10.

PrafullaChandraRay(18611944)

PrafullaChandraRayisknownastheFatherofChemistryinmodernIndia.HewasbornonAugust2,
1861inasmallvillageofKhulnaDistrict(presentlyinBangladesh).HecompletedhisBScinEdinburgh
UniversitywherehestudiedPhysics,ChemistryandBiologyamongstothersubjects.Helatercompleted
hisdoctoralthesis(DSc)inthesameuniversity.HecamebacktoIndiain1888andjoinedPresidency
College,Calcuttaasanassistantprofessor.In1896,hepublishedapaperonpreparationofanew
stablechemicalcompoundcalledMercurousnitrite.HestartedanewIndianSchoolofChemistryin
1924.Hewasalsoawellknownwriterandmainlywroteonsubjectspertainingtoscience.Heisknown
forhistwobooks,i.e.,LifeandExperienceofaBengaliChemistin1932andAHistoryofHindu
ChemistryfromtheEarliestTimestotheMiddleofSixteenthCentury.HediedonJune16,1944in
Calcutta.

9.HarGobindKhorana(19222011)

HarGobindKhoranawasbornonJanuary9,1922RaipurvillageinWestPunjab(nowinPakistan).He

finishedbothhisB.ScandM.ScinPunjabUniversity,Lahore.HethenearnedhisPh.D.attheUniversity
ofLiverpoolandcontinuedhispostdoctoralstudiesinZurich.In1966,hebecamenaturalizedcitizenof
theUnitedStates.Hesharedthe1968NobelPrizeforPhysiologyorMedicinewithMarshallW.
NirenbergandRobertW.Holleyforresearchthathelpedtoshowhowthenucleotidesinnucleicacids,
whichcarrythegeneticcodeofthecell,controlthecellssynthesisofproteins.HealsoreceivedPadma
Vibhushanin1968fromtheGovernmentofIndia.HeisoneofthemostrenownedIndianbiochemist.
HediedofnaturalcausesinNovember9,2011inConcord,Massachusettsattheageof89.

8.MeghnadSaha(18931956)

MeghnadSahawasborninapoorfamilyinShaoratolivillagenearDhakain6October1893.He
pursuedhishigherstudiesinDhakaCollegeandlaterinPresidencyCollege,Kolkata.Hisisbestknown
forhisworksconcerningThermalionizationandSahaionizationequation.Thisequationbecame
importantfactorininterpretationofthespectraofstarsinastrophysics.Usinghisequation,onecanfind
temperatureofagivenstaranditschemicalmakeup.Healsoinventedaninstrumenttomeasurethe
weightandpressureofsolarrays.HedevelopedtheoriginalplanforDamodarValleyProject.Hewas
alsothechiefarchitectofriverplanninginIndia.HediedonFebruary16,1956attheageof62.

7.AshokeSen(1956Present)

AshokeSenwasbornin1956.HisfatherwasprofessorofphysicsattheScottishChurchCollege,
Calcutta.HeearnedhisBachelorofSciencedegreefromPresidencyCollege,Calcuttaandhismasters
degreefromIITKanpur.HelaterdidhisdoctoralworkinphysicsatStonyBrookUniversityinNewYork,
USA.Hethenpursuedhiscareerasatheoreticalphysicistandmadeanumberofmajororiginal
contributionstothesubjectofstringtheory.Herecentlycameintolimelightwhenhewasawardedthe
firstFundamentalPhysicsPrize2012.FundamentalPhysicsPrizeisworth$3million(approx.3xthe
NobelPrize).HewasalsotherecipientofPadmaBhushanin2013.

6.JagadishChandraBose(18581937)

JagadishChandraBosewasborninBikrampur,Bengalin30November1858.Hereceivedabachelors
degreefromUniversityofCalcuttain1879.BosethenwenttoEnglandtostudyMedicineatthe
UniversityofLondon,butdiscontinuedowingtohisillhealth.Withsomerecommendation,hesecured
admissioninCambridgeUniversitytostudyNaturalSciencefromwherehegraduatedin1884.Helater
returnedtoIndiaandbecameaprofessorofphysicsinPresidencyCollege,Kolkata.Inspiteofthelack
oftheinfrastructureforresearchandracialismhefacedthere,hepursuedhisresearchwithhisown

hardearnedmoneyonradiowaves.Heisconsideredapioneerinthefieldofradiosignals.Henever
patentedanyofhisinventionsbelievingthatithinderedfurthercreativedevelopmentofhisinventions.
Decadesafterhisdeath,hisplaceinhistoryhasbeenreevaluatedbyscientistsworldwideandheis
creditedwiththeinventionoffirstwirelessdetectiondeviceanddiscoveryofmillimeterlength
electromagneticwaves.Apartfrombeingascientist,hewasalsoawriterandiscreditedasbeingthe
firstBengalisciencefictionwriterforhisNiruddesherKahini.Hediedon23November1937attheage
of78.

