National Science Day is observed annually on February 28 in India to honour the discovery of the 'Raman Effect'. National Science Day is celebrated nationwide with theme-based scientific communication events. According to the National Council of Science Museums, an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Culture, the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), in 1986, requested that the Indian government proclaim February 28 as National Science Day.
The then-Government of India agreed and established February 28 as National Science Day.
National Science Day was observed for the first time on February 28, 1987.
The theme for National Science Day 2024 is 'Indigenous Technologies for Viksit Bharat'.
National Science Day: Significance
On February 28, 1928, Indian physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman announced to the world his discovery of the 'Raman Effect'.
The Indian physicist received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him," the Nobel Prize organisation said on its website.
The primary goal of National Science Day is to raise awareness of the importance of science and its applications among people. Every year, National Science Day is observed as one of India's major science festivals in order to achieve a variety of objectives.
The goals include spreading a message about the importance of scientific applications in people's daily lives, displaying the activities, efforts, and achievements of Indian scientists for human welfare, discussing scientific issues, implementing new technologies for scientific development, and encouraging and popularising science and technology, among others.
What is the Raman Effect?
CV Raman discovered the Raman Effect while working in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Kolkata. It is a phenomenon in spectroscopy (the study of the absorption and emission of light and other radiation by matter, and the dependence of these processes on the wavelength of the radiation).
The Raman Effect is the shift in light wavelength caused by molecules deflecting a light beam. When a light beam passes through a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small percentage of it escapes in directions other than the incident beam. The wavelength of most of the scattered light remains constant.
However, a small portion has wavelengths that differ from those of the incident light. This phenomenon happens due to the Raman Effect.
Activities held on National Science Day
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) serves as the nodal body for supporting, catalysing, and coordinating National Science Day celebrations across the country in scientific institutions, research laboratories, and autonomous scientific institutions affiliated with the DST.
On National Science Day, students from schools and institutions present a variety of science projects. Additionally, national and state science institutions showcase their most recent research.
National Science Day celebrations include public speeches, radio and television talk shows, science exhibitions based on themes and concepts, skywatching, live projects, research demonstrations, debates, quiz competitions, lectures, exhibitions of science models, and a variety of other activities.