In 1930, underneath colonial rule and much from Europe’s most prestigious laboratories, an Indian physicist stood on the worldwide stage to obtain the Nobel Prize in Physics.
CV Raman grew to become the primary Asian non-white scientist to win a Nobel within the sciences. At a time when scientific authority was concentrated within the West, his recognition declared that world-class science may emerge from India.
The invention that earned him the Nobel, the Raman Impact, got here from relentless experimentation. Raman and his group constructed equipment, improvised devices, and examined their hypotheses repeatedly. His curiosity was famously sparked by one thing so simple as a query: Why does the ocean seem blue?
Nationwide Science Day, celebrated yearly on 28 February, commemorates this discovery. However the true query we should ask is: Are we merely celebrating Raman’s achievement or are we honouring his spirit?
Raman Was Forward of His Time
Raman’s mental life defied the inflexible silos that usually outline academia right now. He held an MA diploma, not a hyper-specialised doctoral trajectory in the way in which we think about scientific careers now. His pursuits ranged far past optics. He studied the physics of musical devices, explored acoustics, investigated crystal dynamics, and pursued questions that crossed disciplinary boundaries lengthy earlier than ‘multidisciplinary analysis’ grew to become a coverage buzzword.
Almost a century later, in a time of superior laboratories, computational modelling, and synthetic intelligence, one would anticipate India’s scientific tradition to be radically experimental and interdisciplinary. And but, the commonest picture of Nationwide Science Day throughout faculties stays caught in time: neatly organized exhibition stalls, potato batteries, baking soda volcanoes, and punctiliously rehearsed explanations.
If Raman had been a scholar right now, would he be constructing an experiment or getting ready a mannequin for show?
From Show Tradition to Construct Tradition
Nationwide Science Day was instituted not merely to recollect a Nobel Prize, however to advertise the appliance of science for human welfare and encourage innovation. Raman’s work demonstrated that basic scientific inquiry may emerge from commentary of on a regular basis phenomena; the blue of the ocean or the vibration of a violin string.
All of it boils right down to this: science is just not distant or summary. One promising shift is the emergence of educational makerspaces inside universities and engineering schools. These areas permit college students to maneuver past theoretical assignments and have interaction immediately with instruments, supplies and real-world challenges.
In such environments, college students are inspired to construct prototypes, check concepts and be taught by means of iteration. College act as mentors reasonably than evaluators, whereas college students take possession of tasks and collaborate throughout disciplines. The emphasis is just not on producing an ideal remaining mannequin, however on the method of experimentation itself.
Equally, nationwide innovation challenges and scholar invention platforms are starting to create alternatives for younger engineers to work on sensible issues – from assistive applied sciences and sustainable power options to enhancements in on a regular basis infrastructure. When college students are given the area to design, fabricate, and refine their concepts, engineering schooling begins to resemble the experimental spirit that outlined Raman’s work
The NEP Second: An Alternative for Alignment
The dialog round Nationwide Science Day can not stay confined to school rooms and laboratories. It should be located inside India’s long-term nationwide trajectory.
India has articulated daring ambitions: changing into a developed nation by 2047, strengthening indigenous manufacturing, advancing semiconductor and deep-tech ecosystems, main in area exploration, constructing clear power capability and positioning itself as a world innovation hub. These targets usually are not merely financial targets. They’re scientific and technological challenges at scale.
The Nationwide Training Coverage 2020 recognises this bigger horizon. Past curriculum reform, it alerts a structural shift: Multidisciplinary studying, experiential and inquiry-based schooling, undergraduate analysis alternatives, innovation ecosystems inside establishments, and significant considering over rote memorisation.
A Century Later: The Actual Tribute
Raman didn’t simply win a Nobel Prize; he demonstrated that world-changing science begins with the braveness to experiment.
India has since expanded its scientific infrastructure, launched missions to area, constructed superior analysis institutes and produced world expertise leaders. These are achievements value celebrating.
We want a tradition that celebrates the mess – the failed experiments and the training curves. If we deal with the missteps as a ceremony of passage, that is once we create the subsequent technology of true engineers. That is the true celebration of his legacy.
In regards to the writer
The writer is Gautam Khanna, President & CEO, Maker Bhavan Basis (MBF).
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially mirror the views of the publication.
