WHY IS SCIENCE DAY CELEBRATED?

National Science Day in India is celebrated every year on February 28. This day commemorates the discovery of the Raman Effect by Sir C.V. Raman in 1928, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930. He was the first scientist, not only from India but from the entire continent of Asia, to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics.

The first proposal to celebrate 'National Science Day' annually in India was introduced by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) in 1986. Afterwards, February 28, 1987, was celebrated as the first National Science Day in India.

The main objective of celebrating this day is to increase awareness about the importance of science, scientific attitude, and its applications in daily life. Every year on this day, various science related activities are organised in schools, colleges, and scientific institutions across the country.

Every year, National Science Day is celebrated in India with a special theme. This theme is based on Science Day, science, and innovation. This special theme aims to raise awareness about science among young people.

The theme for this year (2026) is "Women in Science: Catalyzing Viksit Bharat". The main objective of this theme is to promote the participation of women in science by the year 2047 under the goal of a developed India in the field of science.

WHAT WAS THE RAMAN EFFECT?

C.V. Raman discovered the Raman Effect. His discovery stated that light never travels in a straight line. Furthermore, whenever light rays strike a transparent medium, their properties change. This discovery allowed the world to gain a deeper understanding of the internal structure of crystals.

 

WHO WAS C.V. RAMAN?

C.V. Raman's full name is Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. He is known for his scientific discoveries in India. He was born on November 7, 1888, in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. He completed his early education at St. Aloysius Anglo-Indian High School in Visakhapatnam. After that, he went to Presidency College, Madras for higher education.

His father, R. Chandrasekharan, was a teacher in local High school. Raman secured first place in the Finance Service examination in 1907. He joined the Indian Finance Service as an Assistant Accountant General at Kolkata.

He joined the Indian Association for the cultivation of science, Kolkata founded by an extremely farsighted medical practitioner, Dr. Manohar Lal Sarkar, who wanted to promote fundamental research and educate the common people on the recent discoveries in the field of science.

He got permission to work in the laboratories of the Association and began his research activities there, working before and after his office hours and utilizing whatever facilities were available. Raman was so deeply engaged in research that his job became secondary to him and he stayed on in Kolkata to continue his researches even refusing his promotions to avoid transfer.

Raman first studied a problem of ‘Surface Tension’ followed by another on ‘Propagation of Light’. The results of this research were published in leading journals like Philosophical Magazine and Nature. Raman was elected the Honorary Secretary of the Indian Association for the cultivation of science and continued to bear both these responsibilities till 1933.

A school of research in Physics thus rapidly grew up in Kolkata whose publications gained international reputation, bringing honour and recognition for Professor Raman.

In 1921, Raman went abroad for the first time as Palit Travelling Fellow of the Kolkata University, visiting the same laboratories of Europe and America. The azure-blue of the sea, first observed during the ocean-crossing, suggested to him that the colour was incidental to the process of diffusion of sunlight in its passage through clear water.

On his return to Kolkata, Raman investigated the Rayleigh scattering of various substances, including specimens of sea water from different places. At this time, in 1924, Raman’s fame as a scientist was rapidly growing, and due to recognition of this he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

In 1929 a knighthood was conferred upon him. He also became the General President of the session of the Indian Science Congress that year. He also obtained Hughes Medals of the Royal Society in 1930.

In 1933, Raman was offered the Directorship of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore – a prize position for an Indian scientist. He left for Bangalore after a glorious and active span of twenty-six memorable years at Kolkata.

In 1934 he founded the Indian Academy of Science and remained its President till his death. In 1948 Raman founded the Raman Research Institute to provide a place in which he could continue his studies in an atmosphere more conducive to pure research than that found in most scientific institutions.

Raman was a scientist par excellence but his other qualities of head and heart made him a giant among men. His scholarship did not confined in the domains of physical science alone. He was well-versed in the literary and religious classics of the past. He was superb speaker. He was a man of very simple habits and manners. He breathed his last on 21 November, 1970 at the age of 82.