✍ Sumathi B
A small quote to experience the fragrant of science,
अनेकसंशयोच्छेदि, परोक्षार्थस्य दर्शकम्।
सर्वस्य लोचनं शास्त्रं, यस्य नास्त्यन्ध एव सः॥
It blasts many doubts, foresees what is not obvious, Science is the eye of everyone, one who hasn’t got it, is like a blind.
As how the quote says we are not blind that’s why we celebrate February 28th as National Science Day every year in Bharat. On this day in 1928, the great scientist of Bharat Dr. CV Raman (Chandrashekhar Venkat Raman) discovered the famous invention Raman Effect.
I am very proud that I can quote many scientists from Ancient to Morden Era. Some of them were,
Ancient Era
- Bramha Gupta 2. Budhayana 3. Mahaviracharya 4. Nagarjuna 5. Susruta 6. Bhaskaracharya 7. Kanada 8. Varahamihira 9. Aryabhatta
Modern- Era
- Srinivasa Ramnujam 2. Jagadish Chandra Bose 3. Subramaniyam Chandrasekhar 4. Satyendra Nath Bose 5. Meghnad Saha 6. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis 7. Har Govind Khorana 8. Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya 9. A.P.J Abdul Kalam 10. Homi J Bhabha
“Ask the right questions and nature will open the doors to her secrets.”
These quotes are of a great thinker and physicist, Sir C.V.Raman crowned with the Nobel Prize for Physics for Raman Effect in 1930.
Dr. CV Raman was a Tamil Brahman and the first one to do research and such an invention in Bharat. He was also awarded the Nobel Prize in the year 1930 in the field of physics for his invention.
On 28th February 1987, the Government of Bharat declared this day as National Science Day to honor Dr. CV Raman and his contribution to the field of science.
He was involved in the field of physics throughout his life. In the year 1928, by discovering the radiation of light, he made Bharat’s name famous worldwide. Two years later, in the year 1930, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this amazing discovery. He was the first Asian to be awarded the Nobel Prize.
In addition, he received the highest civilian honor from Bharat in the year 1954 by the Government of Bharat, “Bharat Ratna” and was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1957.
What is Raman Effect?
“The effect on the scattering of light when passing through different materials.”
Raman Effect is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules. When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam. Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light; its presence is a result of the Raman Effect.
History of National Science Day:
National Science Day was first celebrated in Bharat in 1986, following a request by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) to the Government of Bharat. Since then, the event has been widely celebrated in schools, colleges, universities and other academic, scientific, technical, medical and research institutions across the country.
On the occasion of the first National Science Day (26 February 2020), the NCSTC announced the institution of the National Science Popularization awards to recognize outstanding efforts in the area of science and communication.
Theme of NSD-2023:
The theme of NSD-2023 is “Global Science for Global Wellbeing”. The Global Science for Global Wellbeing theme has been chosen for the purpose of raising public appreciation of the scientific issues in global context which is having a bearing upon global wellbeing.
The four-fold approach of integration would consist of
Integration of all the scientific departments which can work on theme-based approach;
Extended scientific integration encompassing engineering, medical and other institutions;
Extra scientific integration involving identification of the needs of other ministries like jal shakti, railways etc; and
Extended science driven all-inclusive approach integrating startups & industry.
National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) of Department of Science & Technology (DST) is nodal agency to support catalyse and coordinate celebration of the NSD throughout the country, particularly in scientific institutions & research laboratories.
NCSTC has supported various programmes countrywide by supporting its State S&T Councils & Departments for organization of lectures, quizzes, open houses, etc.
Objectives of Celebrating National Science Day
The main objectives of celebrating National Science Day in Bharat are:
To spread a message about the importance of science in daily life.
To display all the activities, efforts, and achievements in the field of science for human welfare.
To give an opportunity to the scientific minded citizens in Bharat to discuss and address issues related to science and technology.
To encourage and popularize science and technology among the people.
Finally, I want to conclude that Science is not just about innovation and new technologies, it is Curiosity based. Science occurred in the age of stone, when the cavemen learned what would happen when two stones were rubbed against one another. There was no internet that time but the curiosity helped their brain grow in finding new knowledge.
(Author is Principal of Vivekananda Vidyalaya in Chennai and state coordinator of Math-Science fair of Vidya Bharati Uttar Tamil Nādu.)
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