Bose: A Forgotten Hero

The life, times and scientific work of Satyendra Nath Bose (1894 - 1974) will be described in this talk. We shall start with an introduction to the quantum theory of blackbody radiation, where Bose made his epoch-making contribution. We will then take a look at the early life of Bose and the fertile intellectual milieu which created this man of genius. The story of his famous discovery of Bose statistics will then be taken up. The last part of the talk will be a panorama of Bose’s later life as a national celebrity, but a largely-forgotten figure on the international scene. We shall conclude with some critical comments on the story of this great scientist and his legacy.

About the Speaker:

Sreerup Raychaudhuri is a Professor in the Department of Theoretical Physics at TIFR. He specialises in the study of elementary particles and their interactions, especially theories of electroweak interactions and unification of forces. He studied at the Presidency College and University of Calcutta and taught at IIT Kanpur for some years before joining TIFR. He is interested in the history of science, especially in the context of the development of modern Indian science.