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     Vjavasi Side Hero Username: Vjavasi Post Number: 9931 Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 202.133.58.122 Rating: N/A |
How Meghnad Saha & Satyendra Nath Bose learned physics? read this comment Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1996, 1997, and 2001 to physicists whose work was based entirely on foundations laid by Satyendranath (SN) Bose decades earlier. Yet SN Bose himself has not even been nominated for the award! It is interesting to speculate what could cause Western academy to give their highest honors to people like Amartya Sen, as opposed to SN Bose. British colonialists believed that the Indian mind was incapable of scientific thought and discovery, and was best suited to grapple with topics such as mysticism. As a result, science was barely given any attention during schooling; theoretical physics was completely ignored. And whatever science was taught was communicated in English, which inhibited permeation of knowledge among large sections of society. In fact, science education was dictated by the needs of the Indian job market, where subordinate roles such as physicians' assistants, were reserved for Indians. Meanwhile, scientific education in Britain was not accessible. Oxford and Cambridge did not admit Indians until 1870, and even then, those that studied pure sciences could not get jobs in India, even though they graduated at the top of their Oxbridge classes. It is in this environment that SN Bose and his classmate, Meghnad Saha TAUGHT THEMSELVES physics! Physics textbooks written in English were not available, so Bose and Saha had to first learn German, and then translate texts they obtained serendipitously! Despite such incredible odds, Saha went on to develop the Saha ionization equation, which helped lay the foundation for modern astrophysics; though Saha was nominated for a Nobel Prize 4 times, he too never received the award. And though he developed groundbreaking theories and statistical methods in particle physics, SN Bose could not even get his work published until Einstein intervened on his behalf! During their careers, Saha and SN Bose both had numerous interactions with another Indian scientist, Jagadish Chandra Bose (no relation). For those not aware, JC Bose is the father of modern wireless communication, a distinction originally given to Italian scientist Marconi, who misappropriated and digested JC Bose's work without giving him credit. A brilliant, multi-faceted scientist, JC Bose also attempted to describe integral unity in physics, physiology, botany, and psychology. However, he was ridiculed, falsely accused of plagiarism, and even blocked from publishing his work by the British establishment. And like SN Bose and Saha, JC Bose was never given a Nobel Prize for his work, though he made seminal contributions in theoretical and applied physics. Other than their lack of recognition, what else do these Indian scientific geniuses have in common? JC Bose, SN Bose, and M Saha were all staunchly in favor of forming an independent Indian scientific establishment. They were very much Indian nationalists and helped to build the first Indian institutes for scientific study and experimentation, despite British protests. And all 3 recognized the importance of scientific education for Indian students, and were strongly in favor of making changes to the racist British system where they experienced difficulty getting even teaching positions. While their achievements may endear them to Indians, its worth asking whether their nationalistic fervor, insistence on development of indigenous institutions for study, and protests against colonial racism may even today effect the perception of these men by Western academy. Further, the fact that they so quickly grasped experimental scientific concepts and methods, and so easily outperformed their Western 'colleagues' despite incredible odds very much flies in the face of traditional Western racist thought regarding intelligence and the Indian mind. Scientists or thinkers who are products of Indian education systems are perceived as threats by the West. The threat is significantly reduced however, if top-notch minds (especially those harboring a negative view of their birthplace and countrymen) can be made to leave India and take up the cause of Western Universalism. Western academy will thus do whatever possible to inhibit the growth of indigenous Indian research and education, and at the same time provide an alternate (ie., Western) destination for minds and talent (which cannot be utilized at home because of institutional maldevelopment) to flourish. In this regard, S. Chandrasekhar and V. Ramakrishnan, two Indian-born scientists who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, left their country to work in Western academy. And though he is not a scientist, Amartya Sen, conditioned by Western academy to act as their academic sepoy, has not only been given a Nobel Prize, but is also in charge of rebuilding Nalanda University. | ||
| Vjavasi Side Hero Username: Vjavasi Post Number: 9930 Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 202.133.58.122 Rating: N/A |
Though i don't believe in any "God" particle or "mass" giving particle....this one highlights satyendra nath Bose http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=23 65 |
