Science and Technology Days (India Focus)

C.V. Raman used remarkably simple and low-cost equipment — a mercury arc lamp and sun-focused light through a telescope lens — to discover the Raman Effect (inelastic scattering of light) at IACS, Calcutta, on February 28, 1928. This demonstrates that great science doesn't require expensive equipment. He was known for prioritising insight over instrumentation. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.

Pokhran-II (Operation Shakti, May 11–13, 1998) was led scientifically by APJ Abdul Kalam (then Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister) and R. Chidambaram (then Chairman of AEC and Secretary, DAE). Five devices were tested — including thermonuclear (hydrogen bomb) devices. The tests were conducted with extreme secrecy to avoid detection by US satellites. PM Vajpayee declared India a nuclear weapons state.

Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887–1920) collaborated with G.H. Hardy at Cambridge University. Hardy described his collaboration with Ramanujan as 'the one romantic incident in my life.' Hardy devised the Hardy-Ramanujan asymptotic formula. Ramanujan's letter to Hardy (1913) is legendary — Hardy recognised his genius immediately. The 'taxicab number' story (1729 = 12³ + 1³ = 10³ + 9³) is their famous exchange.

India's first satellite was named 'Aryabhata' after the 5th-century Indian mathematician and astronomer who calculated the value of π (pi) to 4 decimal places and proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system (that the Earth rotates on its own axis). The satellite was launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Kapustin Yar. It was built by ISRO and studied X-ray astronomy and solar physics.

Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander successfully soft-landed on the Moon on August 23, 2023, making India the fourth country to achieve a soft Moon landing — after the USA, USSR, and China. India was also the FIRST country to land near the Moon's south polar region. Pragyan rover explored and collected data for about 14 days (one lunar day). PM Modi named the landing site 'Shiv Shakti Point.'

Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM / Mangalyaan) entered Mars orbit on September 24, 2014 — making India the first Asian country and fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars successfully (and the first to succeed in its debut attempt). The mission cost ₹450 crore — the cheapest Mars mission ever — less than the Hollywood film 'Gravity.' It was operational for 8 years (expected 6 months) before communication was lost in 2022.

Dr. Homi J. Bhabha (October 30, 1909 – January 24, 1966) is the 'Father of India's Nuclear Programme.' He established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR, 1945), the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC, 1948), and the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET, 1954 — later renamed BARC in his honour). India's first nuclear test was conducted in 1974, eight years after his death.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya (1861–1962) served as the Diwan (Chief Minister) of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. Under his leadership, Mysore became a model of economic development — Visvesvaraya established the Krishnaraja Sagara Dam, the Mysore Iron and Steel Works (VISL), and the University of Mysore. He designed the famous automatic sluice gates at Khadakwasla Dam.

India's public internet service was launched on August 15, 1995 (Independence Day), by VSNL (Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited). The service was initially available only in major cities at very slow speeds (9.6 kbps). India's internet has grown explosively — from 1.4 million users in 2000 to over 900 million in 2024. India is now the world's second-largest internet population after China.

P.C. Mahalanobis (June 29, 1893 – June 28, 1972) developed the 'Mahalanobis Model' which formed the basis of India's Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61). The plan emphasised heavy industry and capital goods (inspired by Soviet planning), leaving consumer goods to the private sector and small industries. This 'Nehru-Mahalanobis Model' shaped India's development strategy for decades.

The Jaipur Foot (Jaipur Limb) was developed in 1968 by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Pramod Karan Sethi and master craftsman Ram Chandra Sharma at SMS Hospital, Jaipur. It is a low-cost, rubber-based prosthetic foot designed for Indian terrain (allows squatting, barefoot walking, and working in wet conditions). Over 1.3 million people globally have been fitted with Jaipur Limbs — at subsidized or no cost through the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti.

PARAM 8000, India's first supercomputer, was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under Dr. Vijay Bhatkar in 1991, after the USA refused to sell Cray supercomputers to India. PARAM 8000 performed at 1 GigaFLOPS and was considered one of the world's fastest at the time. India has since developed a series of PARAM supercomputers. C-DAC is also known for developing the Devanagari computing standard (ISCII).

The onset of the Southwest Monsoon at Kerala is traditionally announced around June 1 (±7 days) — though it can vary from late May to mid-June. The IMD announces 'Monsoon onset over Kerala' officially. This marks the beginning of the four-month monsoon season that provides about 70% of India's annual rainfall. The monsoon is critical for agriculture, water reservoirs, and the Indian economy.

UPI (Unified Payments Interface) was developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and launched on April 11, 2016. It enables instant real-time payment between bank accounts through a mobile phone. India's UPI processed over 8 billion transactions per month (2024). UPI has been adopted by several countries — Singapore, France, UAE, Nepal, and others. India's digital payments revolution through UPI is a global case study.

DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry manages the Startup India initiative and startup recognition. DPIIT-recognised startups can avail benefits including tax exemptions (3 years), access to fund of funds, intellectual property fee reductions, and fast-track patent examination. India has over 1.5 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups (as of 2024) and 100+ unicorns.

J.C. Bose (born November 30, 1858) demonstrated at the Royal Institution, London (1897), that radio waves could be generated, transmitted, and received — before Marconi's patent. He invented the 'coherer' (for radio wave detection) and the 'crescograph' (to measure plant growth). He was the first to prove that plants have nervous systems and can feel pain. Bose Institute (1917, Kolkata) and Bose Centre for Advanced Study are named after him.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) was established on May 3, 1971, to promote scientific and technological activities in India and to coordinate with the Indian scientific community. DST funds the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) for basic research and runs schemes like INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) to attract students to science careers.

ISRO's PSLV-C37 launched 104 satellites in a single mission on February 15, 2017 — a world record. Of these, 96 were nano-satellites from the USA, and the primary payload was Cartosat-2 series. The PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) is ISRO's workhorse rocket, with over 50 successful missions. LVM3 (formerly GSLV Mark III) is India's heaviest rocket, used for Chandrayaan-3 and communication satellites.

India's Gaganyaan mission aims to send 2–3 Indian astronauts (called 'Vyomnauts' — Vyoma means sky in Sanskrit) to a Low Earth Orbit (300–400 km altitude) for 3 days and safely return them to Earth. The mission is being developed by ISRO with support from Russia (Roscosmos) for astronaut training. An uncrewed test flight (with 'Vyommitra' humanoid robot) was planned before the crewed mission.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) was launched under NITI Aayog in 2016. Its school-level programme — Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) — sets up innovation workspaces in schools across India, equipped with 3D printers, IoT devices, robotics, and rapid prototyping tools. Over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs have been set up in government and private schools. AIM also supports Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) in universities and institutes.