Light, Logic, and Liberty….The CV Raman’s “Light” still guide India’s future. On February 28, 1928, Dr. C.V. Raman made a discovery that changed how we look at the world. He found what’s now called the Raman Effect, and each year, India marks this breakthrough as National Science Day. This year, as we celebrate in 2026, the theme—“Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat”—pushes us to remember that science isn’t just about test tubes and equations. It’s about the people behind the discoveries, and the scientific temper that keeps a nation moving forward.
Legacy of the Raman Effect
Dr. Raman’s legacy goes far beyond his Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930, the first for an Indian or any Asian scientist. The core of his work—light passing through a transparent material and shifting its wavelength—opened up a new way to see molecules. What started in a Calcutta lab now sits at the heart of modern life.
In healthcare, the Raman Effect helps doctors spot cancer cells and check blood glucose without a single needle. It keeps us safe by catching fake medicines and making sure gold and diamonds are pure. Fiber-optic cables carry our voices and data faster, thanks to this phenomenon. Airport security uses it to sniff out explosives and narcotics in seconds.
India’s Scientific Leap: From Space to Vaccines
Raman’s spark set off a wave that built ISRO, DRDO, BARC, and so many other institutions. That vision is still paying off. In 2023, Chandrayaan-3 made India the first to touch down at the Moon’s South Pole. The Aditya-L1 mission is digging into the mysteries of the Sun. We’ve rolled out 5G at breakneck speed, and built our own COVID vaccine, Covaxin, showing the world what Indian science can do.
Reality Check: Funding and Challenges
There’s a gap between what we dream and what we fund. India spends just 0.64% of its GDP on research and development. The US spends 3.48%. South Korea? 4.91%. That difference is massive. And then there’s the brain drain—our best minds chasing better labs and salaries overseas, costing the country billions each year. Even as we spotlight women in science, they’re still a minority in STEM fields here.
Cultivating a Scientific Temper
Article 51A (h) of our Constitution says it’s every citizen’s duty to develop scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry. To really honor Raman’s call—work hard, think, and discover—we need to shake up the system. Science labs and hands-on experiments must reach beyond city schools. Industry should step up; right now, it covers only 41% of R&D here, while in China, it’s over 75%. We have to fight superstition with facts, especially now, when misinformation spreads faster than ever.
National Science Day isn’t just about remembering one extraordinary scientist. It’s a wake-up call. Real progress goes beyond rockets and moon landings. It means nurturing curiosity—making sure every child can ask “Why?” and has the tools to chase the answer. If we want a truly developed Bharat, we have to invest where it matters most: in the laboratory of the mind.