K S Krishnan -- his life and work

Kariamanikkam Srinivasa Krishnan (1898 - 1961) belonged to the illustrious group of Indian physicists who contributed significantly to the scientific revolution during the early decades of the twentieth century. His collaboration with C V Raman on the scattering of light in liquids led to the discovery of the Raman effect. Later in Dacca and then in IACS, Calcutta, Krishnan made seminal studies on the magnetic and optical properties of crystals which established him as one of the founders of the fields of crystal magnetism and magnetochemistry.

Krishnan was a member of the Board of Scientific and Industrial Research almost since its inception and was on the Planning Committee of the proposed national physical laboratory. When the laboratory was established in 1947 in Delhi, Krishnan was persuaded to accept its directorship. The following year Krishnan was appointed a member of the newly created Atomic Energy Commission of India. He died in harness in June 1961.

In this talk an account of Krishnan’s life and scientific work will be presented. The talk will also provide a historical perspective of Indian science during the period Krishnan lived.

About the Speaker:
D C V Mallik studied Physics in Presidency College and Pure Physics in Science College, Calcutta, obtaining a Masters’ degree in 1968. He received his PhD in Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His main area of work is Interstellar Matter and Planetary Nebulae. He worked in Indian Institute of Astrophysics all his life. He retired as a Professor in 2006 but continued for another four years in a visiting position. Throughout his career he taught graduate courses in Interstellar Matter and Structure and Evolution of Stars. He had developed an interest in History of Science in the late 1990s which culminated in the biographical work on K S Krishnan where he had to also study the early development of science in the colonial environment. He lives in Bangalore.