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Famous Indian Scientists: Contributions, Awards & Key Facts for PSC
Complete study notes on eminent Indian scientists for Kerala PSC — CV Raman, JC Bose, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, APJ Abdul Kalam, Ramanujan, Khorana, Ramakrishnan, and Chandrasekhar with birth/death years, discoveries, and awards.
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— Complete study notes on eminent Indian scientists for Kerala PSC — CV Raman, JC Bose, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, APJ Abdul Kalam, Ramanujan, Khorana, Ramakrishnan, and Chandrasekhar with birth/death years, discoveries, and awards.
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Indian scientists appear in 2-4 questions per Kerala PSC exam. This note covers their contributions, awards, birth/death years, and frequently tested facts. Distinct from the Inventions note — this focuses on people.
CV Raman (Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman)
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 November 1888, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu |
| Died | 21 November 1970, Bangalore |
| Discovery | Raman Effect (inelastic scattering of light) |
| Nobel Prize | Physics, 1930 (first Asian to win Nobel in Science) |
| Year of discovery | 28 February 1928 (celebrated as National Science Day) |
| Other honours | Bharat Ratna (1954), Fellow of Royal Society |
| Institution | Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Raman Research Institute |
| Significance | Proved that scattered light changes wavelength (proves molecular structure) |
PSC favourite: National Science Day (28 February) commemorates discovery of Raman Effect.
Jagadish Chandra Bose
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 November 1858, Mymensingh (now Bangladesh) |
| Died | 23 November 1937, Giridih, Jharkhand |
| Contributions | Proved plants have feelings (response to stimuli); pioneered microwave research; invented crescograph |
| Crescograph | Instrument to measure plant growth and response |
| Radio waves | Demonstrated wireless signalling before Marconi (1895) |
| Institution founded | Bose Institute, Kolkata (1917) |
| Recognised as | Father of Bengali science fiction; pioneer of biophysics |
| Key fact | Did NOT patent his inventions (believed in open science) |
Homi Jehangir Bhabha
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 October 1909, Mumbai |
| Died | 24 January 1966 (plane crash, Mont Blanc) |
| Known as | Father of Indian Nuclear Programme |
| Institutions founded | TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1945), BARC (originally AEET, renamed after his death) |
| Contribution | Bhabha scattering; cascade theory of cosmic ray showers |
| Role | First chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of India (1948) |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (1954) |
| Key fact | Convinced Nehru to pursue nuclear energy; planned India’s three-stage nuclear programme |
Vikram Sarabhai
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 August 1919, Ahmedabad |
| Died | 30 December 1971, Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Known as | Father of Indian Space Programme |
| Institutions founded | ISRO (1969), PRL (Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad), IIM Ahmedabad (co-founded) |
| First rocket launch | From Thumba, Kerala (21 November 1963) |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (1966), Padma Vibhushan (posthumous, 1972) |
| Key contribution | Established Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in Kerala |
| Key fact | Died in Thiruvananthapuram; Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thumba named after him |
APJ Abdul Kalam (Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam)
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 October 1931, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu |
| Died | 27 July 2015, Shillong, Meghalaya |
| Known as | Missile Man of India; People’s President |
| President of India | 11th President (2002-2007) |
| Key missiles | Agni, Prithvi (under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme) |
| Nuclear tests | Key role in Pokhran-II nuclear tests (1998) |
| Awards | Bharat Ratna (1997), Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990) |
| Autobiography | Wings of Fire |
| Other books | India 2020, Ignited Minds |
| Institutions | DRDO, ISRO (SLV-III project director) |
Srinivasa Ramanujan
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 December 1887, Erode, Tamil Nadu |
| Died | 26 April 1920, Kumbakonam (aged 32) |
| Field | Mathematics (number theory, infinite series, continued fractions) |
| Known for | Ramanujan number (1729 — Hardy-Ramanujan number); partition function; mock theta functions |
| Collaboration | G.H. Hardy at Cambridge University |
| FRS | Fellow of Royal Society (1918) — one of youngest |
| National Mathematics Day | 22 December (his birthday) |
| The Man Who Knew Infinity | Biography by Robert Kanigel; also a film (2015) |
| Key fact | Self-taught; had no formal training; produced 3,900+ results |
PSC favourite: 1729 is called the Hardy-Ramanujan number (smallest number expressible as sum of two cubes in two ways: 1729 = 1 cube + 12 cube = 9 cube + 10 cube).
