Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Covers

Records

Raman's achievements are historic: he was the first Asian and the first non-white person to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. He remains the only Indian physicist to win that prize. His discovery of the Raman effect is one of the most cited in physics, and National Science Day in India is a direct result of his work. He founded three enduring institutions, the Indian Journal of Physics, the Indian Academy of Sciences, and the Raman Research Institute, that continue to shape Indian science.

Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman receiving an award

AwardsRaman won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the Raman effect. He received the Hughes Medal from the Royal Society in 1929 and the Franklin Medal in 1941. India awarded him the Bharat Ratna in 1954, and the Soviet Union gave him the Lenin Peace Prize in 1957. He was knighted in 1929 but later renounced the title.

Honours & Distinctions

Knight Bachelor

King George V·1929

Conferred for scientific achievements; renounced in 1948.

Bharat Ratna

Government of India·1954

India's highest civilian award.

Lenin Peace Prize

Soviet Union·1957

Awarded for contributions to peace and science.

National Science Day

Government of India·1986

February 28 declared National Science Day to commemorate his discovery.

Rankings & Lists

#1930 laureate

Nobel Prize in Physics

Nobel Foundation·1930

Magazine Covers

Time

1930-11-10

Raman of India — He saw the light

Records & Feats

First Asian to win Nobel Prize in Physics

Historic First·1930

Raman became the first Asian and the first non-white person to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.

Discovery of the Raman effect

Scientific Discovery·1928

First observation of inelastic scattering of light, now a fundamental tool in spectroscopy.