CV Raman and National Science Day

NATIONAL Science Day is celebrated across India on February 28th each year to promote the sciences in education and encourage students and professionals to participate in scientific studies, discoveries, inventions and more. Held on the anniversary of a significant discovery made by the Nobel Prize winning Indian physicist named Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman or CV Raman, National Science Day is a chance for people to discover hidden talent and make scientific advancements that take humankind forward. 

 

Who is the Indian Nobel Prize winning physicist? 

Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1888 to 1970) was an Indian physicist who made remarkable contributions to the field of physics. He was born in Tiruchirappalli on November 7th, 1888. He excelled in his academics at the college level and began researching optics and acoustics while he was still a student. His experimental research continued and when he became a professor, CV Raman climbed the ranks of educational institutions, founded a publication called the Journal of Physics and supported the establishment of institutions dedicated to science.    

 

CV Raman was dedicated to research and in 1928 he “discovered that when a transparent substance is illuminated by a beam of light of one frequency, a small portion of the light emerges at right angles to its original direction and some of this light is of different frequencies than that of the incident light.” This discovery was called the Raman Effect and he was lauded around the world for his academic accomplishment. This led to him being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics and knighted by the King of England in 1930. 

 

CV Raman’s contribution to science and its impact

The contribution made by CV Raman to the sciences has made a lasting impression on the field. On National Science Day, students in schools, colleges, universities and institutes across India focus on the importance of the sciences and ensuring that students of all backgrounds have access to the learning and facilities needed to make advancements in the field. In educational institutions, academics hold science exhibitions, presentations, competitions and science fairs to display students’ accomplishments and encourage curiosity and research in the sciences. 

 

Each February 28th, National Science Day is exciting for students who are interested in science subjects such as physics, botany, chemistry, zoology, biology, earth science and space research. Their schools and colleges provide them with opportunities to participate in activities such as essay writing, model-making or quizzes to share their knowledge on all aspects of the sciences. Teachers and professors also take students on trips to science museums and planetariums to encourage students to explore their possible interest in the sciences. 

 

The importance of education

The root of all advancements made in the sciences is education. Education is the foundation on which all scientific accomplishments are made and without it, human civilization is missing out on the potential contributions of countless students. Individuals such as CV Raman were able to make his mark on the world because of the education he was fortunate to receive as a child. It was his education that opened doors for him to research alongside accomplished scientists and learn from the discoveries made by scientists around the world. 

 

But for millions of children across India, education is out of reach. There are countless underprivileged families who cannot send their sons and daughters to school because there are no schools in remote areas or because school related expenses such as uniforms or books are unaffordable on their meager salaries. The parents work as daily wage laborers, manual workers, farmers or even those who are unemployed because there are no jobs. Their dream is to send their children to school and see them become successful, but the lack of finance stops them.

 

Furthermore, families who are poor and underprivileged often have no choice but to bring their children with them to work sites such as land fills, coal mines, construction sites or restaurants. These children are then put to work and engage in what we know to be child labor. Their parents are not able to afford to send their children to school and have no one to take care of their children while they work so child labor is the outcome of their poverty. In these dangerous environments, a child becomes so engrossed in day-to-day survival that education becomes a distant dream. 

 

The girl child is even more disadvantaged than other underprivileged children when it comes to the lack of access to education. There are still high levels of discrimination against educating the girl child in India because of the perceived “low value” that girls have compared to boys. In homes across the world, girls are confined to the house, expected to do household chores, get married early and are denied an education. Because of this lack of an education, the doors to the future are slammed shut in their faces.  

 

How NGOs boost the sciences in India

In India, the education landscape is undergoing a radical transformation – because of education NGOs. NGOs are working across states in India to ensure that children from the most disadvantaged populations have access to education. With an education, the chances of children being exploited for child labour or trafficking, for example, is minimized. These children can then go on to get safe and decent employment or pursue higher studies to build their futures and ensure that the next generation has access to their basic needs. 

 

This National Science Day, on the anniversary of CV Raman’s groundbreaking discovery, we can each do our part to ensure children across India have access to education and can explore their potential. One of the most powerful ways to do this is to support NGOs that are working on ground to connect disadvantaged children to education. Browse through these NGOs on give.do and find out which NGOs you would like to support – from NGOs educating child laborers or NGOs educating the girl child. Explore NGOs this National Science Day! 

 

Support education NGOs

 

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