Satyendranath Bose was born on January 1, 1894, in Calcutta. Young Satyendranath attended a neighbourhood elementary school in Calcutta. In 1907, he joined the Hindu School. His intelligence and memory were sharp. He was deeply interested in science right from school days. After passing high school in 1909, Satyendranath entered the Presidency College. He recalled the period of his stay in Presidency College as the Golden Age. It was here that the company of good friends and classmates and the guidance of illustrious teachers shaped his future.
Some of the most renowned scientists, Meghnad Saha, NikhilranjanBose, JCGhosh, JNMukherjee and Girijapathi Bhattacharya, were his classmates. He had as his teachers eminent scientists like JCBose, PCRay and SNMaitra. Satyendranath not only shared the excitement of acquiring scientific knowledge in the midst of illustrious company but also imbibed patriotic fervour from the Swadeshi movement, which was at its height.
Bose took his B.Sc. examination in 1913 and the M.Sc. degree in 1915 from the Calcutta University, standing first in both. It was around this time that Sir Asutosh Mookerjee laid the foundation of the University College of Science for postgraduate studies and research. In 1915, some of those who had secured the masters degree approached SirAsutosh Mookerjee and requested him to open postgraduate courses in modern physics and modern mathematics in Calcutta University and allow them to teach. Among them were Meghnad Saha, Jnanachandra Ghosh, and Satyendranath Bose. In 1916, the University started M.Sc. classes in modern mathematics and modern physics. M.N. Saha, J. C. Ghosh and S. N. Bose were all appointed lecturers.
Bose began to learn French and German in order to read the European scientific literature. But because of World War I, it was difficult to order books from abroad. Bose and Saha then approached P. J. Bruhl, an instructor in the Bengal Engineering
College, who possessed advanced textbooks on physics. After reading up on the developments in new physics, they took over the task of teaching postgraduate students and even began to teach relativity to their students, not attempted till then. Within a few years the Calcutta University became recognized as the leading institution for higher learning in the sciences.
After five years at the Calcutta University, Bose moved to Dacca University in 1921. It was around this time that his friend D. M. Bose returned from Berlin and brought with him new publications on the quantum theory. He gave Plancks Thermodynamik und Warmestrahlung (Thermodynamics and Heat) to Bose to read. The book contained all the original papers of the great physicist. Bose started working on the equations and formulae himself.
Satyendranath Bose along with Meghnad Saha, established modern theoretical physics in India. Bose made significant advances in statistical mechanics and quantum statistics, the description of all forces by a single field theory, x-ray diffraction and the interaction of electromagnetic waves with the ionosphere. In 1924 Bose derived Planck’s blackbody radiation law without the use of classical electrodynamics as Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (1854-1947) himself had done.
Bose found that Planck had assumed some hypothesis and calculated an equation approximately. Bose worked out a better way to calculate the equation. He sent his four-page research paper, Plancks Law and Light Quantum Hypothesis, to an Indian journal and to several journals abroad. But all of them rejected it. In desperation Bose sent the paper to Einstein in 1924. Einstein was so impressed with the daring concept that he himself translated it into German and sent it for publication to a German journal, Zeitschrift fur Physik which published the paper in its August 1924 issue. Einstein also explained at length the significance of the subject matter of the paper and added a comment: An important forward step.
Bose’s original approach struck Einstein who later systematically adapted Bose’s approach in his own work and generalization of Bose’s work led to the system of statistical quantum mechanics, now known as Bose Einstein Statistics which describes particles of integral spin, which may multiply occupy the same quantum state. Elementary particles, such as photons that obey Bose Statistics, are called ‘Bosons thus ensuring a permanent name for Bose in science. Such particles are now known as “bosons” after the name of S. N. Bose. Of late,it has come to be known merely as Bose Statistics.
Bose’s name has become part and parcel of modern physics. There is no other scientist whose name is so indissolubly linked with Einstein in all the textbooks of physics. ‘indeed Bose’s work stands out as one of the central columns supporting the edifice of modern physics’.
As Partha Ghose has stated, “Bose’s work stood at the transition between the `old quantum theory’ of Planck, Bohr and Einstein and the new quantum mechanics of Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Born, Dirac and others.”
Bose managed to get a two-year study leave and sailed for Europe from Bombay in September 1924. After a brief sojourn at Paris he reached Berlin where he eventually fulfilled his longcherished desire of meeting Einstein, whom he considered his guru. On his return to Dacca, Bose was appointed Professor of Physics in 1927. Bose was greatly loved and admired as a teacher by his students, and his colleagues held him in high
esteem. He was informal and kept his door always open to anyone who cared to drop in. His bedroom also served as his study.
