Shining a light on the life of C.V. Raman

A prodigious student

Born on November 7,1888, in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman displayed remarkable brilliance from the beginning. As Physics and academia ran in the family (his father, R. Chandrasekhar Iyer, was a lecturer in Physics and Mathematics), he was drawn to Physics. He went on to earn gold medals in his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He was only 18 when he first published a scientific paper, “Unsymmetrical diffraction-bands due to a rectangular aperture” in the British journal Philosophical Magazine

Life in Calcutta

At that time, there were limited opportunities to pursue a full-time career in scientific research. Since Raman was married to Lokasundari, he had to look for a job that provided a stable income. Soon after his graduation in 1907, he, along with his wife, went to Calcutta, where he was posted as an Assistant Accountant General at the Indian Finance Service. He would use his spare time to conduct research at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS). By 1917, he resigned from his post to follow his passion for physics. He took up a full-time position as Professor of Physics at Calcutta University, holding the prestigious endowed Palit Chair, and served there for 15 years. Did you know that one of the conditions of the post was that he undergo training abroad to be considered on par with international scholars? However, confident in his abilities, Raman asserted that he did not require any foreign training; instead, he declared that he was ready to train scholars from other countries himself.

Discovery of the Raman Effect

C.V. Raman and K.S. Krishnan (fourth from the left) with research students.

C.V. Raman was on his way back from London after attending the Congress of Universities of the British Empire at Oxford in 1921. During his sea voyage, he was curious about the deep blue colour of the Mediterranean Sea. He refused to accept the existing explanation that the blue opalescence of water is simply a reflection of the sky. Fuelled with determination, he and his student, K.S. Krishnan, conducted a series of laboratory experiments. They passed light through different liquids and studied the light that was scattered. While most of it stayed the same colour, a small part changed slightly. This change showed that the light had exchanged energy with the molecules — an effect now known as the Raman Effect.

Raman: The teacher extraordinary

C.V. Raman during a lecture.

C.V. Raman was a teacher who encouraged his students to use their inquisitiveness to find the results of the experiment they would carry out. Students who wished to work under him at his research lab had to undergo an oral examination where a candidate’s knowledge of fundamentals and original thinking were tested. Once selected, he had his own way of building their self-confidence. He is known to treat his students equally and to go to each of them to suggest recommendations or new ideas for experiments. Throughout his life, Professor Raman had a fondness for his scholars, and they knew they could look up to him for any help they may need.

Becoming a Nobel laureate

C.V. Raman and other Nobel laureates from the 1930 Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.

In 1930, when C.V. Raman became the first Indian and person of colour to win the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics, it not only earned him global recognition but also put India on the global stage. He even predicted his win way back in 1925 when the research on light scattering was in progress. While attempting to obtain funds to purchase a spectroscope, he told his benefactor that if he had it, he would be able to get a Nobel Prize for India. This proved that even with limited resources, scientific excellence was possible.

Later years and scientific research

C.V. Raman explaining at his laboratory in Bangalore some aspects of his research work to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in January 1960.

C.V. Raman became the director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) from 1933 to 1937. He set up the Physics Department and, for a certain period of time, was its only faculty member. During his tenure there, he also mentored Vikram Sarabhai, who later went on to become a prominent Indian physicist in the area of space research, on his research on cosmic rays. Post retirement from IISc, he privately established Raman Research Institute in 1948 in Bengaluru, where he conducted research on optics, crystal dynamics, diamond structure, the colours of flowers, and the physiology of human vision till he breathed his last in 1970.

The lasting legacy of Raman

Students visit the Raman Research Institute (RRI) as part of the National Science Day celebrations in Bengaluru on February 28, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
MURALI KUMAR K

Over time, the principles of the Raman Effect proved to have a profound impact on various disciplines. Today, the Effect is now used in cancer detection, drug development, and space exploration. His legacy lives on through the Raman Research Institute and continues to inspire generations of science enthusiasts to carry out research and experiments that push the boundaries of knowledge.