5.M.S.Swaminathan(1925Present)

MankombuSambasivanSwaminathanwasborninKumbakonamdistrictofTamilNaduin7August
1925inawelltodofamily.HeearnedhisBachelorsdegreeinZoologyinMaharajasCollegein
Trivandrum,KeralaandlaterwentontoagainearnaBachelorsdegreeinAgriculturalSciencesfrom
TamilNaduAgriculturalUniversity.Hedescribedthathismotivationforchoosinghiscareerpathin
agriculturalscienceswastheBengalfamineof1943.Hethentookupacareerinplantgeneticsmainly
focussingonplantsthatservedassourceoffoodforhumans.HeisknownastheFatherofGreen
RevolutioninIndiaforhisleadershipandsuccessinintroducinghighyieldvarietiesofwheatandricein
India.HewasthefirstrecipientofWorldFoodPrizein1987.Hehasworkedworldwideincollaboration
withstudentsandcolleaguesonarangeofsubjectspertainingtoplantbreeding,agriculturalresearch

anddevelopmentandconservationofnaturalresources.HehasbeenhonoredbyGovernmentofIndia
withPadmaShri,PadmaBhushanandPadmaVibhushanforhiscontributions.Heiscurrentlythe
chairmanoftheNationalCommissiononAgriculture,FoodandNutritionSecurityofIndia.

4.A.P.J.AbdulKalam(1931Present)

A.P.JAbdulKalamwasborninapoorTamilMuslimfamilyintheRameshwaramdistrictofTamilNadu
on15October1931.Rightfromhischildhood,hewasanaveragestudent,butteachersdescribedhim
asahardworkingandabrightstudentwithexceptionalloveformathematicsandscience.Hegraduated
inphysicsfromSaintJosephsCollege,Tiruchirappalliin1954andlatergraduatedfromMadras
InstituteofTechnologyinAerospaceEngineeringin1960.ItwasatimewhenAerospaceEngineeringin
Indiawasinitsnascentstages.HejoinedAeronauticalDevelopmentEstablishmentofDRDOand
startedhiscareerdesigningsmallhelicopterforIndianArmy.In1969,hewastransferredtoISROand
madetheprojectdirectorofIndiasfirstsatellitelaunchvehicleSLV,whichlatersuccessfullydeployed
Rohinisatellitein1979.Inthe1970s,hewasalsoinvolvedintwootherimportantprojectstodevelop
indigenousballisticmissilesonthetechnologyusedtolaunchSLVvehicle.Heplayedavitalrolein
developingmostofIndiascurrentmissilesundertheIntegratedGuidedMissileDevelopmentProgram
includingthemostfamedAgnirangeofmissiles.Healsoservedas11thPresidentofIndiafrom25July
2002to25July2007.

3.SubrahmanyanChandrasekha(19101995)

SubrahmanyanChandrasekharwasborninaTamilIyerfamilyinLahore,Punjabin19October1910.
HeobtainedhisbachelorsdegreeinPhysicsinPresidencyCollegeinMadras.UnderGovernmentof
Indiasscholarship,hefinishedhismastersdegreefromCambridgeUniversity.Heisknownforhis
theoryofmaximummassofastablewhitedwarfstar,nowknownasChandrasekharlimit.Hereceived
NobelPrizealongwithWilliamA.Fowlerin1983forhisstudiesonthephysicalprocessesimportantto
thestructureandevolutionofstars.Hereceived14famedinternationalawardsforhiscontributionsto
thefieldofscienceinhislifetime.Hediedofasuddenheartattackin1995intheUniversityofChicago
Hospital.

2.HomiJehangirBhabha(19091966)

HomiJehangirBhabhawasanIndiannuclearphysicistandmostfamouslyisknownasFatherof
IndianNuclearProgramme.HewasborninawealthyParsifamilyandwasrelatedtotheTatafamily.
AftercompletinghisstudiesoverseasinCambridgeUniversityandafterWWIIbrokeout,hereturnedto
Indiaanddecidedtostayhere.AfterIndependence,heheraldedIndiasdreamofanuclearfuture.He
iscreditedwithformulatingthecountrysstrategyinthefieldofnuclearpowertofocusonextracting
powerfromthecountrysvastthoriumreserves.AsaresultofBhabhasvision,Indiahasthemost
technicallyambitiousandinnovativenuclearenergyprogramintheworld.Theextentandfunctionality

ofitsnuclearexperimentalfacilitiesarematchedonlybythoseinRussiaandarefaraheadofwhatis
leftintheUS.HediedwhenAirIndiaFlight101crashednearMontBlanconJanuary24,1966.One
conspiracytheoryisthatCIAwasinvolvedwiththecrashpossiblytocrippleIndiasnuclearprogramme.

1.C.V.Raman(18881970)

C.V.Ramanwasbornin1888inThiruvanaikaval,nearTiruchirappalliintheMadrasProvince.Hewas
secondoffivechildren.HisfatherwasthelecturerofphysicsandmathematicsatthePresidency
CollegeinMadras.Atjusttheageof13,in1903,heenteredPresidencyCollegeofMadrastopursue
hisinterestsinPhysics.Hefinishedhispostgraduationinphysicsinthesameinstitution.Aftermany
yearsofgovernmentservice,heresignedtobecomeaprofessorofphysicsinUniversityofCalcuttain
1917.Alongside,healsoworkedforanumberofIndianresearchinstitutionsthroughouthiscareer.He
ismostnotableforhisdiscoverythatwhenlighttraversesatransparentmaterial,someofthelightthat
isdeflectedchangesinwavelength.ThisphenomenonhasnowcometobeknownasRamanscattering
andistheresultofRamanEffect.HewastherecipientofNobelPrizeforPhysicsin1930forthis
discovery.C.V.Ramanduringhiscareerwroteasmuchas63articleandpapers,bothforIndianand
internationalmagazines.HediedonNovember21,1970.