Bose returned to Calcutta University in 1945 as Khaira Professor of Physics. During another visit to Europe in 1954, Bose had wanted to go to the United States to meet Einstein again. However, since he had happened to visit Russia earlier the Americans thought of him as a communist and did not give him a visa. Tragically, Einsteins death soon after, dashed Bose’s hope of meeting his guru again.
In 1954 the Government of India conferred the honour of Padma Vibhushan on him and Bose retired from Calcutta University in 1956. The University honoured him by appointing him Emeritus Professor. Later he became the Vice- Chancellor of the Visvabharati University. In 1958, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, London.
Though Bose was primarily a scientist, he was equally interested in literature, art and music. He could read and enjoy poems in Sanskrit, Bengali, English, French and Italian. Bose had made a deep study of several works in Bengali and English literature and also translated some French short stories. Very few people know that Bose could play well on the bowstring musical instrument, Esraj. A gifted musician and critic of music, he also created a few new ragas.
At a time when the majority of the Indian elite craved proficiency in English, Bose understood the importance of the Indian languages. He believed that if science is to be understood by laymen,it should be taught in the regional languages. He founded a science association named Bangiya Vijnana Parishad in Bengal in 1948 and all its correspondence was carried out in Bengali. From its inception, the association has been bringing out
a periodical entitled Jnan o’ Bijnan.
Within a few days of completing 80 years, Bose suffered a severe heart attack and breathed his last on February 4, 1974. Unfortunately in India Bose’s name is not so familiar. This is a reflection of sad state of indian science. To quote G. Venkataraman: “the name of Satyendranath Bose will live for ever in physics…unfortunately, most people in India have never heard of him. I would not be surprised if most of our scientists also do not know much about him, although they might have heard his name. Indeed, i am prepared to bet that barring a sprinkling of physicists (mostly theorists), many in our physics community too are ignorant about Bose. Even if they have heard of him, it is quite likely that they are not aware of the significance of his work.”
As S. D. Chatterjee has written, “With Professor Satyen Bose’s death an era ended—an era of great men who created science in India.” Bose was too precious for India. India has many scientists but it woefully lacks great scientists. In the Centenary Edition of Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997), which has entries of over 17,500 detailed biographies, only the names of six scientists figure namely J. C. Bose. C. V. Raman, S. Ramanujan, S. N. Bose, M. N. Saha, and Homi J. Bhabha. In Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists (2002) this number is reduced to four, where J.C. Bose and H. J. Bhabha do not figure and in the Dictionary of Scientists of the Oxford University Press (1999) this number is five, where the name of Bhabha does not figure. So there are only four Indian scientists namely C. V. Raman, S. Ramanujan, S. N. Bose and M. N. Saha whose names figure in all the three publications mentioned above. Can we hope to add some few more names in these publications? Our younger generation has a lot to learn from the lives of our great scientists like S. N. Bose.
Today there is an institute at Kolkata named after Bose—the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences.
Bose took his B.Sc. examination in 1913 and the M.Sc. degree in 1915 from the Calcutta University, standing first in both. It was around this time that Sir Asutosh Mookerjee laid the foundation of the University College of Science for postgraduate studies and research. In 1915, some of those who had secured the masters degree approached SirAsutosh Mookerjee and requested him to open postgraduate courses in modern physics and modern mathematics in Calcutta University and allow them to teach. Among them were Meghnad Saha, Jnanachandra Ghosh, and Satyendranath Bose. In 1916, the University started M.Sc. classes in modern mathematics and modern physics. M.N. Saha, J. C. Ghosh and S. N. Bose were all appointed lecturers.
Bose began to learn French and German in order to read the European scientific literature. But because of World War I, it was difficult to order books from abroad. Bose and Saha then approached P. J. Bruhl, an instructor in the Bengal Engineering
College, who possessed advanced textbooks on physics. After reading up on the developments in new physics, they took over the task of teaching postgraduate students and even began to teach relativity to their students, not attempted till then. Within a few years the Calcutta University became recognized as the leading institution for higher learning in the sciences.
After five years at the Calcutta University, Bose moved to Dacca University in 1921. It was around this time that his friend D. M. Bose returned from Berlin and brought with him new publications on the quantum theory. He gave Plancks Thermodynamik und Warmestrahlung (Thermodynamics and Heat) to Bose to read. The book contained all the original papers of the great physicist. Bose started working on the equations and formulae himself.
Satyendranath Bose along with Meghnad Saha, established modern theoretical physics in India. Bose made significant advances in statistical mechanics and quantum statistics, the description of all forces by a single field theory, x-ray diffraction and the interaction of electromagnetic waves with the ionosphere. In 1924 Bose derived Planck’s blackbody radiation law without the use of classical electrodynamics as Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (1854-1947) himself had done.
