Wilson. Sommerfeld’s name does not appear in the list
of nominators. However, it is likely that he wrote to the Committee
and the recommendation did not get into the official records. Raman
was awarded the Prize in 1930 and news of the award was hailed uni¬
versally. Raman, accompanied by Lady Raman, left for Stockholm,
to receive the Nobel Prize, on December 10, 1930. He was 42 years
old.
The meetings of the Nobel Committee are held in the highest se¬
crecy and the awards announced in November, only about a month
before the prize-giving ceremony in mid-December. Given the time
it would have taken to reach Europe by steamship in those days, it
would have been surprising if Raman could have reached Stockholm
in time for the ceremony if he had arranged for passage only after re¬
ceiving the telegram. It is now a historical fact, however, that Raman
had, in anticipation, booked tickets for himself and his wife in July
that year and it was this that enabled them to reach Stockholm in
early December!
The Scandinavian is of great height and size, and I was somewhat shy
of my comparatively short stature.
Even after reaching the hotel, the stream of photographers and news¬
paper reporters continued to show us their attention. Indians are rare
phenomena in Scandinavia and our photographs were published ad
nauseam. It was very difficult to get rid of the newspaper men. They
38 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
“The award of the Nobel Prizes took place on the 10th December be¬
tween 4 and 7 p.m. If I shut my eyes, I can still see as in a dream
the great concert hall of Stockholm, decorated with flowers and flags,
filled with more than 4,000 people, the King and Queen of Sweden
and the Royal family occupying the first seats. The Nobel Laureates
then entered the Hall, each accompanied by a Professor in his own
subject and followed by such Nobel Laureates of previous years as
were present in Stockholm and the members of the Academy. As the
procession entered, the whole audience stood up and remained stand¬
ing until the Laureates took their seats amidst a fanfare of trumpets.
The Laureates of the year were seated on one side of the dais and
their introducers on the opposite side. The Secretary of the Academy
of Sciences read a report and gave a brief account of Nobel’s life. Dr
Pleijel, Professor of Electro-Technics in the University of Stockholm,
then rose and spoke for twenty minutes on my husband’s investiga¬
tions on the scattering of light and the new effect that had been dis¬
covered by him. (Note: This speech is given in its entirety at the end
of this section.) He then addressed my husband and said,
Laureate then approached the Royal Seat and bowed before the King,
who took him by the hand and presented him the Nobel Medal, Prize
and Diploma. This was attended with loud cheering and was followed
by orchestral music for about fifteen minutes.
Then followed in succession the addresses on the work of the other
Laureates and the award of the medal, prize and diploma to each of
them.
The whole ceremony took about 3 hours and was followed by the
Nobel banquet which took place at the Mela, a beautiful building pic¬
turesquely situated by the side of the Malar lake. The banqueting hall
can accommodate about 400 guests. The Nobel Laureates sat at the
Royal Table. The dinner was of the most lavish scale. Wine flowed
freely. A few vegetarian dishes had been considerately provided for
us. When it came to the drinking of health, we had our cups filled
with water. In replying to the toast, Sir Raman spoke of the glories
of ancient India. He spoke of the great renunciation of Buddha, the
Royal ascetic and world teacher, and of his message of non-violence
and love which embraced all living creation. It was nearly twelve
when the party broke up.
Next day, the Nobel lectures were delivered at the University. Each
prize-winner spoke on his own work. These lectures are later collected
in the form of a book. In the evening, there was a reception by the
King and Queen at the Palace. After dinner, the guests were shown
round the library and art collections and time passed pleasantly in
conversation with various members of the Royal family. We met there
a grandson of Tolstoy who kindly took us to various places of interest.
The 12th December was a very cold day. A chill wind was blowing.
In the night we witnessed an interesting popular festival called Lucia-
light. There was a procession led by a young maid with a crown of
lighted candles on her head. The legend was that she was heralding the
advent of snow and was bringing light for the dark winter days ahead.
Strangely enough, when we woke up next morning, there was a sheet
of white snow all over the city, greatly enhancing its beauty. Next
to Venice, Stockholm is considered to be the most beautiful city in
Europe, with its large clear fresh-water lake in its centre, magnificent
buildings on the shores of the lake and its clean, broad streets.
As we had few further social engagements, we walked that morning
some distance out of the city to enjoy the beauty of the snow scenery.
40 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
The snow had transformed, as if by magic, the dark artificially lit city
and surroundings into a scene of ethereal beauty.
Lord Rayleigh, who has made a study of this effect, has put forward
the hypothesis that the blue colours of the sky and the reddish colour¬
ing that is observed at sunrise and sunset is caused by the diffusion of
light owing to the fine dust or the particles of water in the atmosphere.
The blue light from the sky would thus be light scattered to the sides,
while the reddish light would be light that passes through the lower
layers of the atmosphere and which has become impoverished in blue
rays owing to scattering. Later, in 1899, Rayleigh threw out the sug¬
gestion that the phenomenon in question might be due to the fact that
the molecules of air themselves exercised a scattering effect on the
rays of light.
This divergence from what was to be expected was made the starting-
point of a searching study of the nature of scattered light, in which
study Raman was one of those who took an active part. Raman sought
42 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
In order to study more closely the properties of the new rays, the pri¬
mary light that was emitted from a powerful mercury lamp was fil¬
tered in such a way as to yield a primary light of one single wave¬
length. The light scattered from that ray in a medium was watched in
a spectrograph, in which every wavelength or frequency produces a
line. Here he found that, in addition to the mercury line chosen, there
was obtained a spectrum of new sharp lines, which appeared in the
spectrograph on either side of the original line. When another mer¬
cury line was employed, the same extra spectrum showed itself round
it. Thus, when the primary light was moved, the new spectrum fol¬
lowed, in such a way that the frequency distance between the primary
line and the new lines always remained the same.
Only certain paths are stable. When the electron moves in such a
path, no energy is emitted. When, on the other hand, an electron falls
from a path with higher energy to one with lower energy — that is
to say, from an outer path to an inner path — light is emitted with a
frequency that is characteristic of these two paths, and the energy of
radiation consists of a quantum of light. Thus the atom can give rise
to as many frequencies as the number of different transitions between
the stable paths. There is a line in the spectrum corresponding to each
frequency.
Now the Raman Effect seems to conflict with this law. The positions
of the Raman-lines in the spectrum do not correspond, in point of fact,
with the frequencies of the atom itself, and they move with the acti¬
vating ray. Raman has explained this apparent contradiction and the
coming into existence of the lines by the effect of combination be¬
tween the quantum of light coming from without and the quanta of
light that are released or bound in the atom. If the atom, at the same
time as it receives from without a quantum of light, emits a quantum
of light of a different magnitude, and if the difference between these
two quanta is identical with the quantum of light which is bound or
released when an electron passes from one path to another, the quan¬
tum of light coming from without is absorbed. In that case the atom
will emit an extra frequency, which either will be the sum of or the
difference between the activating ray and a frequency in the atom it¬
self. In this case these new lines group themselves round the incom¬
ing primary frequency on either side of it, and the distance between
the activating frequency and the nearest Raman-lines will be identical
44 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
with the lowest oscillation frequencies of the atom or with its ultra-red
spectrum. What has been said as to the atom and its oscillations also
holds good of the molecule.
In this way we get the ultra-red spectrum moved up to the spectral line
of the activating light. The discovery of the Raman-line has proved
to be of extraordinarily great importance for our knowledge of the
structure of molecules.
So far, indeed, there have been all but insuperable difficulties in the
way of studying these ultra-red oscillations, because that part of the
spectrum lies so far away from the region where the photographic
plate is sensitive. Raman’s discovery has now overcome these diffi¬
culties, and the way has been opened for the investigation of the os¬
cillations of the nucleus of the molecules. We choose the primary ray
within that range of frequency where the photographic plate is sensi¬
tive. The ultra-red spectrum, in the form of the Raman-lines, is moved
up to that region and, in consequence of that, exact measurements of
its lines can be effected.
In the same way, the ultra-violet spectrum can be investigated with the
help of the Raman Effect. Thus we have obtained a simple and exact
method for the investigation of the entire sphere of oscillation of the
molecules.
Raman himself and his fellow-workers have, during the years that
have elapsed since the discovery was made, investigated the frequen¬
cies in a large number of substances in a solid, liquid and gaseous
state. Investigations have been made as to whether different con¬
ditions of aggregation affect atoms and molecules, and the molecu¬
lar conditions in electrolytic dissociation and the ultra-red absorption
spectrum of crystals have been studied.
Thus the Raman Effect has already yielded important results concern¬
ing the chemical constitution of substances; and it is to foresee that
the extremely valuable tool that the Raman Effect has placed in our
hands will in the immediate future bring with it a deepening of our
knowledge of the structure of matter.”
Civic honour by the Calcutta Corporation 45
Among the warm tributes paid to him on his return, that of the Cal¬
cutta Corporation is noteworthy.
The Corporation Address was presented to Sir Chandrasekhara
Venkata Raman on Friday, June 26, 1931, at a brilliant function in
the historic Town Hall of Calcutta. The hall was elegantly decorated
and illuminated, and a distinguished gathering, composed of some of
the foremost citizens, was present when the city fathers, representing
the public, acclaimed the Nobel Laureate.
At the head of the staircase, Prof. Raman, accompanied by Lady
Raman, was received by the Aldermen, Councillors and the principal
officers of the Corporation. As he entered the Hall at the head of
the procession, the whole assembly stood up and greeted him with
cheers.
On reaching the dais, the Mayor garlanded Sir Chandrasekhara,
amid applause. As Prof. Raman took his seat, there was a shower of
flowers upon him from an ingenious overhead contrivance.
To Prof. Raman’s right sat the Mayor, while to his left was seated
the Deputy Mayor. Distinguished guests, Aldermen, Councillors and
the principal officers of the Corporation occupied other seats on the
dais. The Mayor then read the Address, which was printed on Khad-
dar with gold embroidery, and presented it to Sir Chandrasekhara on
an engraved silver tray. The Address was received with applause by
the assembly.
Sir Chandrasekhara, who on rising received an ovation,
made a striking speech in the course of which he paid a tribute to
Calcutta, which, he said, has been “the intellectual metropolis not
only of Bengal, or of India, but of the whole of Asia, from which has
gone forth a living stream of knowledge in many branches of study”.
At the end of the function, the Mayor presented the Aldermen
and Councillors of the Corporation to Sir Chandrasekhara.
The Corporation offices and schools remained closed on Thurs¬
day, July 2nd, in honour of the presentation of the Corporation Ad¬
dress to Sir C. V. Raman. This Address read:
46 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
We recall with pride and pleasure that it was through one of our em¬
inent fellow citizens that the creative genius of the East received the
Civic honour by the Calcutta Corporation 47
homage of the West when the Nobel Prize was attracted for the first
time to Asia by the immortal works of our great national poet. We
rejoice to think that by unravelling the deep mysteries of Nature, a
most distinguished savant of this city has now brought to the East for
the first time the highest award of the West in the held of Science.
There are occasions when even the most cold-blooded of men finds
himself deeply moved by emotion. It is possible that the ideal man of
science should be just a perfect thinking machine with no sentiment or
emotion in his make-up. That I am indeed far from approaching this
ideal was evident on a certain occasion in Stockholm last December
when the people of the coldest country in Europe tendered to a man of
science from the tropic East the highest distinction in their gift. On the
present occasion as well, I have difficulty in finding words in which
to convey my feelings. Permit me, Sir, to express my gratitude to you
and your Fellow-Councillors for what must be regarded as a supreme
honour by every citizen of Calcutta.
You, Sir, have referred to my early career. It is not often that the ide¬
alism of student days finds adequate opportunity for expression in the
later life of manhood. It will soon be 25 years from the date of pub¬
lication of my first research work. That the scientific aspirations kin¬
dled by that early work did not suffer extinction has been due entirely
48 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
It was the late Dr Mahendra Lai Sircar, who, by founding the Indian
Association for Cultivation of Science, made it possible for the sci¬
entific aspirations of my early years to continue burning brightly. Dr
Sircar devoted a life-time of labour to the institution which he created
and equipped in the hope that it would some day be utilised tor the
advancement of science in India. Its doors were open, awaiting the
arrival of someone who could utilise the resources it offered. That
arrival happened to be myself. Dr Mahendra Lai Sircar did not, alas,
live to see his aims accomplished. He sowed that others might reap.
It has been my good fortune to have had during the past 15 years a long
succession of highly gifted collaborators. To them, also, I am under a
deep debt of obligation, for it is their assistance that has made possible
much of the work that has emerged from my laboratory. It is generally
believed that it is the students who derive benefit by working under
the guidance of a Professor. In reality, the Professor benefits equally
by his association with gifted students working under him. From the
very first, I have acted under the firm conviction that a Professor who
succeeds in attracting and inspiring a group of co-workers was also
benefiting himself and rendering to the cause of Science far greater
service than he could ever hope to offer in splendid isolation.
You, Sir, have referred to the fact that I never had any training in
foreign laboratories or Universities. I believe myself that this was a
fortunate circumstance, for it is my firm conviction that the highest
inspiration for scientific work is that which comes from within one¬
self. It is my earnest hope that it will be possible in the near future to
create opportunities in our own country for students to do the highest
type of creative scientific work. In saying this, I do not for a moment
suggest that we have nothing to learn from Europe or America, but
surely it is better that we learn to accomplish whatever we can within
our own borders.
You, Sir, have said that you desire my association with Calcutta to be a
permanent one. Let me say at once that this is also my earnest desire. I
consider it my great good fortune to have been a citizen of Calcutta for
nearly 25 years. Some have said that research work cannot be carried
on successfully except in cool climates, such as those of Bangalore or
Dehra Dun. A hot day in June is not an opportune moment to enter
upon praise of the physical climate of Calcutta. But from the point
of view of research, there is something more important than physical
climate, and that is the intellectual climate of the environment. For a
hundred years, Calcutta has been the intellectual metropolis not only
of Bengal, or of India, but of the whole of Asia. From Calcutta has
gone forth a living stream of knowledge in many branches of study. It
is inspiring to think of the long succession of scholars, both Indian and
50 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
European, who have lived in this city, made it their own, and given it
of their best. It must be a profound privilege to be able to work and
live in such an environment.
Allow me to thank you once again for the great honour you have done
Chapter II
51
52 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
the Institute. Raman, far too conscious of his own superiority, made
other people feel small in his presence. His acute mind and sharp
tongue seemed to constantly provoke resentment and tension around
him.
All these could have been contributing factors. For one thing, a
man of success in India is an object of great envy and he often finds
himself in situations full of intrigues and plotting. In fact, Raman’s
leaving Calcutta appears to have been the result of intrigues and
backbiting created by jealous colleagues. The Indian Institute of Sci¬
ence was a much bigger institution even in those times, with a num¬
ber of scientists and engineers with widely different backgrounds and
loyalties. Such being the case, it would have been a difficult task for
even a very tactful person to run the place smoothly. Unfortunately,
Raman was a person who had no patience, was far from tactful, and
did not have much tolerance for different viewpoints. He was eas¬
ily excitable and said what he thought of people and their actions
straight to their faces. Further, his style of administration was highly
personalised revealing his strong likes and dislikes. All these quali¬
ties made him easy prey and, in less than three years, many, including
several senior faculty members, turned against him.
In the matter of the appointment of Max Born to a permanent
Chair and in inviting other scientists from abroad, Raman had appar¬
ently not taken permission of the management, the Governing Coun¬
cil of the Indian Institute of Science. Some of the other charges lev¬
elled against him were that he developed the Physics Department at
the expense of other departments, that he wasted money on beautify¬
ing the Institute grounds, and so forth.
While Raman could admittedly be a difficult person, there is rea¬
son to wonder whether it was not just the ‘scientific politics’ of the
times that brought about his demotion. It is a pity that a scientist of
his stature had to suffer indignities which left an indelible bitterness
in him. An institution which is governed by consensus and which
is bureaucratic by nature was totally at odds with Raman’s way of
thinking. It is out of this realisation that he decided to create a re¬
search institute of his own, where his will and wishes would prevail.
The Raman Research Institute 57
facing the north, the long side laid out in the east-west direction, with
the east and west wings at the ends. A protruding portico near the
western end served as the main entrance to the building. There were
pillared verandahs all round, both on the ground floor and the first
floor. A large granite staircase faced the entrance. It had a landing
platform at the half-way point, where it turned 180° to lead up to
the first floor. These steps were beautifully dressed rectangular slabs
of granite cantilevered from the adjacent wall. Raman used to point
out this feature to visitors and remark that he could take a full-grown
elephant up them to the first floor. The steps had dressed granite
banisters.
On reaching the first floor, a pillared porch right on top of the
portico invited one’s attention. This was a favourite spot of Raman.
From this portico there was a panoramic view of the northern side,
and on a clear day the distant Nandi Hills could be clearly seen, their
well-defined outline resembling that of a reposing bull. Further de¬
tails on the hills could be seen with the help of a telescope. The fore¬
ground was somewhat bereft of vegetation, but the overall picture
was of a vista exhilarating to the mind and a feast to the eye. Raman
hardly ever failed to give a visitor the experience of this sight, his
commentary adding another dimension to the view.
