Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose Birth Anniversary: 10 Facts You Must Know About The Indian Physicist And Biologist
Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose was an Indian physicist, biophysicist, biologist, and botanist born on November 30, 1858.
New Delhi: Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose was an Indian physicist, biophysicist, biologist, and botanist born on November 30, 1858. Tuesday marks his 163rd birth anniversary.
Bose was also a science fiction writer, and he pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, contributed significantly to plant science, and laid the foundations of experimental science. He was also a world leader in telecommunications. He was the founder of modern science in the Indian subcontinent, and proved that plants have life.
He invented the crescograph, which is a device used to measure the growth of plants. He used the device to determine environmental effects on vegetation.
Here are 10 interesting facts that not many know about Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose.
1. His Interest In Nature Was Sparked After Learning Bengali
Bose's father had sent him to a vernacular school, because he believed it was important to know one's mother tongue before learning any other language.
"I listened spellbound to stories of birds, animals, and aquatic creatures. Perhaps these stories created in my mind a keen interest in investigating the workings of nature," Bose was quoted to have said at a conference in Bikrampur in 1915.
He was from a poor background, but his father encouraged him to become a scholar. At the age of 18, Bose went to Christ's College, Cambridge, to study natural science, and went on to become the founder of modern science in the Indian subcontinent.
2. Bose Was Denied Access To Labs Due To His Race
Bose reportedly faced racial discrimination during his time as a Professor of Physics at the University of Calcutta. At that time, India was under British rule. Bose was denied access to laboratories due to his race, forcing him to set up his own scientific equipment at his house.
3. Feat In Radio Science
Bose played a significant role in the development of modern radio and sonic technology. He invented an early version of wireless telecommunication, and was a pioneer in bringing wireless signalling to life.
In 1997, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers named Bose a "father of science".
4. 'Plants Feel Pain And Understand Affection'
Bose had invented the crescograph, a device which allowed scientists to discover how plants are affected by seasons and external stimuli.
His work was focussed on determining how chemical inhibitors, temperature, and light change the way plants grow.
Due to his research, scientists could better understand how to cultivate crops in a more effective way. He encouraged people to take better care of plants. Bose, in a report, wrote that he believed plants "feel pain and understand affection" just like humans.
5. Crater On Moon Named After Bose
An impact crater on the far side of the Moon has been named after Bose. The Bose Crater has a diameter of 91 kilometres, annd is located near Crater Bhabha.
Bose's achievements in the field of wireless telecommunications are said to have paved the way for satellite communication, and to honour Bose for his contributions, the crater was named after him.
6. His Bose Institute Was Initially Dedicated To Study Of Plants
He established the Bose Institute In Kolkata on November 30, 1917. The institute, Asia's first modern research centre devoted to interdisciplinary research, was initially dedicated to the study of plants.
7. Bose Wrote One Of The First Works Of Bengali Science Fiction
Bose, in 1896, wrote 'Niruddesher Kahini', which is considered one of the first works of Bengali science fiction. Niruddesher Kahini has perhaps the first known literary usage of 'butterfly effect' or sensitive dependence on initial conditions. In other words, the butterfly effect means a small change can result in large differences later.
8. Bose Was The First Asian To Be Awarded A US Patent
Bose was awarded the first Asian to be awarded a US patent. In 1904, Bose was awarded a patent for his invention of a detector for electrical disturbances.
9. Bose Was Knighted
In 1917, Bose was knighted. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1920.
10. Bose Was The First To Study The Action Of Microwaves In Plant Tissue
Bose constructed automatic recorders that register extremely slight movements in plants, and interpreted them as the power of feeling. He was the first to study the action of microwaves in plant tissue.
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