Bose found that Planck had assumed some hypothesis and calculated an equation approximately. Bose worked out a better way to calculate the equation. He sent his four-page research paper, Plancks Law and Light Quantum Hypothesis, to an Indian journal and to several journals abroad. But all of them rejected it. In desperation Bose sent the paper to Einstein in 1924. Einstein was so impressed with the daring concept that he himself translated it into German and sent it for publication to a German journal, Zeitschrift fur Physik which published the paper in its August 1924 issue. Einstein also explained at length the significance of the subject matter of the paper and added a comment: An important forward step.
Bose’s original approach struck Einstein who later systematically adapted Bose’s approach in his own work and generalization of Bose’s work led to the system of statistical quantum mechanics, now known as Bose Einstein Statistics which describes particles of integral spin, which may multiply occupy the same quantum state. Elementary particles, such as photons that obey Bose Statistics, are called ‘Bosons thus ensuring a permanent name for Bose in science. Such particles are now known as “bosons” after the name of S. N. Bose. Of late,it has come to be known merely as Bose Statistics.
Bose’s name has become part and parcel of modern physics. There is no other scientist whose name is so indissolubly linked with Einstein in all the textbooks of physics. ‘indeed Bose’s work stands out as one of the central columns supporting the edifice of modern physics’.
As Partha Ghose has stated, “Bose’s work stood at the transition between the `old quantum theory’ of Planck, Bohr and Einstein and the new quantum mechanics of Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Born, Dirac and others.”
Bose managed to get a two-year study leave and sailed for Europe from Bombay in September 1924. After a brief sojourn at Paris he reached Berlin where he eventually fulfilled his longcherished desire of meeting Einstein, whom he considered his guru. On his return to Dacca, Bose was appointed Professor of Physics in 1927. Bose was greatly loved and admired as a teacher by his students, and his colleagues held him in high
esteem. He was informal and kept his door always open to anyone who cared to drop in. His bedroom also served as his study.
Bose returned to Calcutta University in 1945 as Khaira Professor of Physics. During another visit to Europe in 1954, Bose had wanted to go to the United States to meet Einstein again. However, since he had happened to visit Russia earlier the Americans thought of him as a communist and did not give him a visa. Tragically, Einsteins death soon after, dashed Bose’s hope of meeting his guru again.
In 1954 the Government of India conferred the honour of Padma Vibhushan on him and Bose retired from Calcutta University in 1956. The University honoured him by appointing him Emeritus Professor. Later he became the Vice- Chancellor of the Visvabharati University. In 1958, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, London.
Though Bose was primarily a scientist, he was equally interested in literature, art and music. He could read and enjoy poems in Sanskrit, Bengali, English, French and Italian. Bose had made a deep study of several works in Bengali and English literature and also translated some French short stories. Very few people know that Bose could play well on the bowstring musical instrument, Esraj. A gifted musician and critic of music, he also created a few new ragas.
At a time when the majority of the Indian elite craved proficiency in English, Bose understood the importance of the Indian languages. He believed that if science is to be understood by laymen,it should be taught in the regional languages. He founded a science association named Bangiya Vijnana Parishad in Bengal in 1948 and all its correspondence was carried out in Bengali. From its inception, the association has been bringing out
a periodical entitled Jnan o’ Bijnan.
Within a few days of completing 80 years, Bose suffered a severe heart attack and breathed his last on February 4, 1974. Unfortunately in India Bose’s name is not so familiar. This is a reflection of sad state of indian science. To quote G. Venkataraman: “the name of Satyendranath Bose will live for ever in physics…unfortunately, most people in India have never heard of him. I would not be surprised if most of our scientists also do not know much about him, although they might have heard his name. Indeed, i am prepared to bet that barring a sprinkling of physicists (mostly theorists), many in our physics community too are ignorant about Bose. Even if they have heard of him, it is quite likely that they are not aware of the significance of his work.”
As S. D. Chatterjee has written, “With Professor Satyen Bose’s death an era ended—an era of great men who created science in India.” Bose was too precious for India. India has many scientists but it woefully lacks great scientists. In the Centenary Edition of Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997), which has entries of over 17,500 detailed biographies, only the names of six scientists figure namely J. C. Bose. C. V. Raman, S. Ramanujan, S. N. Bose, M. N. Saha, and Homi J. Bhabha. In Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists (2002) this number is reduced to four, where J.C. Bose and H. J. Bhabha do not figure and in the Dictionary of Scientists of the Oxford University Press (1999) this number is five, where the name of Bhabha does not figure. So there are only four Indian scientists namely C. V. Raman, S. Ramanujan, S. N. Bose and M. N. Saha whose names figure in all the three publications mentioned above. Can we hope to add some few more names in these publications? Our younger generation has a lot to learn from the lives of our great scientists like S. N. Bose.
Today there is an institute at Kolkata named after Bose—the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences.