To the west of the building was the majestic tower of the Indian
Institute of Science, with the Institute complex in the foreground.
This sight however did not please Raman. So he planted a eucalyp¬
tus grove to block the view. He never forgot the unpleasant events
connected with his tenure as Director of the Indian Institute of Sci¬
ence. These had left a deep scar on him. Sometimes Raman used
to make pungent remarks about the Institute. He, however, would
quickly change the subject and talk about eucalyptus, saying how
much he enjoyed the scent wafted by a favourable wind from that
direction.
When Raman shifted his activities in 1949 to the Raman Re¬
search Institute, the building was barely completed. There was no
electricity and the plumbing was just being laid. In November 1949,1
joined Raman as his research assistant. He appointed J. Padmanabhan
The Raman Research Institute 59
as his technical assistant about the same time. A stenotypist was ap¬
pointed just a little before us. The three of us were the nuclear staff
of the Raman Research Institute.
Raman recruited his staff in his own way. He was fed up with
rules and regulations followed in big institutions such as the IISc.
He applied the criteria of ability and proven merit rather than paper
qualifications and evaluated candidates in his own way. Once, there
was a query from the Government as to the basis on which he re¬
cruited his staff. Raman wrote back saying, “On the basis of proven
merit”.
The first technical person Raman appointed was Padmanabhan,
who was recommended to him by H. Parameswaran. The latter had
trained Padmanabhan as an optical technologist. Raman had great re¬
gard for Parameswaran who had, at one time, been Professor at Pres¬
idency College, Madras, and had later gone to Trivandrum to serve
as the Director of Industries in Travancore State. Parameswaran was
an expert in optics and had constructed telescopes and other optical
apparatus for research in the subject. Padmanabhan had, therefore,
received excellent training and turned out to be a master optical tech¬
nologist. Raman appreciated very much Padmanabhan’s work and
the excellence he was able to achieve. Padmanabhan had the unique
distinction of staying with Raman for twenty years, until the latter’s
death. He retired from the Raman Institute in 1984, after 35 years
of service. Padmanabhan served Raman with dedication; Raman, in
turn, liked him very much and treated him very kindly.
In my own case, it was a chance meeting with Raman that re¬
sulted in a most happy and productive association with him for eleven
years, from November 1949 to October 1960. After obtaining the
Bachelor’s degree in Science from the University of Madras, I spent
a year-and-a-half in search of a business-related career. Not find¬
ing satisfaction and drawn towards science by a strong inner urge, I
went to the College of Engineering, Guindy, to work as a research
scholar in physical chemistry under a well-known physical chemist
who headed the Science Department there. After a year, I became
a demonstrator with some teaching duties and laboratory work, but
60 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
the UV so that visitors could see the contrast. It was like being in
a fairyland, where things took shape in splendid colours, as the UV
lamps warmed up. Raman would explain to his audience what lumi¬
nescence is and why the specimens showed such colours. This was
one of the main attractions of the museum at the Raman Research
Institute and visitors carried away with them a vivid impression of
the show. In the western wing, one room was set apart for geologi¬
cal specimens (rocks and rock-forming minerals) and two rooms for
the display of butterflies, beetles, stuffed birds, iridescent shells and
nacre.
Raman equipped the Institute with beautiful museums, lecture
hall, library, offices and laboratories and carried on his scientific
work in it with tremendous enthusiasm and fervour. He also took
a few research students, but the Institute was founded primarily for
him to work on his interests.
Raman had aristocratic tastes. He dreamed of a villa with a
sunken garden and a pergola for his residence in the campus of the
Raman Research Institute. He again approached the Maharaja and
asked him to grant him (Raman) four acres of land adjacent to the
southern side of the campus. This was part of the agricultural land.
His request was granted and he was extremely happy about it. Right-
away he fenced the additional property and planted it with a num¬
ber of flowering trees and shrubs. He then built his dream house, a
lovely residence, in the southeast corner of the property. The Direc¬
tor’s house was a long one-storey building in dressed granite, facing
a sunken garden on the southern side and a pergola on the north¬
ern side. The sunken garden was filled with some of the loveliest
rose plants in Bangalore. On the eastern side, Bangalore’s northern
Kempegowda tower stood like a sentinel on the red hill. Raman lo¬
cated his bedroom in such a way that he could see the tower from his
bedroom window. For the pergola he chose a violet and yellow flow¬
ering creeper. A drive-in portico built of granite stood on this side
straddling a circular driveway. On the western side, Raman planted
a variety of flowering shrubs and laid out several walks. All in all, it
was a lovely location and a beautiful home.
66 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
Raman did not occupy the house right away and continued to live
in his bungalow in Malleswaram, about two miles from the Institute.
The first occupant of the Director’s quarters was Palmer Craig, a
visiting professor of electrical communications from the USA to the
Indian Institute of Science. This curious occurrence happened this
way. Craig was looking for a house when he met Raman casually one
day and mentioned his predicament. Jokingly Raman said, “I have a
lovely house, but I don’t think you will pay the kind of rent I want for
it”. Craig wanted to know how much the rent was and Raman quoted
Rs 2000 a month. Craig saw the house and immediately agreed to
pay the rent asked. To an American Professor this was nothing very
extravagant and, in any case, it was a lovely location and a well-
appointed bungalow. Raman was caught in a tight corner, but agreed
to let the house to Craig for two years. Maybe he thought it would
bring in a tidy sum of money which he could use for the Institute.
But towards the end of the contract, he was getting impatient, for
he wanted to move into the house very badly. Once or twice he
remarked to me that he had made a mistake in letting the house and
that he should not have succumbed to the high rent.
Raman had arranged to build a hostel and two houses in the cam¬
pus and wanted me to occupy one of the houses. In fact, he wanted
me to design a compact building with all amenities and took a great
interest in the project. He used to remark: “You must live in comfort.
Have a nice Western toilet and a geyser in the bathroom.” He was
very considerate to me and gave me the house free of rent. Living in
the campus had advantages as far as scientific work was concerned,
but in those days the Raman Institute campus seemed so far away
from civilisation. The air, however, was pure and the surroundings
lovely. The research students, my family and the family of Venkat-
achar, the manager of the Indian Academy of Sciences, lived in these
quarters as one large family, sharing the troubles and enjoying the
amenities.
Before Raman moved into the Director’s house at the Raman
Institute campus, he lived in his own palatial house in the Malleswa¬
ram section of Bangalore. This house was known as Panchavati
The Raman Research Institute 67
death, several new buildings were indeed put up on this land, includ¬
ing a building which houses an impressive radio telescope for mil¬
limetre wave radio astronomy. Raman’s foresight and vision have
proved absolutely correct. The value of the land has multiplied by a
factor of two or three hundred at current prices and had Raman not
acquired this land, it would have been impossible for the Institute to
expand one of its principal activities in such a convenient location.
Raman also acquired a few acres of land in Madras, in a locality
which became one of the nicest residential sections in the city. He
put up a house there and wanted to establish a branch of the Raman
Institute in Madras devoted to mathematical sciences. This property
was, however, sold by him in the Sixties for over a million rupees.
Early Days
For nearly two years after my joining, that is until the end of 1951,
the Raman Research Institute did not have any electricity. We set
up a dark room for photography, and darkened the end room in the
west wing to carry out optical studies with sunlight. A pillar with
a platform was built at a suitable distance outside this room on the
southern side and sunlight was reflected with a hand-operated helio-
stat. A heliostat is a device used to reflect a beam of sunlight at a
constant angle and consists of a mirror mounted on an axis which
points at the Pole Star. It follows the sun and throws the reflected
light beam on the same spot. The device is usually driven by a clock
mechanism, but in the early days of the Institute we used the human
hand to operate our heliostat. One of the laboratory attendants was
stationed outside and he rotated the mirror axis as smoothly as pos¬
sible to keep in step with the sun’s motion. This was a tedious job
and, at times, the beam disappeared when the attendant dozed off.
At other times, the beam was kept in order with a knock on the win¬
dow to give the necessary feedback. Sometimes there was a constant
struggle between the experimenter and the attendant. Amazingly, it
all worked satisfactorily and we got a lot of research accomplished
this way, despite the handicap of not having electricity.
The Raman Research Institute 69
believe whatever he had to say about the car, its health and its per¬
formance. Parthasarathy was also Raman’s time-keeper. Raman had
many wrist watches, but he either forgot to wear them, or even if
he had one on his wrist it would not be showing the proper time,
for he would not have wound it. Driver Parthasarathy had an old
wrist watch, perhaps a quarter-century old, with only the hour hand
on it. Raman always asked him what the time was before he started
on an outing. And Parthasarathy would quite correctly estimate the
time from the position of the hour hand and announce it. Then the
command would come from Raman: “Let us go. It is getting late.”
Raman had an old Willys sedan of light grey colour which gave ex¬
cellent service. In 1951, or thereabouts, he bought a new Studebaker,
a large car two-tone in colour, grey and green.
Raman was an early riser and was always ready for work at 6
a.m. or even earlier. Some days he used to walk the two miles to
the Institute early in the morning, cutting across Malleswaram and
taking the short cut through Sankey Tank Road. Lady Raman would
later send the car with his breakfast, usually a piece of toast, banana
and coffee. One day, Raman told us that he would like to become
independent of the driver. So he bought a new bicycle. For two
days, Raman, Padmanabhan and myself used to ride our bicycles to
the Institute. This, however, did not work out, for Raman became
very tired pedalling the bicycle up the gradient, all the way from the
Institute of Science Circle to Hebbal. Further, Raman did not pay
much attention to traffic on the road and often strayed to the wrong
side. This proved dangerous and Lady Raman forbade him from
cycling to the Institute. He then gave his cycle to Padmanabhan. It
was strange the way Raman would get on his bicycle. He would put
one foot on the fork and climb on, take a few hops with the other foot
and then settle on the seat. I presume that is the old way of doing
it, but it was amusing to watch a 61-year-old Nobel Prize-winning
scientist hopping on to his bicycle seat in this fashion, before riding
alongside two of his assistants. Raman, however, did not usually pay
much attention to what others might say.
The colours of minerals, gemstones and crystals 73
There was another occasion when he hurt his toe and could not
wear shoes. For nearly a month he went about his business bare¬
footed. He would of course be fully dressed, but there would be no
shoes on his feet! It was funny to watch Raman walking barefoot,
unmindful of what others might think of him.
On the first of every month it was almost a religious duty with
him to go to the Central Bank of India in the city and return with
crisp new currency notes for the disbursement of salaries. If he was
ill and could not go, either Lady Raman went or he would ask me to
go. He loved to see the salaries paid promptly on the first of every
month and the employees kept happy and satisfied.
Raman instantly appreciated a job well done, whether it was sci¬
entific research, technical work or any other kind of activity. Pad-
manabhan used to make glass and quartz spheres of various sizes for
Raman and had evolved a clever technique to make them. They came
out beautifully. There is a magical quality to a large sphere of quartz;
they are fascinating to look at. Raman used to go into raptures when¬
ever Padmanabhan finished a sphere and placed it in his hands. He
would look at it and say: “Oh, is it not lovely? Padmanabhan, this
is beautiful! This is fantastic!” He would place the quartz sphere
between crossed polarisers and admire the concentric coloured rings
that appeared when viewed along the C-axis of the quartz crystal.
Balakrishnan had a lovely hand and Raman often asked him to
draw on the blackboard, using coloured chalk, pictures and equations
for his lectures. In those days, there were no Vugraph machines,
but Raman invented his own Vugraph by having the relevant things
drawn beautifully on the board. Raman appreciated Balakrishnan’s
artistic work on the blackboard very much and used to shower praise
on him. Such was his nature.
He told visitors: “I collect these items not just for display. They are
the source material for my research.” He had a lovely collection of
what are known as iridescent feldspars, which are naturally occur¬
ring silicate minerals that exhibit very colourful optical effects. Ra¬
man was deeply attracted by these feldspars known in mineralogical
literature as labradorite, peresterite, murchisonite, amazonite, moon¬
stone and sunstone.
While the labradorite and peresterite specimens were large, with
flat, polished surfaces, the moonstone, murchisonite and sunstone
were cut and polished as cabochons or hemispheres. There were
also uncut crystals of these in the collection, with crystallographic
cleavages. Among these, the iridescence of labradorite is most spec¬
tacular; it is in the nature of a brilliantly coloured metallic reflection
coming from the depth of the crystal when the specimen is held prop¬
erly, with respect to the incident light, and viewed. Further, the dark
background of the labradorite accentuates the colours, which change
hue when the angle of observation and incidence of light are changed
by tilting the specimen. A properly sectioned and polished speci¬
men of labradorite is gorgeous to look at and immediately arrests the
viewer’s attention.
The optical phenomenon exhibited by moonstone is in the na¬
ture of a diffuse reflection and the colour varies from a deep blue
to bluish-white to a silvery-white sheen. Most of the gem-quality
moonstones originate from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) or Korea and the blue
diffusion observed in them is sky blue in colour. There were some
very fine specimens of Ceylon and Korean moonstones in Raman’s
collection.
One of the very first research projects undertaken by Raman at
the Raman Research Institute was the study of iridescent feldspars, in
which I assisted him. As remarked earlier, there was no electricity in
the Institute at the time, so Raman used sunlight to study the optical
phenomena. In fact, this proved to be the best way, for a narrow
beam of sunlight incident upon the surface of a sample immersed
in a suitable fluid medium revealed rich details of the optical effect
exhibited by the stone. Thus, if the optical effect was in the nature of
The colours of minerals, gemstones and crystals 75
Love of diamonds
Raman’s love of diamonds is well known. Describing diamond as the
‘king of solids’, he carried out extensive studies on it. The first light¬
scattering measurement on diamond was initiated by Raman and he
assigned the task to his brother, C. Ramaswamy. The story goes
that when Ramaswamy got married, just prior to joining Raman in
Calcutta to work with him, his father-in-law had presented him with a
diamond ring, as was customary in those days. When Raman noticed
the stone, he was apparently fascinated by its sparkle and clarity and
suggested that Ramaswamy record the spectrum of the scattered light
from that very diamond. In this study, the strong vibrational line
characteristic of the diamond lattice was recorded for the first time.
78 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
“At the present time, diamonds are still forthcoming at and near Panna
in Central India. Two visits to Panna made by the author many years
ago gave him the opportunity of inspecting numerous specimens of
the diamonds found in that area in their original form as crystals. Par¬
ticular mention should be made of the magnificent set of 52 uncut
diamonds ranging in size from 25 carats down to 2 carats strung to¬
gether into a necklace by a predecessor of the Maharajah of Panna.
The beauty of the necklace arises from the lustre and shapeliness of
the gemstones. The two visits to Panna also enabled the author to
acquire for his collection a set of specimens for a more detailed study.
of the eye and how it functioned as the visual apparatus par excel¬
lence. He used to talk to visitors about rod vision, cone vision, colour
blindness and acuity of vision. He carried out very simple experi¬
ments with colour filters, using himself and others as guinea pigs.
The culmination of this work was the publication of a treatise enti¬
tled The Physiology of Vision.
Raman came to the conclusion, as stated in his own words, that
there is no reason to believe that the ideas regarding the nature of
vision and of visual processes inherited from the 19th century would
be sustainable at the present time, either on theoretical grounds or
even as purely empirical descriptions or interpretations of the ob¬
served phenomena. This conclusion was based on many observa¬
tions he made in regard to matters like the colours exhibited by nat¬
ural objects such as the night sky, the foliage and flowers, the birds
and butterflies, and so on. His book has the stated purpose of set¬
ting out in a systematic manner the procedures he adopted and the
results he obtained in carrying out several experiments relating to vi¬
sion and colour. He wrote that his was an independent study without
being influenced by ideas and beliefs inherited from the past. He
used to remark, half jokingly and half seriously, “I may get another
Nobel Prize for this work”. The topic was indeed very interesting
and timely and, in fact, a Nobel Prize was shared by Ragnar Granit,
Keffer Hartline and George Wald in 1967 for their discoveries con¬
cerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in
the eye.
It is interesting to note that the topics dealt with in the book are
as diverse as flowers, gemstones, and the structure and functioning
of the retina. While writing about flowers, Raman talks of asters,
orchids, roses and so on. While writing about gemstones, he talks
of emeralds, the red rubies of Burma, and the blue sapphires of Cey¬
lon. While writing about the retina, he describes his own technique
and methods of observation which enable us to view the living retina
and thereby gain some understanding of its structure and functioning.
These are topics which unquestionably cover a very wide range and
give us some insight into Raman’s interests and into his thinking in
84 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
the last years of his life. In fact, during the years when he was work¬
ing on problems of vision, he used to lead many of his visitors into a
darkened room, telling them with enthusiasm that he would let each
one see his own retina, by adopting a novel procedure discovered by
Raman himself. The following is a description of this procedure:
Butterflies
submit your Ph.D. thesis and then go. But you see, you can’t come
back here and I don’t know what you will do when you return.” I
really felt miserable that I would be leaving the Institute forever and
that too after having earned the displeasure of my mentor and revered
guru.
