Indian Scientists have been contributing immensely to advanced scientific research projects in various regions of the world. They have created history by changing the contemporary scenario and setting benchmarks of innovation.
India is a place with a great history in the field of science and innovation. It is the origin of the extraordinary researcher Aryabhata, who was the first to present the idea of numbers. This heritage has been conveyed forward by the advanced researchers of the country.
The expansion of scientific contemplation in modern India is often credited to the scientists of the nineteenth century. They essentially shaped the way we live now and a huge amount of the research projects follow the lead of these brilliant thinkers. This post is a genuine undertaking to take a gander at the commitments made by such exceptional researchers.
CV Raman
CV Raman was the first Asian to receive the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930. He also won Bharat Ratna. Because of his discovery, his name is associated with the concept termed Raman’s Effect. It says that when light passes via a transparent material, some of the light that is deflected changes in wavelength. He studied the scattering of light and observed that there were two spectral lines of very low strength parallel to the incident monochromatic light. Thus, any broken light wasn’t monochromatic in nature albeit the incident light was monochromatic. It helped to sort out confusion among scientists regarding the form of light whether it was like waves or like particles.
The Raman Effect cleared that light is made up of particles named photons. He is also celebrated for his invention of the spectrograph for measuring electromagnetic waves. In a nutshell, Raman’s research turned out to be a momentous contribution to the world.
Dr. Jagadish Chandra Bose
J.C. Bose, also known as the Father of Bengali Science Fiction, was a polymath, physicist, scholar, botanist, and paleontologist. He is the founder of Bose Institute. He is acknowledged for the innovation of the Crescograph which is helpful in recording even the millionth piece of a millimeter of plant and orbital development. Dr. Bose demonstrated, by the goodness of the Crescograph, that plants have a circulatory framework. The Crescograph also demonstrates the upward development of sap in plants.
Moreover, he was also the inventor of the wireless coherer which was later modified by Marconi as the radio. He was the one to use semiconductor junctions to detect radio signals, thus demonstrating wireless communication for the very first time. He was also reluctant for patenting his work, so he made a number of inventions and made them freely available for others to further develop.
Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha
Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha became a part of the Indian Institute of Sciences at Bangalore as a Reader at the request of Dr. C V Raman. Soon, he became a Professor of Physics. It was here that he pandered over the thought of building a research institute for the new areas of Physics. He was one of the foremost Indian scientists. He proved instrumental in the scientific progress of the country by setting up India’s first atomic research center i.e., Bhabha Atomic Research Institute (BARC) and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. India’s first atomic pile, ‘Apsara’ was also established under his authority.
Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai
Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was the key person behind the launch of India’s first satellite ‘Aryabhata’. He was renowned as the father of the Indian Space program. He set up the incomparable ISRO association in the country. His studies of cosmic rays have made it evident that cosmic rays are a flow of energy particles with their source in space. On returning back to earth, they are influenced by solar energy along with the earth’s atmosphere, and magnetism.
Dr. Sarabhai established many institutes of international importance. The most notable among them are the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), which are considered outstanding for their management study programmers. He discovered the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS). He wished to take education to villages through satellite communication.
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, also known as the Missile Man of India, was close to everyone’s heart. He was a great visionary and scientist from India, who also served as the President of the country from 2007 to 2011. He is probably one of the foremost celebrated Indian scientists. A poet, motivator, leader, teacher—the world knows him by many names. His personal journey has been a source of motivation for all students who want to be successful. Dr. Kalam is recognized for his contributions in the field of vehicle technology and ballistic missile. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his contributions within the fields of science and engineering. He succeeded in the creation of the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV 3) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, which put the satellite Rohini into orbit.
In India, from the very beginning Science has been a field controlled by men. However, in the recent few years’ situations have changed as women are coming to the forefront. From heading NASA to developing COVID19 vaccine, women have left an enduring remark in the field of science.
The following list presents top 5 women who changed the dynamics of scientific endeavors by expanding the boundaries of science.
Ritu Karidhal
Ritu Karidhal was born and brought up in Lucknow in a middle-class family. She completed her bachelor’s in physics from the University of Lucknow and pursued an ME in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Science. She was the Mission Director of one of India’s most ambitious lunar projects namely Chandrayaan-2.
Ritu Karidhal wasn’t only in charge of detailing the autonomy system but held the responsibility of execution of the craft’s functioning, that independently operated the satellite’s system in space and responded appropriately to malfunctions. She became a member of ISRO as the ‘Rocket Woman of India’ in 2007 and also obtained the position of the Deputy Operations Director to India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan.
In 2007, she was also awarded ISRO Young Scientist Award by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
Muthayya Vanitha
Muthayya Vanitha of Chennai is currently the Project Director of Chandrayaan-2. In the history of ISRO, she is the first woman to pilot an interplanetary mission. She was elevated from the position of Associate Director to Project Director of the mission. M. Vanitha graduated in electronics system engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy. She has been a part of ISRO for the past three decades. During the initial phase of her career, she worked as a junior engineer in hardware testing and development but her hard work brought her luck. She has performed several roles including the head of the Telemetry and Telecommand Divisions in the Digital Systems Group of ISRO Satellite Centre and has been the Deputy Project Director for various satellites such as Cartosat-1, Oceansat-2, and Megha-Tropiques. Hitherto she has managed data operations for remote sensing satellites. In 2006, she was granted the Best Woman Scientist Award.
Gagandeep Kang
Gagandeep Kang- a virologist, and scientist- is known for her research in the transmission, development, and prevention of enteric infections in India. She is the first Indian woman scientist to hold the position of a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is the oldest scientific institution in the world and helps scientists achieve excellence in their field. Apparently, Gagandeep is the Executive Director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) in Faridabad. She is also the Chairwoman of the World Health Organization (WHO) Southeast Asia’s Immunization Technical Advisory Group.
She has contributed extensively to the fight against COVID by evolving practical approaches to support public health. For instance, she built national rotavirus and typhoid surveillance networks along with the establishment of laboratories to support vaccine trials, and also conducted phase one to three clinical trials of vaccines. Gagandeep has also co-authored the book “Till We Win: India’s Fight Against The COVID-19 pandemic”, with Chandrakant Lahariya, a well-known Indian medical doctor.