“The black holes of nature are the most perfect macroscopic objects there are in the universe: the only elements in their construction are our concepts of space and time.”

Born in Lahore, India (now in Pakistan), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was an internationally recognized astrophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in 1983 for key discoveries in Physics.  Incidentally, he is also the nephew of C.V. Raman, a Nobel Prize winner in 1930. He was schooled at the Presidency College at the University of Madras and Trinity College, Cambridge. His father was a government officer and his mother was involved in translating literary works to Tamil. Till the age of twelve, he was schooled at home.

His studies that received worldwide acclaim included “The Chandrasekhar Effect” he proved that it is not possible for a white dwarf star to remain stable in case its mass becomes more than 1.44 times the mass of the sun, as it is supported only by a degenerate gas of electrons. This study incorporated the study of relativity by Einstein. Some of his other studies include the black hole, convection, star, and radiation. Besides, he was also awarded the Copley Medical in 1984. In fact, he was awarded a scholarship at the University of Cambridge, recognizing his potential in physics. In 1933, he moved to Cambridge, wherein he completed his Ph. D. degree and decided to continue his fellowship for further four years.

However, little is known that Chandrasekar’s theories won a lot of opposition from top scientists at the university, although they are today believed to be correct. Hence, after completion of his tenure at Cambridge, he moved on to the University of Chicago for further research related to white dwarf stars and associated studies. Over the period, he published a lot of ground-breaking research across various astrophysics subjects. He continued his association with the University of Chicago, working as a professor till 1980. His accomplishments are innumerous, some of which are listed below:

• 1948, Cambridge University Adams Prize
• 1953, The Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal
• 1957, Rumford Prize of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 1966, National Medal of Science
• 1968, Padma Vibhushan
• 1983, Nobel Prize in Physics
• 1984, Royal Society Copley Medal

He wrote the book Newton’s Principia for the Common Reader just before his death in 1995, caused by a heart attack. There is an observatory named under him “Chandra X-ray observatory”. Even today, he is remembered as one of the greatest astrophysicists of all time. We still celebrate his contribution to the field of science.

“Science is a perception of the world around us. Science is a place where what you find in nature pleases you.”

“I would like to tell the young men and women before me not to lose hope and courage. Success can only come to you by courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you.”

Born in 1888, in Southern India, in a Tamil Brahmin family, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman is one of the handful Indians to win the prestigious Nobel Prize (in Physics). A notable scientist in the pre-Independence era, his research has won many laurels and recognition from other peers from his community. His interest in Mathematics and Physics was honed since childhood since his father was a lecturer in these subjects.

Although he held a Masters degree in Physics, his career started as an accountant in the finance department of the Indian government. However, in his quest to become a scientist, he bagged the role of a physics lecturer in University of Calcutta in 1917. While researching on scattering of light on different substances in 1928, he discovered that when a transparent object is illuminated by a beam of light of one frequency, a small portion of the scattered light emerges at various wavelengths different than the original light. This phenomenon of scattering of light at different frequencies was noted as the Raman Effect. This landmark discovery earned him the Nobel Prize in 1930.

Backed with his fascination with optics and acoustics, he published many research papers related to these fields. He was also selected as the Fellow of the Royal Society, an honour that was conferred on very few Indians. Knighted by the British government, he founded the Indian Academy of Sciences in Bangalore, wherein he continued his work on the Raman Effect. He published his work through the science journal Proceedings.

“We must teach science in the mother tongue. Otherwise, science will become a highbrow activity. It will not be an activity in which all people can participate.”

Apart from this, he has also been honoured with many memberships, medals, and recognition from scientific communities across the globe. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna award in 1954. In a time when science was considered rarely as a career option due to lack of infrastructure, C.V. Raman chose to shine in the field in physics, despite being completely educated in India. However, he refused money from the government for his institutes as he did not want it to work as per government pressure.

His work cannot be considered to be lesser than any other political leader during the national freedom struggle. Interestingly, he is uncle to Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who was also a Nobel Prize winner. Today, there are a lot of educational institutions, universities and NGOs named in his honour, to encourage young enthusiasts aspiring to become world-renowned physicists.

“I strongly believe that fundamental science cannot be driven by instructional, industrial, governmental or military pressures. This was the reason why I decided, as far as possible, not to accept money from the government.”

Birth Score – 3/5

Pride Score – 5/5

An impressive 8/10 Notable Brahmin Score.