The joy of scientific
discovery comes not from
finding answers, but from
asking the right questions.
A Brief Bibliography of Sir C V
Raman
Submitted by : Saanvi Shukla, VI-F
Cambridge School Noida
Early Life and Education
• Birth: Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, widely
known as C.V Raman, was born on November 7,1888,
in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
• Education: Raman excelled academically from a
young age. He completed his early schooling in
Visakhapatnam and later attended Presidency
College, Madras (now Chennai), where he earned his
bachelor’s degree in 1904 and his master’s degree in
1907,both in physics.
• Raman was educated at the St Aloysius’ Anglo-Indian
School, Vishakhapatnam. He passed matriculation at
Career and Research
• Early Career: After his master’s degree, Raman joined the
Indian Finance Service in 1907, working as an Assistant
Accountant General in Calcutta ( now Kolkata )
• Calcutta University: Concurrently, he pursued research at
the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science ( IACS).
His research in acoustics and optics garnered significant
attention.
• Raman Effect: In 1928, Raman discovered the scattering of
light, later known as the “Raman Effect” which provided proof
of the quantum nature of light. This groundbreaking work
earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930, making him the
first Asian to receive a Nobel Prize in the sciences.
Later Career and Contributions
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc): Raman became the
first Indian director of the IISc in Bangalore in 1933.He
continued his research and mentored many students.
• Raman Research Institute: After retiring from IISc,
Raman Research Institute in Bangalore in 1948, where he
worked until his death.
• Legacy in Physics: Beyond the Raman Effect, he made
significant contributions to the acoustics of musical
instruments and the molecular diffraction of light.
Awards and Honors
• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) (1924): An honour recognizing contributions
to science
• Matteucci Medal (1928): An Italian award for his contributions to physics.
• Knight Bachelor (1929): Knighted by the British government for his
contributions to science.
• Hughes Award (1930): Awarded by the Franklin Institute for his work on the
scattering of light.
• Nobel Prize for Physics (1930): For the discovery of the Raman Effect.
• Bharat Ratna (1954): India’s highest civilian award.
• Lenin Peace Prize (1957): An international award given for given for
contributions to peace.
Anecdote - Blue Color
• During a voyageof the
home from Sea
England on
board the S.S. Narkunda in September 1921,
he contemplated the blue color of the
Mediterranean Sea. Using simple optical
equipment, a pocket-sized spectroscope and
a Nicol prism in hand, he studied the
seawater. Raman proposed that “Blue
Color” of sea is not due to “Blue Sky”.
• As soon as his ship docked in Bombay
Anecdote - Blue Color
• Raman Effect of the
- After Sea
discovering the nature
of light scattering that caused blue color of
water, he focused on the principle behind
the phenomenon. His experiments in 1923
showed the possibility of other light rays
formed in addition to incident ray when
sunlight was filtered through a violet glass in
certain liquids and solids. Ramanathan
believed that this was a case of a “ trace of
Legacy
• Influence on Science: Raman’s work laid the foundation for various fields in
physics and influenced generations of researchers in India and worldwide.
• Raman Spectroscopy: The Raman Effect is now a fundamental technique in
chemical and biological research, known as Raman Spectroscopy.
• Institutions and Awards: Several scientific institutions and awards are
named in his honor, including the Raman Research Institute and the CV
Raman National Science Day, celebrated in India on February 28.
Raman was honoured with many doctorates and memberships of
scientific societies. Within India, apart from being the founder and the
President of the Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc), he was a Fellow of
the Asiatic Society of Bengal (FASB), and from 1943, a Foundation Fellow
of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (FIAS). In 1953, he
was appointed a Foundation Fellow of the National institute of Sciences
(FNI, now the Indian National Science Academy). He was a member of the
Deutsche Akademie of Munich, the Swiss Physical Society of Zurich, the
Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow, the Royal Irish Academy, the