In the next few months I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation and sub¬
mitted it to the University of Madras. I left Bangalore on October
12, 1960, for California. The fact that I might be becoming one of
those stereotypes he had talked about bothered me very much. But
the time had come for us to part company and, with a heavy heart
and tears in my eyes, I took leave of my beloved Professor. For
eleven years I had been a close companion and confidant to him and
he had, in turn, treated me with utmost kindness and consideration.
He made me a research scientist and a physicist. I learned from him
how to appreciate nature, see loveliness and beauty in things, and the
methodology of research. Many times he had told me: “If you are
interested in a subject, start your own study on it. You will definitely
find something new that others have missed. It is the application of a
keen and observant mind that is important. You can do the literature
survey later.” This has proved to be so true for me in many of my
studies.
After I left in October 1960 he was very upset and recommended
all his research team, including Pancharatnam, to the Mysore faculty.
Apparently he offered Pancharatnam a Professorship at the Raman
Institute which, I was told later, Pancharatnam declined to accept.
They were all appointed by the Mysore University, but later there was
a court case connected with the appointments when some aggrieved
party alleged favouritism. I believe Raman had to appear in court
and give evidence. Finally, everything turned out all right, but this
turn of events was very unfortunate because Raman wanted to do the
best for the University and got hurt in the process. All the persons
involved represented the best men with him at the time and there was
no question of any favouritism.
After all this, Raman became very cynical in his attitude and
refused to take anyone into the Institute. With the assistance of
The founder's wish 91
I have always felt that science can only flower when there is an inter¬
nal urge. It cannot thrive under external pressures. I strongly believe
that fundamental science cannot be driven by instructional, industrial,
Governmental or military pressures. This was the reason why I de¬
cided, as far as possible, not to accept money from Government. I am
a very practical man and I am practical enough to see that it would not
be possible for others to run or grow a good institution without funds.
I have bequeathed all my property to the Institute. Unfortunately, this
may not be sufficient for the growth of this centre of learning. I, there¬
fore, will not put it as a condition that no Governmental funds should
be accepted by the Institute; I would, however, strongly urge taking
only funds that have no strings attached.
The founder's wish 93
that it enabled Raman to work there almost every day of the twenty-
and-odd years that he lived after retirement from his formal position
at the Indian Institute of Science.
Raman was appointed as National Professor for life (the first such
appointment) by the Government of India, after his retirement from
the Indian Institute of Science, to enable him to pursue his interests at
his new Institute. There is a story that a feeler was sent to him to find
out if he would accept the Vice-Presidency of India. He is reported
to have had a hearty laugh and said, “What would I do with it?”.
Raman was never a member of many committees and he resigned
in later years from even the few he was connected with. He even
resigned his Fellowship of the Royal Society. All that mattered to
him in the last two years was the pursuit of his scientific interest and
the future of the Raman Research Institute.
C.V. Raman and Vikram Sarabhai during the Indian Academy of Sciences
annual meeting held in Ahmedabad in December 1968. The Academy hon¬
oured Raman on his 80th birthday at this meeting.
The last years
Group photo taken at the 1968 Annual Meeting oflASc in Ahmedabad. Celebrating Raman \s 80th birthday.
97
98 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
Raman loved to talk about his Institute, his research and about him¬
self. When he was in a good mood, you could not meet a person
more inspiring and lovable than him. In the event he was in a bad
mood, it was prudent to stay away from him. Princes and politicians,
statesmen and scientists, students and teachers regularly visited the
Institute to see Raman and talk to him. He gave them an enthusiastic
welcome and took them round the museums, lecture theatres and on
to the verandas or the portico for a view of the distant vista and the
surrounding gardens. He talked to them about his current activities
and sometimes took them into the laboratory for a first-hand experi¬
ence of the phenomenon he was studying.
To some he showed his memorabilia, the medals, the honorary
doctoral gowns and the precious gifts he had received. Among these
the Nobel Diploma and the Nobel Medal figured prominently. The
Diploma was of exquisite calligraphy in a tastefully decorated for¬
mat. The heavy gold medal with Alfred Nobel in relief on it was
something everyone wanted to touch and feel. The honorary doctoral
gown of the University of Paris was a very impressive and colourful
piece of dress with cap to match. Raman would have looked majes¬
tic when he walked down the aisle, along with the academics of the
University of Paris, to receive the honorary doctorate conferred on
him. He once told me that he had earned only a Master’s degree in
101
102 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
physics; all the doctorates were honoris causa. Raman kept all his
memorabilia locked in steel almirahs in his downstairs room and the
keys to these secured in a steel safe.
He had an elaborate system of locks and keys to the laboratories
and steel cabinets. In the beginning, only he would open the safe and
give the keys to the museums, or to any other room to be opened.
As time went on, he gained confidence in me and Padmanabhan and
allowed us access to the heavy steel safe. Each bunch of keys to the
rooms and cabinets had its allotted place in the safe and we were
instructed to strictly adhere to the arrangement. It was a sight to see
Raman walking with a bunch of keys and opening the rooms himself
for visitors. We received a duplicate set of keys to our laboratory
rooms. In respect of keys, he treated me with special consideration
and trusted me with the master key to the safe, whenever he went
out of town for any length of time. The reason for all the safety
and precaution was understandable in view of the precious nature of
things he kept.
In the early days of the Institute, Raman was quite generous in
admitting visitors and taking them round himself. Sometimes he
would ask me or Padmanabhan to show visitors around. Later, he
found visitors a great impediment to his work and for the peace and
quiet he needed. So he began to discourage visitors, except the very
important ones. He even installed a notice board at the entrance to
the Institute, “No Admission to Visitors”.
Among the eminent scientists who visited Raman, the following
come to mind: J. D. Bernal, H.J. Bhabha, E. C. Bullard, S. Chan¬
drasekhar, C. G. Darwin, P. A. M. Dirac, J. B. S. Haldane, Linus Paul¬
ing, C. F. Powell, Norbert Wiener and G. Wentzel. The annual In¬
dian Science Congress, usually held every January, used to sponsor
the visits of foreign scientists for its meetings. Most of these sci¬
entists would come to Bangalore, for it was not only an important
centre for science but India’s most distinguished scientist also lived
and worked there. In addition, Bangalore is a lovely city with many
attractions for the visitors and is the gateway to Mysore — one of the
most colourful cities in India, famed for its Maharaja's palace, the
Visitors, associates and others 103
Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir and for the nearby Bandipur game sanc¬
tuary. The Indian Institute of Science and Raman Research Institute
would be on the itinerary of every visiting scientist.
The Russian scientific delegation used to be the largest of all
the scientist groups in those days and was quite visible at every Sci¬
ence Congress. These delegations would have someone at the level
of an Academician as the leader and a number of younger scien¬
tists accompanying him. The Russian scientists without exception
came to visit Raman. At one time, Raman was out of town and
we had to take care of one such Russian delegation. Academician
N. V. Belov, a well-known Russian crystallographer, was the leader.
There were also a number of young scientists with him. They were
so disappointed with Raman’s absence that they had their itinerary
rearranged so that they could visit the Institute again, a week or so
later, when Raman was back.
Apart from these invitees to the Science Congress, other eminent
scientists from abroad came as special invitees of the Government of
India and Bangalore was always on their itinerary. Therefore Raman
had visitors the year round. He generally showed great enthusiasm
in receiving them and taking them around. He lectured to them on
his latest findings. At other times he tried to convince them of his
views. One of his favourite topics was his lattice dynamical theory;
he was severely critical of the viewpoint of Max Born on this subject.
Although Raman had invited Max Born to Bangalore in the Thirties
and had deep regard for Born as a physicist, he was totally opposed to
Born on the theory of lattice dynamics. Some of the visits of promi¬
nent scientists to the Raman Institute during the period between 1950
and 1960 are described below and in the following pages.
J. D. Bernal
Bernal was one of the earliest distinguished visitors to the Raman
Institute. I think it was the 1950 Science Congress for which he was
invited and he came to Bangalore after participating in it. Raman
took Bernal round the Institute with great enthusiasm and showed
him some of the experiments that we were doing at the time using
104 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
H. J. Bhabha
Bhabha was one of the most eminent physicists of India. He was
mainly responsible for founding India’s Nuclear Energy programme.
He was born in 1909 in Bombay and was connected to that well-
known industrial family, the Tatas. He initially enrolled in Gonville
and Caius College in Cambridge in 1927 to study mechanical engi¬
neering, but switched to theoretical physics and took a B.A. degree in
1930. Paul Dirac was, apparently, one of his tutors. Bhabha received
his Ph.D. in 1935 for his research on cosmic-ray-produced electron
showers at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. He stayed on in
Cambridge until 1939.
Visitors, associates and others 105
E. C. Bullard
Bullard was Director of the National Physical Laboratory in Eng¬
land at the time he visited India and called on Raman in Bangalore.
Bullard immensely enjoyed Raman’s conducted tour of the Institute.
On this occasion, Raman showed him all his personal memorabilia,
including the Nobel Medal, the Nobel Diploma, the Hughes Medal
of the Royal Society, the Franklin Medal and the Matteucci Medal.
Several colourful doctoral gowns worn by Raman during the award
of Honorary Doctorates were also shown to Bullard. Bullard was
particularly interested in Raman’s relationship with Rutherford. Ra¬
man had a great regard for Rutherford and spoke highly of him and
his majestic personality. Rutherford strongly endorsed Raman’s can¬
didacy for the Nobel Prize and supported him on several occasions.
Raman and Rutherford had many similarities. Both were very power¬
ful, domineering personalities, and led very active schools of physics
in their respective countries.
Visitors, associates and others 107
S. Chandrasekhar
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the distinguished Professor of the Uni¬
versity of Chicago, was Raman’s nephew. He won the Nobel Prize
for Physics in 1982 for contributions he had made to astrophysics
almost fifty years earlier.
Chandrasekhar was born in 1910 in Lahore and took his B.Sc.
Hons, degree in physics in 1930 from Presidency College, Madras,
the same college that Raman had gone to some 25 years earlier.
When Chandrasekhar was finishing his B.Sc. Hons, degree, Raman
had just then won the Nobel Prize for Physics. Therefore the in¬
fluence of Raman’s life on young Chandrasekhar must have been
strong. The bright young physicist set the highest goals for himself
and left for Cambridge to pursue higher studies in physics.
He turned to theoretical astrophysics, inspired by a book by
Eddington that he had received as a prize. Even as a student at Pres¬
idency College, Madras, he had given thought to fundamental astro-
physical problems and some of the important ideas concerning the
fate of a dying star crystallised in his mind on the voyage to England.
While in Cambridge, he came into contact with the celebrated astro¬
physicist Eddington himself and discussed astrophysics on a day-to-
day basis with him. Chandrasekhar’s work in Cambridge led to a
rigorous solution to the puzzle concerning the fate of a star which
had gone through its nuclear burning cycles and begun cooling. On
January 11, 1935, at a meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society
in London he presented a paper on the subject, in the presence of
Eddington. Immediately after Chandrasekhar’s presentation, Edding¬
ton got up and vehemently criticised Chandrasekhar’s theory.
According to the ideas prevailing then, a cooling star would un¬
dergo gravitational collapse, and become a dense ball called a white
dwarf. Chandrasekhar studied this collapse when the gravitational
force was sufficient to overcome the counteracting electronic pres¬
sure of the compressed dense gas arising from the operation of the
Pauli exclusion principle. Chandrasekhar proved conclusively that
a star with a mass greater than 1.4 solar mass would collapse into
108 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
halo and its dimensions contained information about the size and
shape of the particles responsible for the optical heterogenety and we
had worked out that these could be estimated using a simple optical
diffraction theory. Raman demonstrated the effect to Chandrasekhar
and the latter was quite impressed by the optical phenomena and the
explanation offered by Raman. He suggested that Mie’s theory of
scattering could be applied to the situation. However, Raman’s sim¬
ple approach and the explanation he advanced was an intuitive jump
over any mathematical theory. Chandrasekhar was shown some of
the other experiments that were going on at the time, using sunlight.
One of them was the luminescence of diamond, which always im¬
pressed visitors.
Raman was very proud of Chandrasekhar’s achievements and
proposed him for the Nobel Prize as early as the Fifties. During
that visit to Bangalore, Chandrasekhar gave a lecture on The Po¬
larisation of the Sunlit Sky’ at the Indian Institute of Science before
a huge audience. Raman, who sat in the front row, appreciated the
masterly presentation very much.
C. G. Darwin
Darwin, a famous X-ray physicist from England, came to Bangalore
to meet Raman. A visit to the Raman Institute and a dinner at Ra¬
man’s home later in the evening had been planned. Darwin came to
the Institute in the morning and Raman, as was customary, took him
round the laboratories and the museums. Then he talked about his
lattice dynamical theory with a view to gaining approval of his ideas.
He gave a well-prepared lecture for 45 minutes. Darwin listened to
it and then responded, “I don’t agree with your ideas”.
Raman was infuriated. Very upset, he said: “I wasted my time.
You are all prejudiced. I should have known that this business of
trying to convince a British physicist is as bad as trying to unbend a
dog’s tail”. Darwin was no younger than Raman and he was taken
aback by these remarks. Suddenly the warmth and enthusiasm that
Raman had shown Darwin evaporated. When taking leave of Ra¬
man later that morning, Darwin actually doubted whether the dinner
110 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
P. A. M. Dirac
Dirac’s visit to the Raman Research Institute in 1954 was a very
pleasant affair, with Raman very happy throughout. In fact, Raman
had planned a three-day visit to Bangalore for Dirac and had filled it
with so many engagements that he left very little time for Dirac even
to visit the Indian Institute of Science. However, these plans got
altered when Dirac arrived as the guest of the IISc. Nevertheless, he
came to the Raman Institute and spent quite some time with Raman.
The next day, Raman took him in his car to visit his country home
and a nearby water reservoir called Thippagondanahalli.
When Dirac came to the Institute, Raman took him round enthu¬
siastically and showed him everything that was to be seen there. He
gave a talk on his lattice dynamics at the lecture theatre; this was at¬
tended by a few others as well. After the 45-minute presentation, Ra¬
man wanted to know Dirac’s opinion about his theory. Dirac began
to respond rather slowly. He started saying “What you presented ap¬
pears reasonable”, but before anything further was said Raman took
Dirac’s hand and warmly shook it, saying: “I know you will see my
point of view. You are one of the greatest physicists for whom I have
a great regard.” Dirac could not, and did not, make any further com¬
ments. Raman was certainly under the delusion that Dirac agreed
with him.
J. B. S. Haldane
Haldane was an eminent British biologist who fell in love with India
and settled there in his later years. After he settled in India, he even
wore dhotis in the Bengali fashion and thus identified himself with
the country totally. He made Bhubaneswar in Orissa state his home
and carried on research in biology, agriculture and statistics applied
to biology.
Visitors, associates and others 111
Haldane was one of those rare individuals who had a broad inter¬
est in Science. He knew mathematics, physics, chemistry and biol¬
ogy* He was a tall, hefty figure and had a commanding personality.
His trip to the Raman Institute was memorable. He gave a talk
at the Indian Institute of Science in the morning and was to visit the
Raman Institute after the talk. He refused the car that was arranged
to take him to the Raman Institute and walked the one mile at a brisk
pace. A lot of admirers walked with him; it was like a Padayatra
(pilgrimage on foot) to the Raman Institute.
Raman received him at the portico and conducted him through
the Institute. His first remark was: “Prof. Haldane, why did they
make you walk? I would have sent my car.” To this Haldane replied
that he preferred to walk and enjoyed the exercise very much. Raman
took Haldane round his museum and proudly showed him his bird
and mollusc collection to impress him that his interest in biology
was a match for Haldane’s.
Mark Oiiphant
Sir Mark Oiiphant, a distinguished Australian nuclear physicist who
had worked under Rutherford, came to India in 1956 to deliver the
Rutherford Memorial lecture. Alladi Ramakrishnan, the Director of
the Mathematical Sciences Institute, Madras, had invited Oiiphant to
deliver the lecture in Madras. Oiiphant had a written lecture and was
planning to deliver the same lecture in both Madras and Bangalore.
It was arranged that the lecture in Bangalore would be chaired by
Raman.
Ramakrishnan narrates how a reporter from the Madras daily,
The Hindu, interviewed Oiiphant and planned to publish the gist of
the lecture. But as the reporter left, Oiiphant inadvertently handed
him the entire transcript of the lecture. The next morning, The Hindu
carried the lecture verbatim over four columns, as a tribute to the
great scientist Ernest Rutherford. Raman read the speech in The
Hindu and promptly called Oiiphant, who had just arrived in Ban¬
galore and was staying at the West End Hotel, to say that he had read
the lecture given in Madras and that he had enjoyed it very much.
112 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
Linus Pauling
Pauling'visited Bangalore in 1954 and came to see Raman. Raman
took him round with great enthusiasm and showed him his exquisite
collection of gems, minerals and crystals. He also gave a short talk
on his lattice dynamics and waited for Pauling’s comments. Pauling,
however, did not commit himself and merely said, “I will have to
think about it more deeply”.