Har Gobind Khorana
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 January 1922, Raipur (now in Pakistan) |
| Died | 9 November 2011, Massachusetts, USA |
| Nobel Prize | Physiology or Medicine, 1968 (shared with Nirenberg and Holley) |
| Contribution | Interpretation of genetic code and its function in protein synthesis; first to synthesise a gene |
| Citizenship | Indian-born; became US citizen (1966) |
| Institution | MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) |
| Key fact | First to demonstrate that nucleotide order in DNA determines protein sequence |
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu |
| Nobel Prize | Chemistry, 2009 (shared with Steitz and Yonath) |
| Contribution | Studies on structure and function of the ribosome |
| Institution | MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK |
| Citizenship | Indian-born; US/British citizen |
| Other role | President of the Royal Society (2015-2020) |
| Key fact | Used X-ray crystallography to map ribosome structure at atomic level |
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 October 1910, Lahore (now Pakistan) |
| Died | 21 August 1995, Chicago, USA |
| Nobel Prize | Physics, 1983 (shared with William Fowler) |
| Contribution | Chandrasekhar Limit — maximum mass of a white dwarf star (1.4 solar masses) |
| Significance | Explained stellar evolution; stars above this mass collapse into neutron stars or black holes |
| Relation | Nephew of CV Raman |
| Institution | University of Chicago |
| NASA honour | Chandra X-ray Observatory named after him |
| Key fact | Formulated his limit at age 19, during his sea voyage to England |
Summary Comparison Table
| Scientist | Field | Key Achievement | Nobel/Bharat Ratna | Birth-Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CV Raman | Physics | Raman Effect | Nobel 1930, BR 1954 | 1888-1970 |
| JC Bose | Physics/Biology | Plants have feelings; crescograph | — | 1858-1937 |
| Homi Bhabha | Nuclear Physics | Father of Nuclear Programme | Padma Bhushan | 1909-1966 |
| Vikram Sarabhai | Space Science | Father of Space Programme | Padma Vibhushan | 1919-1971 |
| APJ Abdul Kalam | Aerospace | Missile Man; 11th President | BR 1997 | 1931-2015 |
| Ramanujan | Mathematics | Number theory; 1729 | FRS | 1887-1920 |
| Har Gobind Khorana | Molecular Biology | Genetic code interpretation | Nobel 1968 | 1922-2011 |
| Venkatraman Ramakrishnan | Structural Biology | Ribosome structure | Nobel 2009 | 1952-present |
| S Chandrasekhar | Astrophysics | Chandrasekhar Limit (1.4 solar masses) | Nobel 1983 | 1910-1995 |
Other Notable Indian Scientists (Brief)
| Scientist | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Meghnad Saha | Saha Ionization Equation (thermal ionization) |
| Satyendra Nath Bose | Bose-Einstein statistics; Boson named after him |
| Birbal Sahni | Father of Indian palaeobotany |
| Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis | Mahalanobis distance; Indian Statistical Institute; planned economy |
| M.S. Swaminathan | Father of Green Revolution in India |
| Tessy Thomas | Missile Woman of India (Agni-V project director) |
| K. Sivan | Led Chandrayaan-2 mission as ISRO chairman |
Days Named After Scientists
| Day | Date | Commemorates |
|---|---|---|
| National Science Day | 28 February | Raman Effect discovery (1928) |
| National Mathematics Day | 22 December | Ramanujan’s birthday |
| National Technology Day | 11 May | Pokhran-II nuclear test (1998) |
| World Space Week | 4-10 October | Space achievements globally |
Quick Revision — 20 Key Indian Scientists Questions
- Raman Effect discovered: 28 February 1928 (National Science Day)
- First Asian Nobel in Science: CV Raman (Physics, 1930)
- Father of Indian Nuclear Programme: Homi Bhabha
- Father of Indian Space Programme: Vikram Sarabhai
- Missile Man of India: APJ Abdul Kalam
- Hardy-Ramanujan number: 1729
- National Mathematics Day: 22 December (Ramanujan’s birthday)
- Khorana’s Nobel for: Genetic code interpretation (1968)
- Chandrasekhar Limit: 1.4 solar masses (max mass of white dwarf)
- S Chandrasekhar related to CV Raman as: Nephew
- JC Bose invented: Crescograph (measures plant response)
- Bose-Einstein statistics by: Satyendra Nath Bose
- APJ Kalam’s autobiography: Wings of Fire
- Vikram Sarabhai died at: Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram
- First rocket launched from: Thumba, Kerala (1963)
- ISRO founded by: Vikram Sarabhai (1969)
- Ramakrishnan’s Nobel for: Ribosome structure (Chemistry, 2009)
- Homi Bhabha founded: TIFR (1945) and BARC
- Father of Green Revolution in India: M.S. Swaminathan
- Boson particle named after: Satyendra Nath Bose
Compiled from Kerala PSC previous year questions (2015-2025). Indian scientists appear in Graduate Level, University Assistant, and Secretariat Assistant exams.
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