Presented By

KAVYA . V

Born : 7 November 1888
Died : 21 November 1970 (aged 82)
Venkata Raman was born in Thiruvanaikaval, R.
Chandrasekhara Iyer and Parvati Ammal. He was the
second of their eight children.

At an early age, Raman moved to the city
of Visakhapatnam, Madras Presidency (now
in Andhra Pradesh), and studied in St. Aloysius
Anglo-Indian High School. Raman passed
his matriculation examination at the age of 11 and he
passed his F.A. examination (equivalent to today's
Intermediate exam) with a scholarship at the age of
13. In 1902, Raman joined Presidency College in
Madras where his father now was a lecturer in
mathematics and physics . In 1904 he passed his B.A.
(Bachelor of Arts) examination - he stood first and
won the gold medal in physics. In 1907 he gained
his M.A. (Master of Arts) degree with the highest
distinctions.
In 1917, Raman resigned from his government service
after he was appointed the first Palit Professor of
Physics at the University of Calcutta. At the same time,
he continued doing research at the Indian Association for
the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Calcutta. Raman used
to refer to this period as the golden era of his career.

On 28 February 1928, he discovered the Raman effect.
Raman spectroscopy came to be based on this
phenomenon

Energy level diagram
showing the states
involved in Raman signal.
He win the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his
work on the scattering of light and for the
discovery of the Raman effect".

Raman and Bhagavantam discovered the
quantum photon spin in 1932.

Raman also worked on the acoustics of musical
instruments.
He was married on 6 May 1907 to
Lokasundari Ammal with whom he had two
sons, Chandrasekhar and Radhakrishnan.
On his religious views, he was said to be
an agnostic.
Books

Vol. 1 Scattering of Light
(Ed. S Ramaseshan)
Vol. 2 Acoustic
Vol. 3 Optica
Vol. 4 Optics of Minerals and Diamond
Vol. 5 Physics of Crystals
Vol. 6 Floral Colours and Visual
Perception

Honours and awards
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society early in
his career (1924) and knighted in 1929.

In 1930 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1941 he
was awarded the Franklin Medal.

In 1954 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.

He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1957. In 1998,
the American Chemical Society and Indian Association
for the Cultivation of Science recognised Raman's
discovery as an International Historic Chemical
Landmark.

Death
At the end of October he collapsed in his laboratory, the valves
of his heart having given way. He was moved to hospital and the
doctors gave him four hours to live. He survived and after a few
days refused to stay in the hospital as he preferred to die in the
gardens of his Institute surrounded by his flowers.

Two days before Raman died, he told one of his former students,
"Do not allow the journals of the Academy to die, for they are the
sensitive indicators of the quality of science being done in the
country and whether science is taking root in it or not." That
same evening, Raman met with the Board of Management of his
Institute and discussed (from his bed) with them any
proceedings with regards to the Institutes management. Raman
passed away from natural causes early next morning on 21
November 1970.