Pauling had been awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry shortly
before he visited India. In the upper portico of the Raman Institute
quite a few scientists had assembled on the day of Pauling’s visit and
someone remarked that Pauling had been awarded the Nobel Prize
for chemistry. Raman promptly said: “I elected him to the honorary
fellowship of the Indian Academy of Sciences years ago, knowing
his worth. The Nobel Committee has recognised his greatness only
now.” Raman was evidently quite happy with himself for the remark
and Pauling responded with a smile.
Raman had taken a little more time than was allotted for the visit.
Pai, who was the Registrar of the Indian Institute of Science and
who had been accompanying Pauling, made some rude remarks to
Raman about his delaying his visitor. Pauling had to rush to the
Indian Institute of Science to deliver a lecture on ‘Sickle Cell Anemia
and its Molecular Biological Basis’. It was strange that Raman let the
remarks pass. We all felt that a nonscientist like the Registrar had no
business to talk to Raman in that fashion.
Visitors, associates and others 113
C. F. Powell
Powell was a distinguished cosmic ray physicist from Bristol who
came to India in 1956 at the invitation of H. J. Bhabha. Powell pio¬
neered the use of the photographic emulsion technique for recording
cosmic ray encounters as tracks in the plate, and discovered several
new particles from the cosmic-ray-produced tracks on photographic
plates. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1950. M. G. K. Menon,
a well-known Indian scientist turned scientific administrator, worked
under Powell and participated in some of the experiments conducted
in the early Fifties.
Powell visited Bangalore during his trip and called on Raman.
The latter wanted to trace the origin of the use of the photographic
emulsion technique in recording cosmic ray encounters and I remem¬
ber him going to the Indian Institute of Science Library to investigate.
After much searching Raman found that Blau and Wambacher had
in 1907 discovered the photographic emulsion technique whose use
Powell had pioneered. Raman triumphantly talked about his find¬
ings to Powell and the latter was amazed by Raman’s curiosity and
thoroughness.
Those were great days for cosmic ray physics and cosmic ray
physicists. Powell gave a scintillating talk and Raman enjoyed the
lecture very much.
S. Bhagavantam
Bhagavantam joined Raman as a research scholar in Calcutta at the
comparatively young age of 18 and Raman intuitively recognised the
great potential and precocity of the young scientist. Bhagavantam
commenced his research career with investigations on the optical and
magnetic anisotropy in aromatic and aliphatic series of compounds
and established the relationship between the magnetic behaviour of
organic crystals and their molecular form and crystal structure. Soon
after the discovery of the Raman Effect in 1928, Bhagavantam took
up the study of the Raman spectra of gases. His pioneering work
on the effect of pressure on the Raman spectra of gases helped in
114 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
other important professional positions and his career was one of laud¬
able achievements.
Bhagavantam remained a loyal friend of Raman throughout and
the latter had a special affection for Bhagavantam. He used to treat
Bhagavantam very warmly and the latter, in turn, had a deep regard
for Raman. I have seen them together on innumerable occasions,
engrossed in discussion. Bhagavantam never failed to attend the
Executive Council meetings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, of
which I was a member, by virtue of my position as the Treasurer
of the Academy, from 1956 to 1961. Bhagavantam hosted several
annual meetings of the Academy while he was in Hyderabad and at
Andhra University. In fact, the first Academy meeting I went to was
in December 1950; it was hosted by Osmania University where Bha¬
gavantam was the Director and Professor at the Physical Research
Laboratory.
Raman used to enjoy Bhagavantam’s lectures, which were no¬
table for their precision, clarity and thoroughness. Bhagavantam died
in February 1989 at the age of 80. When I visited him in the first
week of December 1988, he recalled his Calcutta days and talked
about Raman.
K. S. Krishnan
K.S. Krishnan joined Raman in Calcutta as a research scholar in
1923. Krishnan was a very capable experimenter and worked on sev¬
eral problems in optics and magnetic and electric double refraction
in anisotropic molecules. Raman and Krishnan discussed, in a series
of papers, the magnetic double refraction in liquids and the electric
double refraction in relation to the polarity and optical anisotropy of
molecules.
Krishnan’s outstanding record of research won for him first the
M.Sc. and, later, the D.Sc. degree of the Madras University. He as¬
sisted Raman in the light-scattering experiments at those very crucial
stages which led to the discovery of the Raman Effect. The first few
publications relating to the discovery, and the subsequent detailed
papers, were published jointly by Raman and Krishnan. His col-
116 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
the discovery of the effect known after him”. It is not just for the
final discovery alone.
Raman has generously acknowledged the assistance of Krishnan
in the discovery, as well as the contributions of his other collabora¬
tors. Further, most of the papers relating to the new discovery bear
the names of Raman and Krishnan. More importantly, Krishnan had
never claimed in public that his contributions to the discovery were
suppressed. An unbiased chronicler would have no difficulty in iden¬
tifying the leading role played by Raman in the light-scattering work
and would probably also conclude that Raman would have discov¬
ered the Effect without the assistance of anyone. However, it must be
said that it was one of the most effective collaborations in the history
of science; it certainly helped to bring the subject to a quick culmina¬
tion at a time when the time element was very important. Otherwise,
full credit for the discovery would probably have been lost, in light
of the events that followed, namely the independent observation of
the light-scattering effect by the Russian scientists Landsberg and
Mandel’shtam, who were behind only by a few months.
To me it all sounds so sad and utterly futile to make an issue of
this monumental contribution to Science by one of the most illustri¬
ous sons of India.
K. R. Ramanathan
Ramanathan was one of the earliest associates of Raman. He was
born in Kalpathi, Palghat, in South India on February 28, 1893, about
five years after Raman. He had his early education in Victoria Col¬
lege, Palghat, and took his Bachelor’s degree in physics from the
Presidency College, Madras. Then he joined Maharaja s College
in Trivandrum and served there as a lecturer for seven years. He
joined Raman in Calcutta as a University of Madras research scholar
towards the end of 1921 and collaborated with him in the studies
of the molecular scattering of light and X-ray diffraction in liquids,
gases and mixtures. Within a period of one year he had published
ten papers and was awarded the D.Sc. degree of the University of
Madras for his thesis based on this work. He then accepted a teach-
Visitors, associates and others 119
I have seen at close quarters the genuine mutual affection that ex¬
isted between Raman and Ramanathan. To Ramanathan, Raman was
a great hero and his beloved professor. To Raman, Ramanathan was
a symbol of devotion and loyalty. Love and affection dominated their
relationship. Only once was this relationship disturbed for a brief pe¬
riod. That was in 1953, when the Silver Jubilee of the discovery of
the Raman Effect was being celebrated.
It was a minor incident in Bombay that strained this intimate re¬
lationship. Ramanathan inadvertently made a remark, during a pub¬
lic meeting connected with the celebration in Bombay, that Raman
used the mercury arc by accident to discover the Raman Effect; that
since it was a rainy day Raman had decided to use the meicury arc.
Within a few days, a visitor from Bombay to the Raman Institute
mentioned this to Raman, without realising the impact it would have
on him. Raman was infuriated beyond control and totally lost his
bearings. That was Raman’s character when he was hurt. We did not
understand at first why he was so upset, but the story soon unfolded.
Raman sent a telegram to Ramanathan asking him to come and
explain to him why he had made such a statement. Ramanathan took
the next plane and arrived in Bangalore to face Raman. Raman and
Ramanathan were closeted in the former’s office for a long time and
then the two came out. Ramanathan issued a statement to the Press
retracting what he had said and profusely apologised for the mistake
he had made. After that, the relationship between Raman and Ra¬
manathan returned to normalcy and the unpleasant episode was soon
forgotten.
L. A. Ramdas
Ramdas joined Raman in Calcutta, in 1923, as a Palit Research Scho¬
lar and conducted experiments on the scattering of light by mercury
and other pure liquid surfaces. Besides this, he investigated the op¬
tical properties of monomolecular films spread on water surfaces
and the movement of surface-active substances like camphor on wa¬
ter. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Calcutta under Raman, he joined
the India Meteorological Service in 1926, but continued to visit the
Visitors, associates and others 121
Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Sarabhai admired Raman and had the highest regard and re¬
spect for him. In fact, he spent some time as a disciple under Raman,
at the start of his research career. He was a frequent visitor to Ban¬
galore.
The Sarabhai family are wealthy mill owners in Ahmedabad and
the whole family was very attached to Raman, who had, on several
122 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
schedule. Raman bluntly said: “Vikram, this is too much for any
person. One of these days you will croak in the plane. Don’t do this.
I sincerely advise you.” Vikram laughed it off, but what Raman said
came true. Sarabhai suddenly passed away in the hotel where he was
staying in Trivandrum on December 30, 1971. He was in Trivandrum
on an official visit to the Space Science organisation. His death was
apparently due to a severe heart attack.
S. Venkateswaran
Venkateswaran is an outstanding example of a part-time worker who,
after a gruelling full-time routine in a Government job, out-did many
whole-time researchers by working on research for more than a
decade in the evenings and late into the night, on holidays and dur¬
ing leave periods. It was an extraordinary display of dedication and
devotion to research.
He joined the Association in Calcutta as an overtime worker in
1923 and began a series of remarkable investigations on the hitherto
unexplored problem of molecular scattering of light in aqueous so¬
lutions of acids and other compounds, and, later, in pure liquids. He
won the M.Sc. and, later, the D.Sc. of the Madras University, sub¬
mitting dissertations covering his many important research papers.
He played an important part in the discovery of the Raman Effect by
bringing to the notice of Raman the rather conspicuous ‘so-called flu¬
orescence’ exhibited by pure, dry, distilled glycerine. This study cre¬
ated the urgent need to explain this ‘feeble fluorescence’ and, shortly
afterwards, led Raman to the discovery of the Raman Effect.
Amidst his researches, this indefatigable worker found time to
take his Bachelor’s degree in Law. He later joined the Patents Of¬
fice in Calcutta. The creation and development of the Trade Marks
Registry in India was entirely due to Venkateswaran’s imagination
and drive. Towards the closing years of his career in government ser¬
vice, he not only organised the Trade Marks Registry on an all-India
basis, but also took charge of both the Patents and Trade Marks Of¬
fices. Venkateswaran’s example of assiduous striving and achieving
against the greatest odds is indeed an inspiring one.
124 C. V. Raman —/l Memoir
Raman and Venkateswaran kept in touch with each other long af¬
ter the Calcutta years and the latter visited the Raman Institute a few
times. Raman used to stay with Venkateswaran during his sojourns
in Bombay, in his flat in Tulsi Vihar, in the fashionable Marine Drive
area. Raman used to talk in glowing terms about Venkateswaran’s
scientific and other abilities and the latter, in turn, had a profound
respect for Raman.
K. Hanumanthayya
Hanumanthayya, who succeeded K. C. Reddy as the Chief Minister
of the State of Karnataka, was a colourful personality in the political
arena of the state. Hanumanthayya, who had grand designs to beau¬
tify Bangalore, contributed substantially to the development of Ban¬
galore City. The building which houses the Legislature at present,
the Vidhana Soudha, is a monument to his genius.
He was very fond of Raman and the two used to meet quite of¬
ten in those days. One such occasion was when Raman sought his
help in connection with what was called the Gopal Rao Trust. The
Gopal Rao affair is well known to Bangaloreans. Gopal Rao shot into
fame as a banker and a great philanthropist during the War years. He
had acquired tremendous wealth by attracting unaccounted money
into his bank, for which he paid out phenomenal interest. Many
prominent citizens of Mysore fell into the net and put their monies in
Gopal Rao’s trust, lured by the attractive interest. The Trust rapidly
swelled to several crores1 of rupees. Gopal Rao handed out huge
sums of money for charities and acquired a great reputation as a phi¬
lanthropist, the like of which Mysore had not known before. The
Maharaja conferred upon him the title of Dharmaratnakara (Chari¬
table). Raman was also attracted by the investment opportunity pre¬
sented by the Gopal Rao Trust and invested Rs 200,000 in it; this was
part of his Nobel Prize award.
Gopal Rao initially paid the promised interests, but soon ran into
deep waters. The bubble burst one day and Gopal Rao went into
Mirza M. Ismail
Raman had many admirers, some enemies and a few friends at his
level. Sir Mirza was a friend and well-wisher who helped Raman in
many ways. Raman had deep regard for Mirza Ismail and admired
his taste and abilities. The latter visited the Raman Institute only
once, but Raman was so happy to have him on that occasion.
Mirza Ismail was Dewan2 of the princely state of Mysore at the
time Raman was having a trying time with the governing council of
the Indian Institute of Science. That body wanted to remove Raman
from the Institute, but this was avoided by the intervention of a few
influential people. According to one version, Mirza Ismail got the
Maharaja of Mysore to convince the Viceroy to stop the extreme
action that the council was planning against Raman. As result of
this, Raman was allowed to continue as Professor of Physics, though
he was relieved of his post as Director.
Mirza Ismail liked Raman’s forthrightness and saw in him a gen¬
uine scientist endowed with a colourful personality. Mirza Ismail
himself was a strong and decisive personality like Raman; his love
of Nature and his aesthetic sense were well known. He was behind
the beautification of Bangalore and Mysore, both known today as
garden cities. No one could fail to notice the grandeur of the gar¬
dens, the majestic buildings and the numerous parks and fountains in
these two cities in Karnataka.
Mirza Ismail had a regal bearing and fine tastes and Raman mat¬
ched them with his colourful personality, ready wit and keen aes¬
thetic sense. Naturally the two men became very fond of each other
and remained good friends throughout their lives. Mirza Ismail’s
only connection with science, however, was when he inaugurated
the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1934.
Yehudi Menuhin
Menuhin, the famous violinist, was a frequent visitor to India as he
had a great liking for Indian music. He had been a child prodigy who
was acclaimed a genius by Albert Einstein.
2Prime Minister
Visitors, associates and others 127
G. D. Naidu
G. D. Naidu, a famous industrialist from Coimbatore, was a great
admirer of Raman. The admiration was mutual. Naidu was a genius;
though not a formally trained engineer, he was a superb designer
of machinery. He had a great fascination for Germany and German
things. The story goes that he visited Germany several times and
some companies he visited there were so impressed with his often
brilliant suggestions that they incorporated them in their products.
Naidu was a self-made man, very clever, known for his tenacity
as well as for his eccentricities. He loved playing practical jokes,
particularly on Income Tax officials. He made razor blades ‘to last
a lifetime’ and distributed them for testing. I have seen, in the In¬
stitute, some of these blades presented to Raman by Naidu. They
apparently were testimonials to his word, but the idea did not prove
to be a commercial success. Naidu used to experiment in plant breed¬
ing and evolved a papaya which yielded extra-large and very sweet
fruit. Naidu and Raman had a great liking for each other and Ra¬
man always spent time with Naidu whenever he visited Coimbatore.
Naidu came just once to the Institute and Raman proudly showed
him his collections.
G. D. Naidu presented Raman a steel wire recorder for recording
speech and music. This machine was the precursor of the modern
tape recorder. The machine worked well and I used it once to record
128 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
Sri Prakasa
Sri Prakasa, Governor of Madras State for several years, came from
an illustrious family of scholars from Uttar Pradesh. His father, Sri
Bhagwan Das, was a scholar of repute who had been conferred the
title Bharat Ratna, the highest award that can be conferred upon a
citizen of India.
130 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
M. Visvesvarayya
Sir M. Visvesvarayya was an eminent engineer from Karnataka. He
was responsible for starting many industrial projects in the old, prin¬
cely Mysore State. The Bhadravathi steel project and hydroelectric
projects in the state were his creations.
Visitors, associates and others 131
Raman and Lady Raman with Dr Zdenek Nejedly, Minister of Culture and
Education of Czechoslovakia, Prague, 1958. (Photo Courtesy of The
Hindu)
134 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
Max Born
Max Bom figured in a very significant way in both the scientific and
personal life of Raman. I have already mentioned Max Born’s visit to
Bangalore in 1935 and his return to England in six months, after his
permanent appointment to a Chair at the Indian Institute of Science
was aborted. Here, I would like to add some details about Max Born,
his experiences in India, and the scientific controversy which later
cropped up between him and Raman, all of which happened while
Raman was still at the Indian Institute of Science.
Max Bom was born in Breslau in Germany on December 11,
1882, and he died on January 5, 1970, at the age of 88, in Gottingen,
the town which, forty years before, had become the Mecca of Mod¬
ern Physics through his work. He was the father of a whole gen¬
eration of physicists and was held in deep veneration by his pupils.
Five Nobel Prize-winners were nurtured by him: Werner Heisen¬
berg, Wolfgang Pauli, Enrico Fermi, Paul Dirac and Maria Goeppert
Mayer.
