Indian Scientists Who Made The Nation Proud

Science is one of the pillars of civilization; it has given us numerous wonders that changed the course of the world. Thousands of scientists and inventors throughout history have worked ceaselessly to give us the life and society that we see today and of course, India has had its own share of these brilliant gems.
So here we are with a short list of most notable Indian scientists- the people who not only made the nation proud but contributed towards a better future as well. Let’s take a look –

JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE (1858-1937)

If we just had to take one name for exceptional scientists and inventors who changed the world of Science, it will probably be Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. His contributions are uncountable but the major ones are- demonstration of wireless communication for the first time in the world and the invention of Cresco graph. Considered to be the father of open technology, his reluctance to patent his inventions laid within his wish to make his work available freely for anyone to further develop. Such generosity is hardly, if ever, seen especially in the present times.

VISVESVARAYA (1861-1962)

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya received the Bharat Ratna, nation’s highest civilian honor in 1955 and this should be proof enough of his massive contribution to the development of modern India. An engineer, scholar, and statesman- he invented many engineering marvels such as automatic sluice gates and block irrigation system. He also came up with the idea of Collector Wells, an efficient way of filtering water which proved to be a boon for Indian agriculture. In fact, his birthday September 15 is celebrated as Engineer’s Day in India.

S. RAMANUJAN (1887-1920)

The Maths Wiz known by almost everyone- Srinivasa Ramanujan’s contribution to the mathematics field is nothing sort of ordinary. A prodigy since very young, though he received little to no formal maths education, he still went to put his name in history by contributing to mathematical analysis, number theory, continued fraction and infinite series- the Pi. He even discovered his own theorems when he was merely 13. Ramanujan, a pioneer in Mathematics died very young, at the age. His birthday, December 22 is celebrated as ‘State IT Day’ in Tamil Nadu.

CV RAMAN (1888-1970)

Recipient of 1930’s Nobel Prize for Physics and the first Asian to do so- Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman is a name known by one and all. He discovered ‘Raman Effect’ which is the scattering of light when it goes through the transparent material and the subsequent change in its wavelength. Yes, the same thing we studied in school since class 6th. So you can blame this great physicist for increasing our schoolwork and for enlightening the world of science!

SATYENDRA NATH BOSE (1894-1974)

A physicist who contributed a lot to quantum mechanics and was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 1954. His works include the discovery of ‘bosons’ and the putting the foundation of Bose-Einstein Statistics based on his paper ‘Planck’s Law and Hypothesis of Light Quanta’.

SALIM ALI (1896-1987)

The ‘Birdman of India’, Ornithologist and Naturalist, Salim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic Bird Surveys across the subcontinent. He also played a major role in the establishment of the Bombay Natural History Society and was conferred with Padma Vibhushan in 1976.

HOMI J. BHABHA (1909-1966)

We all have heard about Quantum Theory, right? But it would hardly be what it is today if not for the contributions of Homi Jahangir Bhabha. He made a place for himself in nuclear physics’ international scene and played the key role in the start of India’s Nuclear Program. The first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India, he is rightfully known as the Father of Indian Nuclear Power. Dr. Bhabha was also the one to suggest the production of atomic reactor to lessen the burden of India’s resources and provide for as many people as possible.

VIKRAM SARABHAI (1919-1972)

The Father of India’s Space Program, Vikram Sarabhai played a key role in the setting up of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). Recipient of 1966 Padma Bhushan and 1972 Padma Vibhushan (posthumous), he established a number of educational institutes across the nation including IIM Ahmedabad.

Of course, these only a handful names among the hundreds that made India what is it today. Apart from these, this country was blessed with the likes of APJ Abdul Kalam, Har Gobind Khorana, Birbal Sahni, Janaki Ammal and Meghnad Saha.