A Nobel journey that began in Madras

C.V. Raman derived inspiration to turn into a man of science at Madras University

The November 1906 issue of the then famous The London, Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science carried a scientific paper written by an 18-year-old student from The Presidency College, Madras, heralding the arrival of a luminary in the international scientific arena. 

He was Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, popularly known as C.V. Raman, who went on to become the first Asian 24 years later to win a Nobel Prize in a science field in 1930 “for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him.” 

Until today, Raman is technically the only Indian citizen to have received a Nobel in science (excluding economics) as the other three — Har Gobind Khorana, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and Venki Ramakrishnan — had become citizens of other countries when they received the prize. 

The Presidency College and the University of Madras, which produced many stalwarts in those years, have the distinction of being the alma mater of both Raman and his nephew Chandrasekhar.

Born in 1888 in Thiruvanaikaval in Tiruchi, Raman, a precocious child, finished his schooling in Visakhapatnam and enrolled in The Presidency College that was part of the University of Madras for a B.A. programme in 1903 when he had just turned 14. 

Reminiscing his student days during the centenary year of the college in 1940, he recalled how a professor looking at his diminutive figure in the first class he attended asked whether he really belonged to the class.

By 1907, Raman obtained his graduation and post-graduation from the University of Madras, securing top ranks. He then moved to Calcutta (Kolkata) to take up the job of Assistant Accountant-General after clearing the Indian Finance Services exam, which he topped.