Born’s father was an anatomist and embryologist. Born himself,
though conscious of both an inclination and talent for mathematics
at an early age, first studied law, philosophy and astronomy before
turning to physics. Gottingen, Zurich, Cambridge and his home town
of Breslau were milestones in his scientific life. In 1907, he secured
his doctorate at Gottingen with a thesis on The Stability of Elas¬
tic Strips and Wires’, a paper which received a special award from
the faculty. Two years later, he became qualified to lecture, with a
Visitors, associates and others 135
in the same year, was awarded the Nobel Prize. He was content to
remark somewhat coolly about this news: “I haven’t really made any
specific discovery of immediate economic use, like nylon or neon
lighting. I have only evolved a pattern for thinking.” He was not
quite so cool in his assessment of the actual and potential role of
Science in human life. He issued a public warning, for instance,
against nuclear armament, and his scepticism continued to increase.
The development of the atom bomb horrified him. He once said:
“He (Raman) received an honorary doctor’s degree, but the same de¬
gree was also conferred upon me. I am sure the French colleagues
did this to demonstrate that in the dispute about lattice vibrations, not
Raman, but I was right. At the first reception in Bordeaux we greeted
each other very cordially and had a lively talk.
Then Raman abused some theoretical physicist because he had done
experiments which Raman regarded as poor. I replied, ‘But, my dear
Raman, what about the other way round, when experimentalists ven¬
ture to make theories?’ or something like that. Though he first re¬
mained quite friendly, he later became furious and said to Hedi, his
neighbour at the banquet, that I had given him deadly offense and that
he would leave the conference. She had great trouble in appeasing
him, but during the whole congress he was nervous, excitable and
aggressive....
Actually I never was. I still admire his fascinating personality, his de¬
votion to science and research. It makes me sad to think that by invit¬
ing me to India and trying to keep me there permanently, he brought
himself into a precarious situation, and had to give up his leading po¬
sition at the Institute of Science. But I cannot see that I am to blame
for this misfortune. Nor can I accept a scientific theory which I regard
as wrong. Hedi and I regret all this and particularly the split between
us and Lady Raman, whom we loved dearly.”
C. Rajagopalachari
Rajagopalachari (C.R.) and Raman were contemporaries in the
Indian scene, but they pursued different interests in life. C.R. was
an astute politician who rose to become the first Governor General
of India, after Lord Louis Mountbatten stepped down. Raman rose to
the pinnacle of physics and was the most colourful personality in In¬
dian Science. Different motivations drove these two illustrious sons
of India to greatness, but they were the products of a common culture
which nurtured excellence and intellectual pursuits. C.R. in later life
took to writing and made a great contribution to religious literature
Visitors, associates and others 143
Mahatma Gandhi
In 1936, Mahatma Gandhi visited the Indian Institute of Science and
met Raman. Gandhiji was accompanied by Sardar Patel, Kasturba
Gandhi and Mahadev Desai. Raman took them round the Depart¬
ment of Physics, explaining in his unique, inimitable style, studded
with good humour and jokes, the scientific work going on at the time.
It is interesting to note the reactions of a distinguished scientist
like Raman on issues that have no direct relation to Science and in
144 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
“Politics and Science are as poles apart and as I never attend political
meetings or make political speeches, the chances of my ever having
met Gandhi might seem to have been infinitesimal. Nevertheless there
have been quite a few occasions on which I have met and spoken with
him. These occasions remain vividly impressed on my memory, and
some of them may be worthy of being put on record.
One such was in the year 1945 when I was staying at Bombay in the
residence of the Sarabhai family in Nepean Sea Road and was being
helped by Vikram Sarabhai to collect funds for the construction of
my Research Institute at Bangalore. One evening, Vikram suggested
that I might call on Gandhiji who was conducting a prayer meeting on
the beach sands. I waited on the outskirts of the crowd till the meet¬
ing was over and then moved forward to meet him. To my surprise, he
immediately recognised me, made enquiries about me and about Lady
Raman. Then he proceeded to recall his visit to my laboratory at Ban¬
galore several years earlier and specially mentioned the demonstra¬
tions of the harmonic modes of vibration of the Indian musical drum,
which I had shown him, and which had evidently impressed him.
When Gandhi fell by the hand of the assassin, and the nation heard the
news with shock and horror, I was one of those asked to record what
I felt. In a few short sentences, I summed up Gandhiji’s life. The sub¬
stance of my comment was that he was a great humanist, interested,
above all things, in the welfare of his fellow-beings.”
Visitors, associates and others 145
During the meeting with the Swiss scientist (Dr Rahm), the latter
apparently talked to Gandhiji about conflict in the world, warring
creeds and atheism.
Raman interjected: “I shall answer your question. If there is a
God we must look for him in the Universe. If he is not there, he is
not worth looking for. I am being looked upon in various quarters
as an atheist, but I am not. The growing discoveries in the science
of astronomy and physics seem to be further and further revelations
of God. Mahatmaji, religions cannot unite. Science offers the best
opportunity for a complete fellowship. All men of Science are broth¬
ers.” Gandhiji said: “What about the converse? All who are not men
of Science are not brothers?” The distinguished physicist saw the
joke and said, “But all can become men of Science”.
“Science” said Raman “is nothing but a research for truth — truth
not only in the physical world, but in the world of logic, psychology,
behaviour, and so on. The virtue of a truly scientific frame of mind
is the readiness to reject what is false and untrue. It proclaims from
the house tops that there is no virtue in sticking to untruth. I think
the latest biological discovery is that there is no fundamental cleav¬
age between the life of man and the life of lower creation and that
salvation lies in the perfection of the biological instinct for the per¬
petuation of race — the instinct to sacrifice the individual for the
sake of the species.” (Harijan, 30.5.36)
146 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
149
150 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
RAMAN EFFECT must rank among the best three or four discover¬
ies in Experimental Physics in the last decade. It has proved, and will
prove, an instrument of great power in the study of the theory of solids.
In addition to important contributions in many fields of knowledge, he
has developed an active school of research in Physical Science in the
University of Calcutta.”
The three rivers Godavari, Krishna and Pennar have built up in the
course of ages an extensive coastal area of deposited material extend¬
ing all the way from Kakinada to Nellore. This area, which is shown
in the geological maps as a recent formation, exhibits a curious feature
in the shape of a tongue with lateral extensions protruding towards the
interior behind Vijayawada and with the river Krishna flowing through
it. This feature has evidently resulted as a consequence of the flow of
the Krishna towards the sea being arrested by the presence of high
ground in the shape of rock formations of the Khondalite series. It is
in the material thus deposited by the river before it passes Vijayawada
that the diamonds carried down by it were sought for and found in
past years.
The long and tortuous course pursued by the river between Sanga-
meswaram and Vijayawada lies for the most part in what are recog¬
nised geologically as the upper Cuddapah formations, and only a small
part of the same lies within the formations of lesser age known as the
Kurnools. The actual facts of the case suggest that the diamonds de¬
posited in the lower reaches of the river were a part (and naturally only
a very small part) of the material scooped out by the flood waters from
the floor and walls of the gorges excavated by them and deposited
where the flow was arrested. Whether this action was confined to any
particular stretch or stretches of the length of the river or whether it
extended over the whole or a greater part of its entire course can only
be surmised and must await determination by a careful examination
of the exposed areas of the river gorges.
The whole purpose of this article is to indicate that the history of di¬
amonds in the Krishna valley need not be treated as a closed chapter
having only a historic interest and that, on the other hand, it may well
prove to be a subject of practical importance at the present time if
pursued vigorously but with the necessary circumspection.”
could grind, polish and figure great lenses and mirrors to the most
exacting requirements.
Raman had filled the Raman Institute grounds with spectacular
flowering trees, shrubs and lovely roses. All the best roses that the
Bangalore nurseries could supply were planted in his rose garden
under his supervision and he would admire them like a child with
a new toy. He knew the botanical names of most of the trees and
shrubs in the grounds of the Institute and had them planted carefully
to maximise the effect of their floral display. He would go around his
garden twice a day, to enjoy it, to relax in it and to think of Science.
Many a. time he would discuss physics with his research students
while taking a stroll in the grounds. Almost every evening, weather
permitting, he would go to Cubbon Park for a walk and on several
occasions I accompanied him. It was a delight to walk with him,
for he kept constantly talking about Science, Nature and other topics
uppermost in his mind. He would look at the trees and admire their
foliage and flowers.
Recalling an encounter with Raman in Cubbon Park, Ramakr-
ishna, formerly a professor in IISc’s Electrical Communications De¬
partment, says: “Dr Dhawan and I were walking in Cubbon Park and
we saw Prof. Raman searching for something under a lamp post in
the dusk. We asked him if we could be of any help and he told us to
pick up some of the wings of the insects that come in thousands to a
bright light on a suicidal mission, after a heavy shower in the sum¬
mer months, and lose their wings. We did not have the courage to
ask why he wanted them, but respectfully collected a matchbox-full
of wings and took it to him. ‘Now you can come with me’, he told
us and took us near a mercury vapour lamp on the roadside and held
a wing against the light, and, lo and behold, the beautiful diffraction
colours from the skeletal structure of the wings appeared in front.
Only a naturalist like Raman can see how science permeates all life.”
Sometimes he would pick up fallen seeds and admire their shapes,
colours and polish. At times he would fill his pockets with them for a
more thorough look at them in the Institute. Lady Raman would of¬
ten find strange-looking seeds in his coat pockets and wonder about
Raman's wide interests 159
them. When he reached a wide open space he would look at the stars
and point out their names and character.
He would not miss the annual Horticultural Shows in the Lalbagh
gardens, a lovely botanical garden near the south Kempegowda tower
in Bangalore. Majestic trees of all sorts, rows of flowering trees,
flower beds and a glass house are some of the features of this lovely
garden. An admirer of Raman who happened to go to the flower
show one year remembers: “The crowd had melted away. One lone
figure was standing amidst the flowers with a magnifying glass in one
hand and a beautiful Begonia in the other. He was studying the colour
pattern through the glass. When I and some friends approached him,
he looked at us. There was a far-away, dreamy look in his eyes which
showed that his curious intellect had grappled with the colour scheme
of the flower, which baffled him. Slowly he came back to earth and
talked to us about the new research on which he was engaged.”
Raman would run into everyone at the Institute at least once dur¬
ing the day to discuss work or exchange a few words. It was not the
custom, however, for us to exchange any formal greetings. Many a
time on his birthday we wanted to wish him, but none of us did so.
Perhaps we felt that being insiders it was not proper for us to do so;
perhaps it was the age difference which prevented us from commu¬
nicating our sentiments. I forget the exact year. It must have been
one year in the mid-Fifties when we all decided that we would wish
him on his birthday. We got the Institute gardener to make a rose
bouquet and I was chosen as the person to present the bouquet to
Raman. I accepted the assignment on one condition, that the others
would follow me. We all stood in the veranda in front of Raman’s
room and when he came out I promptly stuck the rose bouquet in his
hand and all of us said, “We greet you on your birthday”. Raman
was taken aback for a moment by this act of ours, but was deeply
moved. In those days he would not show any emotion outwardly.
He took a sniff at the roses and said: “I say, these are lovely roses,
where did you get them? I suppose they are not from my own gar¬
den?” We could not lie about the roses and admitted that they were
160 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
from the Institute garden. Then he said: “You should have left them
on the plants. They would have looked more gorgeous there than in
the bouquet. Anyhow, I thank you all.” That was our first and last
attempt to formally wish him.
Raman was fascinated by the Alps and the Alpine scenery. He
had seen it from different points. Once he told me: “If ever you
go to Europe, don’t fail to go to Innsbruck and take a look at the
mountains. This is one of the most spectacular sights.” I did go
to Innsbruck some ten years later and Raman’s words rang in my
ears when I saw the spectacular scenery before me. During his Cal¬
cutta days, Raman used to go to Darjeeling for vacations, and he
would always afterwards talk about the sunrise, sunset and the ma¬
jestic snow-covered peaks that could be seen from there. Mountains,
lakes, forests, he loved them all and drank deeply of Nature when¬
ever he had the opportunity. His absorption in Nature and Science
could never be separated. He derived scientific inspiration from Na¬
ture and natural phenomena. He was a modern man in his scientific
outlook, but was not distracted by mundane modernism.
For instance, he would never go to a movie for entertainment.
Only once have I seen him going to a cinema house and that was
to see a short documentary on the Raman Research Institute that the
government Films Division had made. He took Padmanabhan and
myself along with him to a movie house in South Parade in the Can¬
tonment section of Bangalore to see this film. The manager of the
movie house saw Raman coming and received us. Raman insisted
that he would pay the admission charge and handed over ten rupees
or so for three seats in the box section. The movie running on that
day was Anna and the King of Siam . The documentaries are usually
shown first in Indian cinema halls and we watched the short pre¬
sentation on the Raman Research Institute in which Raman figured
prominently. Raman was quite satisfied with the production and ex¬
changed some comments with us. We then got up thinking that he
would not like to sit and watch the movie. But he said: “I say, let us
stay for awhile and see what this cinema is all about. After all, we
Raman’s wide interests 161
have paid for it.” We sat for another ten minutes, watching Yul Bryn-
ner as the King of Siam. After a little while, Raman became restless
and said: “Let us go. What is all this nonsense that they portray the
King of Siam as a bald-headed savage. I don’t like all this.” We got
up, left the cinema hall and drove home.
Clouds were another favourite lecture topic with Raman. Cloud
patterns in the sky and the brilliant colours they displayed at sunset
fascinated him. He was never tired of looking at the sky and shar¬
ing his excitement with anyone around. I once accompanied him
and Lady Raman to the Air Force Officers Club in Jalahalli, a sub¬
urb of Bangalore, where Raman had been invited to give an after-
dinner speech. He spoke about clouds! It was a fascinating lecture in
which he explained how clouds form and how they assume various
shapes. He spoke about cumulus and cumulo-nimbus, stratus and
nimbo-stratus, and iridescent clouds. He explained how the beauti¬
ful diffraction haloes sometimes seen around the moon were caused
by ice crystals at very high altitudes. The lecture was a thrilling ex¬
perience and Raman was enthusiastically applauded for it. He was
in great spirits that evening.
The Raman Research Institute museum possessed a collection of
stuffed birds, beetles, shells of all kinds and other marine life. He
had chosen these specimens mostly for their colour, or for the inter¬
esting structures they often exhibited. Among the birds were blue
jays, golden orioles, pheasants. The beetles were either iridescent or
exhibited some interesting pattern of colour. He derived tremendous
pleasure looking at them periodically and talking to visitors about
them.
He once bought from a taxidermist in Calcutta two beautiful
stuffed Himalayan pheasants for the museum. We left these pheas¬
ants in an open almirah and forgot to lock the door of the room. As
ill luck would have it, two mongrels got wind of the stuffed birds.
They gained entry into the room at night and destroyed one of the
pheasants beyond recognition. The next morning, when we came in
and saw the spectacle, it was a shock. We knew that Professor would
get very upset with us for not locking the room, so something had to
162 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
the door, but Raman, who was then in the office of the Accountant-
General, took the trouble to scrutinise the notes one by one, using a
magnifying glass, and then instructed the treasurer to give the peti¬
tioner fresh notes. Raman argued that the numbers on the half-burnt
notes were visible and it was, therefore, a genuine case. This incident
is characteristic of the thoroughness with which Raman tackled all
problems he faced. Between 1907 and 1917, the leadership Raman
offered and the tremendous enthusiasm he whipped up for scientific
research in Calcutta were reflected in his address at the Science Con¬
vention for 1917 held in the presence of Sir Asutosh Mookerjee. He
said:
“The ten years, from July 1907 to June 1917, which preceded my join¬
ing the University of Calcutta as Palit Professor of Physics, afforded
me numerous opportunities for studying, as an impartial and disinter¬
ested observer, the efforts made during the period in this University
towards fostering higher studies and research in physics. Looking
back over these years, one cannot fail to be struck with the genuine
progress that has been achieved and with the fact that, today, the Cal¬
cutta University can claim to possess a real School of Physics, the
like of which certainly does not exist in any other Indian university,
and which, even now, will not compare very unfavourably with those
existing in European and American universities. What has impressed
me most is the rapidity of the progress, the position now being very
different from what it was ten years ago, and this is obviously a most
hopeful sign for the future.
In the closing section of his report, Raman stressed the need for
(i) strengthening the equipment of the Department of Physics of the
Calcutta University, (ii) provision of residential accommodation in
the premises of the College of Science to enable the professors and
staff to devote all their time to work in the laboratory, and (iii) en¬
largement of the careers open to workers. He concluded his remark¬
able address with the statement that “to most men, the knowledge of
the degree of recognition that awaits successful work is a stimulus
not to be despised”.
His physical energy was as extraordinary as his mental output.
An outstanding characteristic of Raman was that, unlike other per¬
sons, he seldom relaxed. He was always keyed up to fever pitch by
the continuous thrill or excitement that the challenges and the ever-
expanding avenues of scientific research provided his mind. He was
capable of tremendous concentration on intellectual work, as the fol¬
lowing incident will show. Once, in Calcutta, when he was in his
The Raman spirit and his traits 165
tion on the particular scholar who was then entering the most critical
phase of his research. Interpretation of results, fruitful suggestions to
carry the investigation several stages further and quick discussion of
results already obtained resulted in immediate publication from this
effective type of collaboration between the Professor and the pupil.
