The term science derived from latin word Scientia means knowledge. Aristotle speaks about science as a body of reliable knowledge that can be logically and rationally explained. Rashtriya Vigyan Evam Prodoyogiki Sanchar Parishad (RVPSP) (National Council for Science & Technology Communication) of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology asked the Government of India to designate February 28 as National Science Day.
The event is now celebrated all over the country in schools, colleges, universities and other academic, scientific, technical, medical and research institutions. Various activities are organized on the day like debates, quiz competitions, exhibitions, lectures, etc., in which college students, school students and teachers participate. On the occasion of the first NSD (28th February 1987) NCSTC announced institution of the National Science Popularization awards for recognising outstanding efforts in the area of science communication and popularisation, which have been given annually since 1988. Every year we celebrate National Science Day on February 28 to honour our Nobel laureate Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman for his invention of the Raman Effect through his experiments on the scattering effect of light.
Raman was born into a Hindu Brahmin family in Tiruchirapalli, Tamilnadu. Fortunately, he proved his academic excellence at a very young age. Raman passed his secondary school education at a tender age of eleven and entered Mrs. AVN College, where his father served as a professor in mathematics.
Two years later, he went to the prestigious Presidency College in Madras, and completed his B.Sc at the age of fifteen, topping the class with a gold medal in Physics. Barely at seventeen, he had finished his M.Sc obtaining the highest distinctions. Then, he joined the Indian Finance Department as Assistant Accountant General. But, he resigned from the Government service in 1917 and became professor in Physics at the University of Calcutta. On February 28, 1928, he announced the discovery of the Raman Effect at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, and was awarded the 1930 Noble Prize in physics for his work. Raman was the first Asian and first non-White to get Nobel Prize in science.
He was elected to the Royal Society of london in 1924 and knighted by the British Empire in the year 1929. In 1954, Raman was awarded the Bharat Ratna and honoured with the lenin Peace Prize in 1957. He became the director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1934 where he served as a professor in physics two years later. In 1947, the Government appointed him as the first National Professor. He left the Indian Institute of Science in 1948 and set up the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, serving as its director and remained active there until his death in 1970 at the age of 82.
Every year a different theme is selected and this year the theme is “Science for Nation Building”. Development at any phase is always linked with technology and technology happens when there is advancement in science. Hence science, technology and development are all proportional to each other. Science and technology is associated in all means with modernity and it is an essential tool for rapid development.
Modernisation in every aspect of life is the greatest example of the implementation of science and technology in every nation. With the introduction of modern gadgets in every walk of life, life has become simple and this is possible only because of implementing science and technology together. Without having modern equipment in all sectors, be it in medicines, infrastructure, aviation, electricity, informatio technology or any other field, the advancement and benefits that we face today would not have been possible. Villages are developed into towns and towns to cities and cities are expanding to greater horizons. This expansion has occurred through the expansion of science and technology over the years passed and will be more in the coming years. Today, countries are classified as developed and developing countries. The major categorization is based on economy and the
application of science and technology.
India has a long and distinguished history as a country of knowledge, learning and innovation. In the recent past, however, it has failed to realize its undoubted potential as a home for world class research. India is one among the top 10 researchers in science based on the quantity. Scientific research in India has grown by 14.3 per cent and China by 22.8 per cent. Based on 2006-2010 Scopus data, India has 159 research leadership areas and China has 885 research leadership areas for 2006-2010. Just 3.5 per cent of global research output in 2010 was from India. In mathematics, India’s share of world output stood at around 2 per cent in 2010, while it was 17 per cent for China. In case of materials sciences, India’s share of world research was at 6.4 per cent in 2010, while China’s stood at 26 per cent — a rise from 5 per cent in 1996. While India’s research on physics was 4.6 per cent in 2010, China’s stood at 19 per cent.
In 2010, India’s largest shares of world research output were in chemistry (6.5 per cent), materials science (6.4 per cent), agricultural sciences (6.2 per cent), pharmacology and toxicology (6.1 per cent), microbiology (4.9 per cent), physics (4.6 per cent) and engineering (4.2 per cent). India is often referred to as the next big place for computer sciences. But the figures on its research are abysmally low. Only 2.4 per cent of global research on computer sciences was from India in 2010 while the world share moved to three emerging research economies - China (15 per cent), Korea (6.3 per cent) and Taiwan (5.7 per ent).
The Ministry of Science and Technology was established in 1971 to formulate science and technology policies and implement, identify, and promote “frontline” research throughout the science and technology infrastructure. The Department of Science and Technology plays a pivotal role in promotion of science and technology in the country. The department has wide ranging activities ranging from promoting high end basic research and development of cutting edge technologies on one hand to service the technological requirements of the common man through development of appropriate skills and technologies on the other.
