28 : National Science Day

28 : National Science Day

The National Science Day 2019 was observed across India on February 28, 2019 to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman). 

This year celebrations of the Day were organised by the Department of Science & Technology (DST).

Theme

The theme of National Science Day 2019 was "Science for the People and the People for Science."

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize

On the occasion of National Science Day 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will confer the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 to the awardees.

The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize is named after the founder Director of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. 

The Prize is given each year to recognise outstanding Indian work in various disciplines of Science and Technology.

Why the National Science Day is observed on February 28 in India?

The National Science Day is observed on February 28 to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect (a phenomenon of scattering of photons) by Indian physicist, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata (CV) Raman on February 28, 1928.

For his path-breaking discovery, CV Raman was knighted in 1929 and awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930. This was the first Nobel Prize won by an Indian or any Asian in the field of Science.

The motive behind the celebration of the Day is to spread a message about science and its importance in the daily life of the people.

Raman Effect

Raman Effect is a process in which the wavelength of light changes when it passes through a transparent sample of a chemical compound. The light beam changes its wavelength when its molecules are deflected.

The molecules deflect when the light passes through a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound or something else. In this case, a fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the actual beam. Maximum of the scattered light is of unchanged wavelength.

The small part of deflected light or the light with a different wavelength is the result of the Raman Effect.

How the day came into existence?

The day came into existence after the National Council for Science and Technology Communications (NCSTC) asked the Union Government to designate 28 February as National Science Day in 1986. 

In 1986 itself, the government designated 28 February as National Science Day. The first National Science Day was observed in the year 1987.