Each of his pupils had his opportunity for such exhilarating collabo¬
ration at the developing phase of his investigation. All the time, the
pupils enjoyed the fullest freedom to think, work and improvise for
themselves. Spoon-feeding of any kind was absolutely taboo. A spirit
of perfect understanding and goodwill pervaded the entire ‘Associa¬
tion’, with Ashu Babu, the Assistant Secretary, ever ready to help us
with any material or facility that we needed, the scholars themselves
helping each other spontaneously.”
Raman as a teacher
I quote from L. A. Ramdas’s article on Raman as a teacher:
we had shared with him much of the excitement and superb thrill that
Benjamin Franklin, Oersted, Arago, Gauss, Faraday, Maxwell, Hertz,
Lord Kelvin and many others must have felt while they were making
their actual discoveries. This was indeed no routine text-book learn¬
ing, but reliving the actual past history of the subject.
Almost regularly, Prof. Raman, with his genius for the subject, his
extraordinary eloquence, imagery and fullness of precise expression,
used to forget himself as well as the time and used to lecture for far
more than the prescribed one hour, while the next lecturer was po¬
litely (and perhaps with a sense of relief) retiring from the scene after
seeing Prof. Raman still at his lecture! Often he used to take the entire
forenoon, for more than two and sometimes even three hours — such
was his tremendous love of teaching. The mathematics was worked
through often with his own improvised simplifications and fully il¬
lustrated with physical analogies. Any question or point raised by a
student would start him olf towards uncharted grounds, not touched
upon in any textbook. His ready wit and sparkling intellect were a
treat to the classes. And after each lecture we used spontaneously to
look up original papers and classical treatises like Maxwell’s “Elec¬
tricity and Magnetism”, J. J. Thomson’s “Conduction of Electricity”,
Faraday’s “Experimental Researches”, Lord Rayleigh’s and Kelvin’s
“Collected Papers” and so forth. The lecture in which he worked out
Maxwell’s field equations and showed that light waves are only elec¬
tromagnetic waves and the thrill he communicated to the class are still
fresh memories.
Raman lectures
Raman excelled in public speaking and could give a lecture on, for
instance, Egyptian History, off the cuff. His scientific lectures were
a treat, for he was a superb entertainer. They were delivered in a
high-pitched resonant voice which reached the entire audience, mak¬
ing loudspeakers unnecessary. Rich in imagery and eloquence, and
replete with spontaneous jokes, the lectures were given in so popu¬
lar a style that every listener felt that he understood all the science
that the learned lecturer was discussing. Once, he told me that “the
hallmark of a good speaker is that the audience must be under the
delusion that they have understood everything that was said by the
speaker”. And that is what he used to do, whenever he gave a public
lecture — he would create in the minds of thousands of his listeners
the illusion that they understood everything he spoke about.
Raman’s typical way of giving a lecture has been beautifully de¬
scribed by Kashyap:
Raman lectures 171
Raman as a teacher
(Photo Courtesy : Raman Research Institute)
“A tall, turbaned figure, casting those searching and curious eyes al¬
most with child-like fitfulness, would walk directly to the dais, with
an occasional turn to the right or left, acknowledging a remark or an¬
swering a query by the sponsors of the lecture who were leading him
to the dais. Confidence incarnate was the figure and even before he
started speaking one got the impression that here was a lecturer who
would deliver the goods.
His very presence perhaps cut short the long-winded preambles and
welcomes that often mar the beautiful effect of a nice lecture. Prof.
Raman meant business and a disapproving look would stop a vagrant
introduction. His first words uttered in a characteristically punching
manner would set the pace for the lecture.
He spoke of soap bubbles. And, mind you, for some half an hour
the evanescent soap bubble that hardly lasts for a couple of seconds
blissfully lived!
Raman asked ‘Have you ever thought of keeping the soap bubble alive
for a long time?’ An intriguing question — a question that had never
occurred to many. The problem you know, Raman went on to say, is
to see that the droplet of water does not collect at the bottom. Then he
went on to say how he and other scientists, some in France, managed
172 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
to keep a soap bubble alive for a few days by subjecting the bubble to
an oppositely directed force.
One would never have a dull moment and would not even realise that
the lecture was over. To listen to Raman was something more than
learning physics. He had the knack of using the most appropriate ex¬
pressions, which no textbooks could give. He had the habit of tugging
the lapels of his coat which was a Raman characteristic. He would
invite questions and answer them all with astounding clarity.”
I had done to merit such a prize. When I explained to her the finding
referred to as the ‘Raman Effect’, she remarked that what I had dis¬
covered was so simple that she was surprised that my findings should
have merited such a high international prize. I hope, you, Mr Gov¬
ernor, were able to understand at least some of the things I said.” He
then sat down amidst a prolonged, standing ovation.
Raman’s lectures were painstakingly prepared and illustrated with
colourful slides and diagrams. I often used to prepare these for him
and he would ask me to operate the projector, for he could not stand
an erring projectionist. I once photographed in colour optical effects
exhibited by several gem materials. Colour photography was still an
art in those days and not mechanised and automated as at present.
Raman took the film with him to Bombay and had it processed.
The colour slides turned out to be very good and he was therefore
tremendously happy. He immediately sent an express telegram to
me in Bangalore conveying how pleased he was with the outcome.
Not only would he always express spontaneously his appreciation
and admiration for any good work, but he would also acknowledge
in public how so-and-so had done a marvellous job, had discovered
something nice, or had a good idea.
The excellently lit Raman Institute hall was very well equipped.
It had a fine black ground-glass board covering almost the entire wall
on one side. A long, finely polished teakwood table was positioned
in front of the speaker. One hundred plush, cushioned chairs made
of teak and upholstered in black velvet were arranged neatly in rows,
on an ascending platform. The chairs, wide and with arm-rests were
very comfortable. Raman wanted the most comfortable seating pos¬
sible for the audience in his lecture hall. He used to deliver all his
scientific lectures as well as special lectures here.
Every year, in October, he would give what was called the Gandhi
Memorial Lecture. The Gandhi Peace Foundation had created a
special endowment fund for this lecture. These lectures were well
attended, for it was one occasion when the public could listen to
Raman. The lectures were free, but tickets were issued on a first-
174 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
“To the dweller in the towns, the weather is nothing more than a minor
inconvenience which can be minimised by a little forethought in the
matter of taking an umbrella instead of a walking stick when going
out of the house. I will go so far as to say that the average city dweller
is scarely conscious of the weather except when he is reminded of it in
some particularly unpleasant fashion. The changing panorama of the
skies, the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, pass mostly unheeded
Some reflections on Raman’s personality 175
by him, for, alas, the only landscapes that stretch before his eyes are
long rows of tenement houses, and, as for the sky, it is only seen
in little patches here and there, not infrequently cut across by great
bunches of telephone wires. The only stars that he sees at night are
those that shine on the silver screen at the cinema theatre, and as for
the sun and the moon, he knows they are there but does not feel called
upon to take notice of them more than he can help.”
His own attitudes to certain basic issues of Science and its pro¬
gress were often expressed in his public speeches and private con¬
versations. Here is an example of what he thought about discoveries
in science:
“It should be mentioned that the reception given at first to even capital
discoveries by the outer world is not always one of respectful admi¬
ration for the achievement of the discoveries. One of the commonest
ways in which the achievement is sought to be minimised by the un¬
thinking or the envious is by attributing it to accident or a stroke of
luck akin to the winning of a lottery ticket. Such comments are, of
course, deplorable and indeed quite meaningless. The idea that a sci¬
entific discovery can be made by accident is ruled out by the fact that
the accident, if it is one, never occurs except to the right man. The
happy discoverer in Science is invariably a seeker after knowledge
and truth, working in a chosen field of his own and inspired in his
labours by the hope of finding at least a little grain of something new.
The commentators who like to consider discoveries as accidents for¬
get that the most important part of a scientific discovery is the recog¬
nition of its true nature by the observer, and this is scarcely possible
if he does not possess the requisite capacity or knowledge of the sub¬
ject. Rarely indeed are any scientific discoveries made except as the
result of a carefully thought-out programme of work. They come, if
they do come, as the reward of months or years of systematic study
and research in a particular branch of knowledge.”
yield if you wooed her for her wealth; she insisted that you love
her for herself and, even then, she would never give herself up com¬
pletely to anyone but would reveal her secrets only in part and only
little by little. As many discerning critics have said, let us not for¬
get, when we discuss and attempt to assess Raman, that he is the
greatest contribution India has made for many centuries to systema¬
tised human knowledge. We should not fall into the trap of regarding
him as just a successful scientist, like we generally regard other suc¬
cessful scientists or successful businessmen or successful politicians.
Men like him are not thrown up every day and, if the rugged con¬
tours and the sharp corners of this giant did not compromise with the
soft-spoken ways of the successful world, we can only describe the
phenomenon by stating that “it is no reproach on Everest that one
cannot play golf on it”.
That Raman had to work amidst disappointments, had to strug¬
gle and survive many difficult situations before reaching the pinnacle
of scientific glory the hard way is not often clear to many. He occa¬
sionally used to slip into a reminiscent mood and say that the more
he looked back on his career, the more he felt that it had been a
long history of frustration, disappointment, struggle and every kind
of tribulation. It sounded incredible but true, although some com¬
fort and self-confidence were forthcoming in the same breath, when
he used to say: “There have been a few gleams of success. It was
poverty and the poor laboratories that gave me the determination to
do the very best that I could”. On one occasion, after reading a glossy
biographical note written by one of his associates, Raman remarked
that the biography tempted him to picture himself as a prince sitting
in a gold chair marching from triumph to triumph, without a tear.
While he wished that the picture were true, he knew that in fact it
was not so.
In the life of great scientists, there have invariably been periods
of distress amidst the joys of scientific successes. Raman’s life was
no exception. He had to face difficult times both in Calcutta and at
the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, causing him severe emo-
Some reflections on Raman’s personality 177
tional drain. The difficulties had nothing to do with Science but with
the politics of Science of the times.
After the discovery of the Raman Effect in 1928, and following
the award of the Nobel Prize in 1930, Raman became a celebrity, his
stature in India and abroad growing to new heights. Raman’s rise to
scientific eminence, power and prestige caused envy in some quar¬
ters and Raman had a trying period. The last few years of his stay
in Calcutta were by no means happy. Some individuals accused him
of not having been fair to young students from Bengal and attributed
motives to the manner in which he selected his colleagues and his
assistants. Although much of this was a parallel growth alongside
his increasing reputation and growing scientific eminence, and was
ignored as such by many discerning persons, it nevertheless assumed
ugly proportions occasionally. His connections with the Indian As¬
sociation for the Cultivation of Science, where undoubtedly his best
scientific work was done, had to be broken off in an unceremonious
manner. He had to defend himself by sharply reacting to public criti¬
cism. At one stage, he made a statement that he could have contented
himself “by creating only a Bengali School of physics and not an all
India school. But, in that case, I am quite certain that the Nobel Prize
in physics would not have come east of Suez”.
One of the leading daily newspapers of Calcutta wrote, in an ed¬
itorial critical of Raman’s methods, that “a scientist is not, however,
necessarily a good administrator, and eminence in science is not al¬
ways a substitute for many of the ordinary virtues which count as
much in public as in private life”. On the other hand, it must be said
to the credit of Calcutta that there were many broadminded persons
with sufficient vision who described him as an uncommon genius
whose methods and outlook on things had to be accepted with re¬
spect, even if they were not similar to those adopted by a common
administrator.
Again, at the Indian Institute of Science, he had to face a trying
period connected with the position of Director, to which he was ap¬
pointed in 1933. The problem this time was that the policy-making
body of the Indian Institute of Science did not like the way in which
178 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
always insisted he was right and the rest of the world was wrong.
Aside from these sensitive spots, he was a charming person. His
greatest gift was the ability to turn his mind to Nature and revel in it.
Raman’s deep feelings for Nature, his views on education, Sci¬
ence, Science policy, technical progress and the need for self-reliance,
are best reflected in the Convocation Address delivered by him at the
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, on July 30, 1966. This ad¬
dress, so typical of Raman, attests to his seriousness and fearlessness,
clarity and honesty, and should be assimilated by every thinking per¬
son. I reproduce it below with the permission of the Director of the
IIT, Madras.
I have always said to myself and others that I regard as the greatest
feature of the world Nature herself. She is the supreme artist; she
creates forms of beauty, loveliness and colour, unsurpassable, and this
has been so from the beginning of time. She is the inspiration not
only of artists, painters, sculptors and engineers, but also of men of
Science. When I say this, I remember, many years ago, I was standing
below the pillars of the temple of Luxor. What did I find at the top?
The IIT Convocation Address 185
The lotus, papyrus. These forms of beauty of Nature have been the
inspiration of all mankind. Well, I should say that they should also be
the inspiration of all these graduates of the year.
Usually, technology and industry are associated, I don’t say justly,
with squalor, dust, ugliness, smoke and all sorts of abomination. That
ought not to be so. I think your education is imperfect if you do not
realise, my young friends, that life is not merely a question of getting
food, clothes and shelter. Man does not live by bread alone. This has
been realised from ancient times. I think that the finest things in life
are not these, but music, colour, flowers, beauty, aesthetic sense, the
satisfaction derived from those. We in Madras do not have to lament
about music, I think. You are all music-minded. If you are not, I feel
sympathy for you. It is those finer things in life that make life worth
living.
You, by the great kindness of no less than three mighty powers, the
Central Government of India, the local Government of Madras, to say
nothing of that mighty German Republic, have been privileged to live
in this wonderful area, with these magnificent hostels, with these great
186 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
laboratories and, above all, in the midst of these lovely trees and open
air. You at least will not die of tuberculosis. I was privileged to be
shaken by the hand by some of your prize men. I considered it a
privilege to shake hands with them. If I did it with all the graduates,
my hands will not be fit to hold anything. They were hefty young
fellows with plenty of grip in them. That is as it ought to be. What use
are you engineers if you cannot lift up a hammer? Physical strength,
energy are the basis of engineering. So, I find, you have been taken
care of well.
It is only right and proper that I should make some reference to the
great country, Germany, which has helped in no small measure to
make it possible for you to receive the education that you have had
during these years. To me, when Germany is mentioned, I do not think
of Germany on the map. Germany brings to my mind the great mas¬
terminds which made Germany what she was. I can mention a score
of names. I just mention two who have been recognised as among the
greatest of philosophers and men of science the world has ever seen.
Hermann Von Helmholtz in the 19th century and Albert Einstein in
the present. I could recite a score of names. Every one of these has
written his name in an imperishable way in the records of Science.
These, and not the country Germany, nor all that happened to Ger¬
many, recall Germany to my mind. It was for many years my earnest
desire to go round and spend a few weeks in Germany, visit these an¬
cient centres of learning, small though they may be in geographical
extent but great in the lustre of their names. Heidelberg, Gottingen,
Marburg and so on. I will never be fortunate enough to spare that time
or get that opportunity.
know. Lovely little place and it was a free city of the Empire. And one
of the freedoms it possessed was to be allowed to run a casino, or a
gambling place. You know it is not a very nice kind of freedom. They
ran it and made and still make money. People think that when you
go to a gambling den you are going to make money. Nothing of the
sort. It is the man who keeps the gambling den who makes the money.
Lindau made a substantial profit every year and the conscience of the
councillors bothered them a little at having this ill-gotten wealth. So
what they did was to compromise with conscience. Every year they
have a Conference to which they invite nobody other than a Nobel
Prize man. A Nobel Prize is the minimum qualification to be invited
to this Conference. Year after year, they hold it in succession. Ten
years ago, I was invited to this Conference. I went there, I was not
sorry I went there, because it is a lovely place. The most beautiful
place, right in the middle of the lake, is an island called the island of
Mainau. Mainau is owned by Count Bernadotte. He comes from the
Swedish Royal family. He was the host of this function.
Well, just ten years ago, imagine ten years ago. I find it very dif¬
ficult to understand how in the course of ten years a veritable jun¬
gle full of, presumably, snakes and cobras has been transformed into
this beautiful place of learning and how so many buildings and so
much equipment and so many bright young people from all over In¬
dia have gathered together and such a magnificent assembly presented
for my delectation. I enjoy this, particularly because I love colour. As
I have mentioned on many occasions, there is an unwritten law that
men should not wear bright colours as a rule. Women are allowed to
wear colours as you know and they always do. But there are excep¬
tions. And a convocation is one of these exceptions when the men are
allowed to flaunt all the bright colours in the spectrum and a few out¬
side the spectrum as well, for the delectation and admiration of those
round them and specially members of the feminine sex who will be
around.
The IIT Convocation Address 189
then forget all about what they learned in college. That is hardly the
thing to do. If you are all going to be worth any little at all in the
future, it can be only if you remember what has been laid now as the
foundation in these four or five years. On that foundation you must
build.
You always have to remember a few things, you will permit me to
remind you of them. This most wonderful possession that you all
have, everyone of us has, is this human body. It is our parents who
gave it to us. I have recently turned my attention from physics and
chemistry, mineralogy and mathematics to the study of the human
faculties. Some of them, unfortunately, are hidden away inside the
brain and we have to take them for granted. The mere study of all
these external points of contact has made me realise what an amazing
possession we have.
