C.V. Raman (The Scientist Karamyogi of India)

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Dr. R.M.P. Jaiswal did M.Sc. in Physics in 1960 from the University of Gorakhpur standing First in order of merit and winning the University Gold Medal. Just after he joined research there in the Department of Physics in the field of Molecular Spectroscopy and received Ph. D. degree of that University in 1966.

After completing his Ph. D. research work, Dr. Jaiswal joined the Department of Physics, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra as a lecturer in December, 1964. Subsequently, after serving this University in the capacity as a Reader and a Professor, he retired as the chairman of Physics Department in June, 1997. After retirement, he worked for over three years as an Emeritus Scientist under a DST Research Project. Throughout this period, he was actively engaged in research besides teaching. He has to his credit 75 research papers published in reputed Indian and Foreign Journals. He has successfully supervised Eight Ph. D. and Fourteen M. Phil. Students for their dissertations. He has also authored one original Book entitled 'Fundamentals of Physics', Vol. I for B. Sc. Final year students and translated one book (from English to Hindi) entitled 'Electromagnetism' by Stater & Frank.

Dr. Jaiswal visited U.S.A. for two years during 1981-82 as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow and worked in the field of Infrared and Raman spectroscopy. During his retirement period, he worked voluntarily as Honorary President of 'Hindu Shiksha Samiti'. Haryana for three years. He is Honorary President of 'Vigyan Bharati, Haryana' for the last over eight years. He has also been Honorary Vice-President of All-India 'Vijnana Bharati' for the last two years.

It gives me immense pleasure in writing the Foreword of the book "CV Raman-The Scientist 'Karmayogi' of India" written by Professor R.M.P Jaiswal, former Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Physics, Kurukshetra University.

I am not aware of the intricacies of Professor CV Raman's research findings but I can say that this great son of mother India inspite of being a born researcher was also a great patriot, saint, seer and savant. I would venture to write a few lines on the latter aspects of the life of Professor Raman.

This small, concise and lucidly written book on the life and works of the renowned scientist Sir CV. Raman is mainly meant for the young school going students. It aims to inspire them to choose science as their career and follow in the footprints of this great researcher of India. I am sure that the author has been successful in achieving his goal and the book will be popular among the budding science students and future researchers. I also take this opportunity to congratulate the publisher of the book Vidya Bharati Sanskriti Shiksha Sansthan for taking up this important venture.

Dr. Raman was a born genius. He passed the matric examination when he was only eleven years old and gained his B.A. degree at the age of 16 years winning the first place and gold medal in physics. At this juncture it was suggested that Raman should go to England for further studies to enable him to compete in the I.C.S. examination. However, it did not materialise as he was not found physically fit. He never regretted this event and thanked the attending doctor for making him stay back in India. In fact, he always insisted that brilliant students need not go abroad. They should study and work in their own country.

While he was a post graduate student at the Presidency College, Chennai, he published important research papers in the leading British journals. Raman after receiving the M.A. degree in 1907 with the highest distinction appeared in the Indian Finance Services Examination and topped the list of the successful candidates. He joined the Indian Finance Department as an Assistant Accountant General at Calcutta.

When Vidya Bharati invited me to write a small book on C.V Raman for school students of science, I accepted the offer at once for two reasons: firstly, Raman Effect has been at the centre of my investigations throughout my research career and secondly, I have decided to devote greater part of my retired life to educate young students of science about the life and work of great Indian scientists who have made their mark in the world of science. This could be done through lectures, articles, exhibitions etc.

I would like to narrate two incidents of my own experience to justify my efforts. The first one relates to a school boy in my near relations who once approached me to share his problem that while he was interested in studying Physics, his parents were pressing for medical. I could understand the views of his parents who being doctors running a good hospital wanted their son to follow the same line. But it was a question for me how he was interested in studying Physics, Incidently, I could lay my hands on one of the books of his collections for general reading entitled "Theory for Everything" by Stephen Hawkins. When I told him that I had gone through his book by Hawkins, he at once asked me, "Which book of Hawkins have you read because I have three titles of this author." I was astonished and got the reply of my question. It is said that good books are one's best friends.

The second incident relates to an occasion when I visited a senior scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Resarch Centre (BARC), Mumbai many years back to discuss with him one of my research projects. On one day he invited me for lunch and shared with me one of his problems. His problem was that though his son had been very good in Physics at school, he was no more interested in pursuing this subject at higher level. He was undoubtedly guided by the market trend.

Above incidents are not isolated ones. Rather they represent two distinct classes of motivations. While the first comes from the aptitude, the second is market driven. C.V. Raman belonged to class one without any obstruction from his parents. However, we will see later that he had to work hard to overcome the impediments of the prevailing circumstances to find his way in the pursuit of science for which he was intensely motivated through books, his teachers and parents even at his tender age.

**Contents and Sample Pages**