Satyendra Nath Bose
An oustanding Indian physicist
Satyendra Nath Bose was born on January 1,1894 in Kolkata. His father Surendra Nath Bose was employed in the Engineering Department of the East India Railways. Satyendra Nath was the eldest of his seven children.
Satyendra Nath Bose did his schooling from Hindu High School in Kolkata. He was a brilliant student and did his college at the Presidency College, Kolkata with Mathematics as his major subject. He topped the university in B.Sc. and M.Sc.
In 1916, the Calcutta University started M.Sc. classes in Modern Mathematics and Modern Physics. Bose started his career in 1916 as a Lecturer in Physics in Calcutta University. He served there from 1916 to 1921. He joined the newly established Dhaka University in 1921 as a Reader in the Department of Physics. In 1924, Satyendra Nath Bose published an article titled Max Planck’s Law and Light Quantum Hypothesis. This article was sent to Albert Einstein. Einstein appreciated it so much that he himself translated into German and sent it for publication to a famous periodical in Germany Zeitschrift fur Physik’. The hypothesis received great attention and was highly appreciated by the scientists. It became famous to the scientists as ‘Bose-Einstein Theory’.
In 1926, Satyendra Nath Bose became a professor of Physics in Dhaka University. Though he had not completed his doctorate till then, he was appointed as Professor on Einstein’s recommendation. In 1929, Satyendra Nath Bose was elected Chairman of the Physics of the Indian Science Congress and in 1944 elected full Chairman of the Congress. In 1945, he was appointed as Khaira Professor of Physics in Calcutta University. He retired from Calcutta University in 1956. The University honoured him on his retirement by appointing him as Emeritus Professor. Later he became the Vice Chancellor of the Viswabharati University. In 1958, he was made a fellow of the Royal Society, London.
Satyendra Nath Bose was honored with ‘Padama Bhushan’ by the Government of India in recognition of his outstanding achievements. He died in Kolkata on February 4, 1974.