There is another little thing that we all forget very often. There is a lit¬
tle thing called the ‘heart’. That little machine started working when
you were born, why even before you were born and goes on ticking at
a certain rate and it goes on ticking, ticking, ticking all the time at the
same rate, at nearly the same rate, all the time when you are young and
all the time when you are getting to be an old man, until you are dead.
And when that stops, you are dead. That wonderful machine, my dear
young friends, has to be safeguarded. You often hear of great men
suddenly dropping down, their doctors call it coronary thrombosis or
whatever other names, learned names for this collapse which causes
death. And why is it that this happens? It is because they over-drive
this wonderful machine. They misuse their bodies. They think, now
that I am so young and energetic, I can do anything I please, I can
eat all the chillies I want, go out all night, attend theatres, friendship
parties and so on. And what happens? No doubt the young blood can
stand the strain, but it tells. And what happens then? You are pre¬
maturely aged and then coronary thrombosis comes in and takes you
away. I want you to realise this at the time of youth. This is a lesson
I have learned myself. Please do not think that I am preaching what
I don’t practice. I have always practiced it. I believe not in precept
but in practice. Always, I believe that the greatest influence that a
teacher has is, as they say, by his example and not by his perception
The IIT Convocation Address 191
only. Now is the time when you are still young, when the blood is still
flowing warmly in your veins and arteries, now is the time to improve
on what you learned here.
as you grow old, those enthusiasms, those fears, desire for, achieve¬
ment, energy and all that. Youth is the most glorious time of all. I
have said elsewhere that most of the great discoveries in Science have
been made by young people. It is not the experience or wisdom that
old age brings, but the freshness of outlook, the indomitable desire to
achieve, which is the characteristic of youth, that makes discoveries
possible. It is this that makes life worthwhile. If only you realise this
and realise that here I am, I am still young, let me see what I can do,
that all discoveries become possible.
And above all, in my own experience, I have found that one of our
evils is that for centuries we have been trodden under the feet of con¬
querors from abroad. I don’t want to recite all their names. One of the
things that has been bred in us, a very deep and ineradicable defect, is
a kind of inferiority complex which makes us think that we dare not
question what has come to us from abroad. Whatever comes to us in a
textbook must be right, some great man has said something, well, we
must bow to him in fear and trembling and never question him. This
produces a mental inhibition. Now, I do not suggest to you that you
should all become arrogant, contemptuous of all the great men of the
past. Not at all. I am not suggesting that. But I think we should all
learn that no one is infallible. Not even Hermann Von Helmholtz, not
even Einstein. Nobody is infallible. New knowledge may upset what
may have been made in the past, and may completely throw out what
has been done before.
So I think one of the things all Indians should learn is fearless inde¬
pendence of thinking. That is a quality which is very essential and the
absence of which, if I may venture to say so with all deference, is what
stands today in the path of Indian progress. Whenever we want to do
anything, we borrow money from abroad. We all know that every day
we see one hundred million dollars or one billion dollars being bor¬
rowed from somewhere. Our so-called independence freely consists,
if I may say so without entering into politics, in our being ruled by
The IIT Convocation Address 193
But no country, and as you are all engineers, let me express here
forcibly my conviction that no country can become industrially great
without a foundation of real knowledge. This is what Science teaches.
Science has shown time and again that Science comes first and Tech¬
nology afterwards. Without Science, there is no Technology. Why
has Germany been so great? Because in the 19th century, she had a
galaxy of men of Science in every branch of knowledge, whose name
and fame shone forth. Because they were not technicians, they were
humble professors in the universities. But they sought knowledge and
they made their students seek knowledge. They were springs from
which knowledge came forth, gushed forth and it was that knowledge,
that spring of knowledge, that fertilised all the industries of Germany
and made her great.
It is realised in all countries today, that Science comes first and Tech¬
nology afterwards. If you think you can build a great industrial nation,
make tons of money and pay off all these awful debts by pursuing so-
called Technology alone, you are doomed to complete failure. Let
194 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
You may recall the history of Astronomy of the 19th century. Astron¬
omy is usually regarded as one of the useless subjects. Our ancients
were much concerned about the stars because they thought that the sun
and the stars had something to do with human affairs. So they very
keenly watched the planets and the stars. Though the reasons they
may have done so may be wrong, there is no doubt that the pursuit
of astronomy is of infinite importance to us. The study of astronomy
may look as if it has nothing to do with human affairs, if you do not
believe in astrology, but really it is more from the study of the stars
that you have learned more about the earth we live in, more about
the Sun and more about everything, than from the study of terrestrial
sources of light. The astronomers demanded instruments of the high¬
est precision with which alone they could follow the movement of the
stars, do the time-keeping, note the displacements, aberrations, par¬
allax and so on. The demands of precision instruments, especially by
Germans like Bessel and others, led to the modern development of
precision mechanics. You understand what I mean by precision me¬
chanics. I wish to mention the fact that the great telescope at Palomar,
the 200-inch telescope, that enormous thing, that tremendous, huge,
massive thing, hundreds of tons in weight, has to be moved with the
accuracy and precision of a Swiss watch and nothing less. Nothing
less will satisfy the astronomers. This huge mass has to go round with
The IIT Convocation Address 195
the smoothness and precision of a Swiss watch. I know what the pre¬
cision of a Swiss watch is. I have got here a watch on my wrist which
I wear only on occasions such as this. Well, I want to be reminded
of the time which passes and I wind it only about once a year or so.
But all the time it shows the correct time. Astronomy demands such
precision and it was the demand of the astronomers that led to the de¬
velopment of precision mechanics which, of course, today we use in
everything.
You can quote example after example to prove this. The demands of
Science, the botanist, the zoologist who wanted to examine his subtle
structures led to the development of the great firm of Carl Zeiss. It was
Ernst Abbe who took up that problem and made the optical industry
what it is today. What was demanded and made for the needs of Sci¬
ence has benefitted everybody else. The same story is repeated in all
the beautiful instruments that have gone to make this great advance¬
ments of knowledge possible in these sixty years. They were born out
of the brain of men of Science, they were translated into practice and
today they are the tools of study in every branch of knowledge. Every
metallurgist today uses the electron microscope. Who thought of it?
A man of Science who was not interested in its possible applications.
He was interested in it for its own sake.
Now I wind up. I think I have gone on long enough. I must stop. I
know you are all listening to me with great eagerness and interest. I
must put an end to your agonies. I will do so as soon as I can. But this
I would like to say, that the developmemt of knowledge and Science
in the last sixty years, I have seen from the inside. I have not been
inside all the time, but I have been inside most of the time. It has been
something absolutely fantastic.
But there is a third and a most sinister way in which Science has de¬
veloped in the last sixty years. And that is Science in its applica¬
tions to war, application to defensive war and offensive war. Even in
medicine, much of our knowledge of the human brain has come from
the study of half-dead and half-dying men in war. The examination of
The IIT Convocation Address 197
And not only that, the Second World War, as you all know, brought
the atom bomb into existence. That atom bomb has come directly out
of the consequence of the actual discovery of fission made by Joliot
Curie in the laboratory — he showed it to me when I was there in
Paris, the gist of the discoveries made. That immediately set thinking
minds in action — here is an instrument of dreadful power, if we use
it we can destroy mankind. And fear, the fear that the other man may
use it led to the development of the atom bomb everywhere. Then the
hydrogen bomb came. And ever since, an atmosphere of fear, it is a
horrible thing to see, an atmosphere of fear of mutual recrimination,
progressive deterioration is there, like what happens to a man when
he borrows money. You see the interest goes on adding up. It be¬
comes a colossal figure, which bears no resemblance whatsoever to
the loan which he took at first. This kind of explosive development
of fear complex has produced a psychological, a pathological state of
affairs in the human mind in which all evils thrive and sustain. To¬
day, Science in many countries is simply the hand-maid of the war
machine.
they could have shot two monkeys and made them walk in space. It is
just a mere pretence. I say this with all sense of responsibility, it is a
mere pretense to say that all these exploits of finding out what exactly
is there on the moon and so on, have any scientific value whatever. I
absolutely deny that. It is nothing but militarism very thinly disguised.
That is what is happening today. It is very sad. Our Science is going
that way. So Science today is misused.
I heard the pledge given by you, that you will not use your knowledge
for unworthy ends. If you had been in one of those countries you
would have to use it for unworthy ends. Otherwise you would lose
your job forthwith. What is the use of giving a pledge which you
would have to break in order to get your daily bread? This is what
is happening today. There are sensitive consciences even in those
countries who revolt from this sort of thing. But it is going on, going
on, this prostitution of Science. Where it will end, I do not know.
Only I want to say this, that we in India to some extent are slaves. We
are part of the machinations of our so-called friends. We are forced
to accept this situation. Our friends in the United States give all the
latest arms to our friends in Pakistan and they want them to use these
against us and they have used these against us and we are forced to
reply in time. The Russians thought that the Chinese were a friendly
nation. They taught Chinese all the arts of war. What China is doing
today is what Russia had taught her to do, and now China is paying
her back in her own coin. This is a horrible situation. I do not know
what to do. As a man of Science, my heart is simply wrung with this
amazing prostitution of Science. We can do nothing about it. In fact,
we have to accept the situation as it is and do what we can. I am sorry
to have had to end on this very unfortunate and depressing note. There
it is.
But let me end by saying that we in this country have no future what¬
ever of any sort unless we learn firstly, secondly and lastly to rely on
ourselves for everything that we need. It is better, I think, to go back to
The IIT Convocation Address 199
the Gandhian age and ride an ox-cart, to throw away radio, television
and everything and go back to the land of the ox-cart. We cannot do
it unfortunately. We are tied to the coat-tails of European civilisation,
I include myself also in this. In the first place I put a big query mark
after the word ‘civilisation’ and I must also put another mark after
‘European’. I must also add American, you know the American way
of civilisation. We are tied to their coat-tails. We find that we cannot
be happy unless we have a radio making a lot of noise in the other
room. I never listen to a radio. I simply loathe it. One of the things
that we have been taught from childhood is to admire this wonderful
flicker on the screen. I never go to a cinema, never. For twenty years
I have not stepped inside a cinema theatre. I cannot advise my young
friends to follow my example because I know they won’t follow my
example. We are told that we cannot be happy unless we have a tele¬
vision set to see some lady dancing on the television screen. This is
the trouble.
You see our tastes have been corrupted. We do not want to look at the
banyan trees. We must go and see the cinema screen. Now we must,
I say this with all energy that I can command, we have to eschew
all the evil things which we learn from Europe and America. Let
us not condemn Science for that reason, but we must not subordinate
ourselves to the ideas and ideals which have come to us from the West,
which are simply designed to make us part with our rupees and make
the rupee worth five cents, as Mr. Masani says.
to know where they have been made. I have not heard of any. That
is the starting point of the whole electronic industry and do we make
it? Let us wait till we can make it, before we buy a single electronic
valve from outside. If we do that, then I think we would learn, how
to make it. It is this lesson of self-reliance that we have to learn and
until we learn it there is no future for us.”
into restricted fields are in essence artificial. I think the history of Sci¬
ence has shown over and over again, that it is only by boldly cutting
across these artificial boundaries that progress of real significance can
be achieved. It is precisely this feature that lends importance to the ac¬
tivities of such an Academy as ours, where men of Science of widely
different scientific interests come together in a common endeavour
and seek to understand each other’s point of view.
I will also say a word about the Academy, in relation to the nation
at large. It is inevitable that the Academy, consisting as it does of
the most active workers in the country who are representatives of the
different parts of India and of different branches of Science, will soon
come to be regarded as the most authoritative body to speak in the
name of India on all matters touching the progress of Science. The
potentialities of such an Academy in the way of national service are
almost unlimited. What it can actually achieve depends on the mea¬
sure of support it receives from the Government of India and from the
general public. I do not think that any calls for service from responsi¬
ble quarters will find us unwilling or unprepared.”
Lady Raman
A few remarks about Lokasundari Raman will not be out of place
here. Those who have known her have often admired her devotion
to her husband. On several journeys, she used to travel with him
and look after him. Her principal interest in life was only one and
that was to enable Professor Raman to carry on his scientific work
in an uninterrupted manner. Seldom did she permit the projection
in public of her own personality distinct from that of her husband’s.
This aspect of hers, besides being in accordance with the best of
Indian traditions, was so noticeable on occasions that she drew the
admiration of all concerned.
Lady Raman was of gentle nature. She moved around with grace
and dignity, dressed always in simple sarees and with practically
no jewellery. She spoke several languages; Tamil was her mother
tongue, but she could speak Bengali fluently. She could also con¬
verse in English, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. She was active in
many social organisations devoted to the causes of women, children,
the depressed and the poor.
There was a discussion (in the early part of 1936) between
Mahatma Gandhi and Lady Raman which reveals her nature and her
interests. Gandhiji is reported to have told Lady Raman that he would
be willing to visit the Institute of Science if Raman would be willing
to show him some magic there! He also said to Lady Raman: “I have
209
210 C. V. Raman —A Memoir
heard all kinds of good things about you from your husband, but I
have to find out how far they are true. He told me the other day that
whilst he is absorbed in his Science, you find time for all kinds of
humanitarian activities.”
Lady Raman replied: “Not as much as I should be doing. But I
am certainly interested in Khadi and Harijan welfare and social ser¬
vice and things of that kind. You know, Mahatmaji, I have been a
spinner for many years. Some fifteen years ago I sent you a quan¬
tity of my own hand-spun yam to be woven into cloth, and the late
Madanlal Gandhi sent the cloth on to me. But my husband had no
faith in the wheel then. He would put away my wheel, smash it and
break it; but I am glad to tell you that in my own lifetime the day has
come when he no longer ridicules the wheel. He too believes in it.”
Gandhi said: “I am very happy. Well, then, I want you to do
a little work for me. Did you ever meet the late Kamala Nehru?”
Lady Raman replied” “Once or twice, Mahatmaji. But I know the
old Mrs. Nehru very well.” Gandhi said: “But you, of course, know
what a good woman Kamala was. You know how she spent herself
for the country. But when I prize most of her is not her political
contribution, but her great spiritual beauty which I should like every
man and woman to know.”
Lady Raman butted in, “Yes, I know of her services and her
moral beauty”.
To which Gandhiji said, “Then you must help me in collecting
some money for the Memorial we are having for her”.
Lady Raman heartily agreed. As this dialogue was going on,
in came Sir C. V. Raman. She was talking in Hindi as he came in.
“Now, is that Hindi any good?” he asked jocularly, to which Gandhiji
replied, “Certainly as good as your Science”.
“Oh, yes”, said Raman. “She has an amazing capacity for pick¬
ing up languages. She knows Hindi, she knows Bengali better than
Hindi.”
Gandhiji put in, “Of course, she has stayed in Calcutta for some
years”.
Lady Raman 211
her two sons very much, but the older son, Chandrasekhar, had left
the house, for his lifestyle and ideas were not consistent with Ra¬
man’s. The second son, Radhakrishnan, also left India a few years
after graduating in Physics from Mysore University, and spent a long
time abroad before he returned to accept the Directorship of the Ra¬
man Research Institute. All these happenings turned Lady Raman
somewhat bitter, but her devotion to Raman was in no way affected.
At the time of Raman’s death, when his body was being removed
from the Hall, she stood by and wept like a child. She said, “I took
care of him for more than sixty years and you are all taking him away
from which he will never return”. It was heart-rending to see the
grand old lady break down like this. She was, of course, a very strong
person with a strong will, and recovered from the shock. When Rad¬
hakrishnan returned to Bangalore to assume the Directorship, she
felt very happy and became her old self. During my visits to India
between 1971 and 1980 I always called on her and she was very cor¬
dial. Lady Raman lived for ten years after Raman’s death and passed
away in May 1980. It was a great satisfaction to her to see her grand¬
son born and Radhakrishnan firmly established in Bangalore as the
head of the Raman Research Institute.
V. Radhakrishnan
Radhakrishnan, the second son of the Ramans was known to his
friends simply as Rad. He was born on May 19, 1929, just after Ra¬
man discovered his Effect. My first contact with him was in Novem¬
ber 1949, soon after I joined the RRI in Bangalore. In the large
compound of ‘Panchavati’, Raman’s residence in Malleswaram, Rad
occupied a nice little cottage in the northwest corner, connected to
the main bungalow and the kitchen-dining complex by a covered cor¬
ridor.
Rad was very interested in electronics and had a lot of books and
journals in the cottage, all neatly arranged, as well as a complete set
of the magazine Amateur Radio. He was still a student at the Central
College in Bangalore doing his B.Sc. (Hons.) course in physics
when I first met him. Rad was very friendly to me and we used to
meet frequently. I learnt a lot of electronics from him, for I was
myself an amateur electronics enthusiast. Further, he introduced me
214 C. V. Raman —/t Memoir
sailed in the Indian Ocean but things did not go well because of a
storm and he had to abandon the trip.
The last time I saw him was in December 2009. He took me to
his home and we had lunch prepared by Dominique. Earlier in his of¬
fice we talked and at one point I became emotional when discussing
Professor Raman, and his words were comforting. I learned with
great sorrow that he passed away in Bangalore on March 3, 2011. I
wrote a note to Dominique and she graciously responded despite her
deep sorrow. She continues to live in Bangalore in the same house,
perpetuating the memory of her great husband, just like Lady Raman
did.
Rad was a chip off the old block in many ways. Fiercely in¬
dependent, he treated people with due respect no matter where in
the ladder they belonged. He listened to grievances of all Institute
employees and was very fair in his dealings. So I have heard, and
knowing his personality, I believe it to be true. He appreciated gifted
individuals no matter whether they had degrees or not. He himself
set an example by not going for any degrees.
Rad earned his status by outstanding accomplishments in his
field. It was a privilege to have known him.
V. Radhcikrishnan 217
V. Radhakrishnan.
backward when the ball hits the bat, the ball will lose some of its
speed and bounce back with a reduced speed. Similarly, when the ball
hits the bat while the bat is moving forward, the ball will gain speed
from the forward moving bat and bounce back at a higher speed than
the thrower put in.
The Raman Effect has to do with light and molecules. You should
think of the incoming light as the tennis ball thrown and the molecule
as the tennis player who is moving his bat back and forth. The atoms
in a molecule are vibrating constantly about the equilibrium position.
Light also vibrates at a certain frequency (when it is monochromatic),
and when it hits a molecule the frequency of the light is decreased
or increased, depending upon the energy state of the molecule; the
frequency of the light is increased when the molecule gives energy to
the light, or decreased when the molecule takes energy from the light,
like the ball gaining or losing its speed, as I’ve already stated.”
A new radiation1
Introductory
During the past seven years, the scattering of light in transparent me¬
dia has been the subject of intensive experimental and theoretical in¬
vestigation at Calcutta, and it is the researches made on this subject
that have led to the discovery which I shall lay before you this evening.
One important outcome of our researches has been to show that while
light-scattering is in one sense a molecular phenomenon, in another
sense it is a bulk-effect having a thermal origin. It is the thermal
agitation of the molecules which causes them to be distributed and
orientated in space with incomplete regularity, and it is the local fluc¬
tuations in the properties of the medium thus arising which give rise to
optical heterogeneity and consequent diffusion of light. The subject of
light-scattering is thus a meeting ground for thermodynamics, molec¬
ular physics and the wave-theory of radiation. That the combination
of theories in such diverse fields of physics gives us predictions, which
have been experimentally verified, is one of the triumphs of modern
physics.
A new phenomenon
closely and discovered that it was not a true dependence of the depo¬
larisation on the wavelength of the scattering radiation but was due to
the presence in the scattered light of what he described as “a trace of
fluorescence”. This was shown by the fact that the measured depo¬
larisation depended on whether the blue filter used was placed in the
path of the incident-beam or of the scattered light, being smaller in
the latter case. Accepting the explanation of the effect as “weak flu¬
orescence”, it naturally became important to discover whether it was
due to some impurity present in the substance. Dr Ramanathan tested
this by careful chemical purification, followed by repeated slow dis¬
tillation of the liquid at the temperature of melting ice. He found that
the effect persisted undiminished.
The possibility of a similar effect in gases and vapours was also borne
in mind and repeatedly looked for by the workers at Calcutta. The fee¬
bleness of the scattering in gases and vapours, and the infructuousness
of the earlier efforts in this direction, however discouraged progress.
A new radiation 227
Its universality
All the liquids examined (and they were some 80 in number) showed
the effect in a striking manner. There was therefore no longer any
doubt that the phenomenon was universal in character; with the bulb
of toluene on the lantern, you see that the effect is readily demonstra-
228 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
ble. The cone of light vanishes when I place the violet and green filters
together, but it appears when I transfer the latter to a place between
my audience and the observation bulb.
Now the test with the complementary filters is precisely that ordinar¬
ily used for detecting fluorescence and indeed was first suggested by
Stokes in his investigations on the subject. You may therefore rightly
ask me the question how does this phenomenon differ from fluores¬
cence?- The answer to the question is, firstly, that it is of an entirely
different order of intensity. A more satisfactory proof was however
forthcoming when Mr Krishnan and myself examined the polarisation
of this new type of radiation and found that it was nearly as strong as
that of the ordinary light-scattering in many cases, and is thus quite
distinct from ordinary fluorescence which is usually unpolarised.
This is shown for the case of toluene in Figs. 1 and 2 in Plate XII.
Fig. 1 is a photograph of the scattering by toluene of sunlight fil¬
tered through a blue-violet glass. It was taken through a double-image
prism of iceland spar with an exposure of 3 seconds. Fig. 2 is a pic¬
ture with an additional complementary filter of green glass interposed
in front of the camera lens. The exposure necessary is now increased
greatly by the insensitiveness of the plate to green light, and had to
be as much as 25 minutes. It will be noticed that the polarisation of
the track as shown by the difference in brightness of the two polarised
images is quite as prominent in Fig. 2 as in Fig. 1.
That the secondary radiation passes the complementary filter and yet
is strongly polarised to an extent comparable with the ordinary molec¬
ular scattering, is clear evidence that we have in it an entirely new
type of secondary radiation which is distinct from either the ordi¬
nary scattering or the usual type of fluorescence. A striking and even
startling confirmation of this view is furnished by an examination of
its spectrum. Preliminary observations, with sunlight filtered through
a combination which passes a narrow range of wavelengths, showed
the spectrum of the new radiation to consist mainly of a narrow range
of wavelengths clearly separated from the incident spectrum by a dark
space. This encouraged me to take up observations with a monochro¬
matic source of light.
A quartz mercury lamp with a filter which completely cuts out all
the visible lines of longer wavelength than the indigo line 4,358A.U.
was found to be very effective. When the light from such a lamp
was passed through the bulb containing a dust-free liquid, and the
spectrum of the scattered light was observed through a direct-vision
spectroscope, it was found to exhibit two or more sharp bright lines
in the blue and green regions of the spectrum. These lines are not
present in the spectrum of the incident-light or in the unfiltered light
of the mercury arc and are thus manufactured by the molecules of the
liquid.
Figures 3(1) and 3(2), and Figs. 4(1) and 4(2) show the phenomenon.
They are spectrograms taken with a small Hilger quartz instrument
of the scattering by liquid benzene. Fig. 3 was taken with the light
from the quartz mercury arc filtered through a blue glass which allows
the wavelengths from about 3,500A.U. to 4,400A.U. to pass through.
Fig. 3(1) represents the incident-spectrum and Fig. 3(2) the scattered-
spectrum. and the latter shows a number of sharp lines not present in
230 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
Fig. 3(1). These are indicated in the figure. Figs. 4(1) and (2) simi¬
larly represent the incident and scattered spectra with benzene liquid,
the filter used being a potassium permanganate solution. Here again
the new lines which appear are indicated in the figure. Visual observa¬
tions were also made using a quinine sulphate solution together with
the blue glass as a filter and thus cutting off all the radiations except
4,358A.U. from the incident-spectrum. Some of the modified lines
then disappear, leaving only those of longer wavelength. It is thus
clear that each line in the incident-spectrum gives rise to at least two
lines in the scattered-spectrum, one in the original or unmodified po¬
sition, and a second in a shifted position of longer wavelength. There
is thus a striking analogy with the Compton effect in the X-ray region.
There has, as yet, not been sufficient time for photographing the spec¬
tra from a large number of liquids, or even for measuring the pho¬
tographs already obtained. Visual observations have however been
made with a large number of liquids. There is an astonishing simi¬
larity between the spectra obtained with different liquids. When only
the 4,358 line was used, most liquids showed in the spectrum of the
scattered light, a bright fine in the blue-green region of the spectrum
(about 5,000A.U.), whose position was practically the same for chem¬
ically similar liquids such as pentane, hexane and octane, for instance.
There was, however, a recognisable difference in the position of the
modified line when other liquids such as benzene or water were used.
When the 4,047 line of the mercury arc was let in by removing the
quinine sulphate solution, a second modified line in the blue region of
the spectrum was seen with most liquids.
Photographs obtained so far with benzene and toluene suggest that
there may be several modified lines, and that each modified line may
be a doublet in some cases. In many liquids, the scattered-spectrum
shows in addition to sharp lines an unmistakable continuous spectrum
accompanying it. Carbon disulphide behaves in an exceptional man¬
ner, showing a diffuse band.
Observations already made show that the new lines in the scattered-
spectrum are usually markedly polarised; they also suggest that a con¬
tinuous spectrum, when present, is less markedly polarised.
A new radiation 231
Fig. 1 Fig. 2
Fig. 3(1)
Fig. 3(2)
Fig. 4(1)
Fig. 4(2)
The first Raman spectra demonstrating the line nature of the Raman scat¬
tered radiation (see pages 228 and 229for explanation).
232 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
Relation to thermodynamics
Conclusion
The line-spectrum of the new radiation was first seen on February 28,
1928. The observation was given publicity the following day.
Davisson on Raman
An unusually candid account of Raman’s discovery was written by
C. J. Davisson of Bell Laboratories in 1931. It appeared in the Bell
Laboratories Record just after Raman was honoured by the award of
Davisson on Raman 235
the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930. Five years later, Davisson him¬
self shared a Nobel Prize in Physics with G. R Thomson for demon¬
strating the wave nature of electrons. Very brief extracts from this
are quoted in the beginning of this Memoir. I reproduce here the full
account:
“In awarding the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1930 to Sir C. V. Raman,
the Swedish Academy concurred with physicists the world over in
appraising the discovery of the “Raman Effect” as one of the most
important achievements in physics in recent years.
placed in frequency each by the same amount from its primary. The
different groups may overlap in the spectrum, making the sorting out
difficult but not impossible. A group may extend on both sides of
the primary; as a rule, more and stronger lines are found on the side
of lower frequencies. Such lines as do appear on the high frequency
side are found always to be matched by lines of equal displacement
on the low frequency side. It is as if the scattering material has at
its disposal a small collection of frequencies which it can add to that
of the incident-light or subtract from it, and as if it prefers subtrac¬
tion to addition. These simple numerical relationships distinguish the
Raman Effect from the somewhat similar phenomenon of fluorescence
— these and the fact that the Raman Effect appears to be a universal
phenomenon observable with any transparent medium, gaseous, liq¬
uid or solid, whereas fluorescence is exhibited by a limited class of
materials only.
Thus the photons may give up to the molecules only one or another
of these characteristic amounts of energy, and, in consequence of the
direct proportionality between energy and frequency, the frequency
of the associated waves should be lowered only by corresponding
amounts. It is for this reason that the Raman spectrum is a spec¬
trum of sharp lines. The frequency displacements in the Raman spec¬
trum should correspond to differences between energy levels of the
molecules; and in cases in which these latter are already known, this
relationship is verified.
The Raman lines on the high frequency side of the primary line may
be explained on the general principle that processes of the kind men¬
tioned in the last paragraph are necessarily reversible. If it is possible
for a photon to give up a part of its energy in raising a molecule from
one level to another, it must be possible also for the molecule in pass¬
ing in the opposite direction to impart an equal amount of energy to
a colliding photon. This process is the analogue of what is known
in encounters between electrons and atoms as a ‘collision of the sec¬
ond kind’. The presence of high-frequency components in the Raman
spectrum symmetrical with the low-frequency components is due to
238 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
ceived entirely in India, and, except for a single year, he has worked
only in his native land. In 1924 he attended the Toronto meeting of
the British Association and afterwards carried on his researches for
some months at California Institute of Technology.
His previous honours, which have been numerous, include the gen¬
eral presidency of the Indian Science Congress and fellowship in the
Royal Society. Knighthood was conferred upon him by King George
in 1929. India may well be proud of Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata
Raman, her first Nobel Laureate in Science.”
'
Epilogue
Raman’s life has been an extraordinary one in many ways. But his
most significant act in that extraordinary life was that he took to the
pursuit of Science, against all conventional wisdom prevalent in his
time. What prompted him to do so is obvious in hindsight. He had an
irresistible passion for physics, and the creative spirit in him drove
him to seek the opportunity to make his dreams in that discipline
come true. However, the destiny of an individual is the result of in¬
teraction between his free will and external circumstances. The latter
are more often opportunities that come by chance, over which the in¬
dividual has no control. In almost every person’s life these elements
play an important role. In Raman’s life, his entry into Government
Service gave him the financial independence to pursue his interest in
physics and his posting to Calcutta gave him the unique opportunity
of discovering a scientific institution suited to his temperament.
At that time, Calcutta had the best intellectual and cultural tradi¬
tions in India. Science had taken root there as an important intellec¬
tual pursuit. On this, Raman has said:
241
242 C. V. Raman — A Memoir
But for this intellectual atmosphere, there would not have been an
Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science to provide Raman
with an opportunity to renew his interest in physics. Raman’s dis¬
covery of the existence of the Association was accidental. The open
arms with which he was welcomed into it were the encouragement
he needed. Both were important turning points in his life. Further,
the Association was just the right body for Raman’s personality, be¬
cause he functioned at his best when he had all the independence and
freedom to act and make the decisions.
Raman possessed an indomitable spirit and an abiding love of
Science. He demonstrated by his example that independent thinking,
hard work, self-confidence and utter dedication are absolute necessi¬
ties for scientific achievement. Raman’s scientific intuition guided
him to choose important problems that could be tackled with the
meagre facilities available and he made a mark in whatever area he
chose to investigate with these facilities. From 1907 to 1917 Raman
worked very hard, for his official work, as Assistant Accountant Gen¬
eral, was considerable; he could carry out his scientific studies at
the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science only during his
spare time. Yet he energetically built up laboratory facilities there,
conducted experiments, and published papers.
The success of his research programmes in acoustics and optics
fuelled his enthusiasm and confidence so much that, in ten years,
Epilogue 243
criticised for these shortcomings. But to persons who knew him well,
his qualities as a great scientist and lover of Nature overshadowed
these shortcomings. His enthusiasm, his simplicity and his direct¬
ness touched anyone who came near him.
*
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in 1971.
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Index
A Bose, J. C., 3
Abbe, Ernst, 195 Bose, S. N., 170
Allahabad University, 116 Bragg, William, 197
Ammal, Parvathi, 4 Bridgman, 89
Ammal, Rukmani, 8 British Association for the
Andhra University, 114 Advancement of Science, 16
Arago, 169 Buddha, Gautama, 181
Ayyar, Subrahmanya, 4, 8, 23 Bulganin, Marshal, 132-134
Bullard, E.C., 102, 106
Bundy, F. P., 95
B
Balakrishnan (glass blower), 71, 73
Balakrishnan (typist), 62 c
Bangalore Chemicals, 180 Cabannes, 30, 41, 183
Bell Laboratories, 63 Calcutta Municipal Gazette, 36, 117
Bell Laboratories Record, 2, 234 Calcutta University, 11, 163
Belov, N.V., 103 California Institute of Technology, 17,
Bernal, J. D., 102, 103 20, 108, 157
Bhabha, H.J., 102, 104-106, 113, 122 Catgut Acoustical Society, 221
Bhagavantam, S., 113, 114, 181,204 Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, 104
Bhat, M. R., 70, 88 Central College, Bangalore, 70
Bhatia, A. B., 116 Chagla, M.C.,92
Biquard, 53 Chakraborty, Sankar, 117
Birkbeck College, London, 104 Chandrasekhar, S., 5, 23, 30, 70, 87, 88,
Blau, 113 102, 107-109
Bloch, E., 36 Chandrasekhar, V., 11, 212
Bohr, Niels, 21, 36, 42, 105, 196 Charles Fabry, 21
Bom, Hedi, 137, 141 Cochran, 54
Bom, Max, 2, 52-56, 103, 110, College of Engineering, Guindy, 59
134-142 Compton Effect, 22, 25, 30, 236
249
250 Index
250
Index 251
L o
Lakhanpal, 183 Oliphant, Mark, 111
Landsberg, 31, 118, 134 Osmania University, 114, 172
Lonsdale, Kathleen, 104
Lucas, 53 P
Padmanabhan, J., 58, 59, 62, 72, 79, 85,
M 87,91, 102, 157, 160
Madhava Rao, B. S., 70, 137, 204 Pancharatnam, S., 70, 88, 90
Madras Music Academy, 222 Paramahamsa, Ramakrishna, 181
Mahadevan (geologist), 183 Parameswaran, H. (H. P. Waran), 59
Mandel’shtam, 31, 118, 134 Parameswaran, H. (H. P. Waran), 157
Masani, 193, 199 Parthasarathy (driver), 71
Mathematical Sciences Institute, 111 Pasadena Star News, 17, 18
Maxwell, 169 Patel, Sardar, 143
Mayer, Maria Goeppert, 134 Pauli, Wolfgang, 134
Memoirs of the Raman Research Pauling, Linus, 102, 112
Institute, 63, 77 Peierls, R, 128, 141
Menon, M. G. K., 113 Perrin, J., 36
251
252 Index
252
Index 253
253
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Continued from front cover flap
Back Cover
Top: A specimen of Labradorite
Bottom: The tree Tabebuia donnell-smithii
marks the spot where Raman was cremated
on the lawns of RRI
Cover design
Subhankar Biswas
1
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