Key Points
National Science Day is observed on 28 February to mark CV Raman’s 1928 discovery of the Raman Effect, a novel light scattering phenomenon, for which he received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The 2026 theme, “Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat,” places focus on inclusion, leadership and scientific participation in India’s development journey.
Ironically, Raman himself was opposed to women working in the field of science, refelcting dominant patriarchal ideas of the time. This year's theme reflects how India’s scientific ecosystem has evolved socially and institutionally.
National Science Day is celebrated across India on February 28, in commemoration of physicist CV Raman. It marks the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ in 1928, a phenomenon in which deflected light changes its wavelength when traversing through transparent materials. Raman was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for the breakthrough.
98 years later, he is remembered as a giant in the field of Physics, for championing scientific awareness and education in India, and as the first Indian and person of colour to win a Nobel Prize. His work helped develop the field of Raman spectroscopy which has applications in cancer detection, astronomy, and drug manufacturing.
The day honours contributions of India and its citizens to the field of science – Ramanujan’s contributions to number theory, Satyendra Nath Bose’s work in quantum mechanics which led to the discovery of the ‘boson’, and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar’s study of stellar evolution and establishment of the ‘Chandrasekhar limit’ – as well as their accomplishments – Prafulla Chandra Ray as the “father of Indian chemistry’, Homi J Bhabha as the “father of the Indian nuclear programme”, and Vikram Sarabhai as the “father of Indian space program”.
This year, the theme is “Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat.”
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born on 7 November 1888 in Tiruchirappalli in the Madras Presidency (now Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu). A precocious student, he completed his schooling at the age of 13 and went on to secure gold medals in Physics and English at Presidency College, Madras. He published his first scientific paper in 1906 while still a graduate student.
Despite qualifying for the Indian Finance Service and serving as Assistant Accountant General in Calcutta, Raman pursued research in his spare time at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science. In 1917, he resigned from government service to become the Palit Professor of Physics at the University of Calcutta.
On a voyage to England in 1921, his curiosity about the blue colour of the Mediterranean Sea led him to question existing explanations of light scattering. Working with his student KS Krishnan, Raman conducted systematic experiments on how light interacts with matter. On this day in 1928, he identified a new type of inelastic scattering of light in which a small fraction of incident light changes its wavelength after interacting with molecules. This phenomenon came to be known as the Raman Effect, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
He later served as Director of the Indian Institute of Science and founded the Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru in 1948, where he continued research until his death in 1970.
When light passes through a material, most photons are elastically scattered, meaning they retain the same energy and wavelength. However, a very small fraction, roughly one in a million, exchanges energy with the molecules of the material. As a result, the scattered light emerges with a slightly different energy and wavelength.
This shift in wavelength provides a molecular fingerprint of the substance. The technique developed from this principle, Raman spectroscopy, enables scientists to identify and analyse materials in gases, liquids and solids. It is used in medicine, forensic science, material science, environmental monitoring and atmospheric studies. Raman spectroscopy has also been applied to biological tissues and complex systems, allowing non-destructive analysis.
The commemoration of National Science Day was first proposed by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) and then notified by the Government of India in 1986. The event was first celebrated in 1987.
The theme for National Science Day 2026 is “Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat.” The Department of Science and Technology, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, is marking the occasion with a series of lectures hosted at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi and chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser, Ajay K Sood. Speakers are addressing topics such as indigenous aerospace and defence technologies, critical metals and materials, and direct-to-mobile broadcasting.
This will be followed by a panel discussion on “Science Policy Interface for Catalysing Viksit Bharat”, featuring representatives from NITI Aayog, INSA, CSIR institutions, CSTEP and IGSTC. Additional sessions on communicating science in Indian languages and interactive engagements titled “Face to Face with Scientists” are also scheduled.
Across the country, research institutions are opening their doors to the public. The Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru is hosting its annual Open Day, featuring live demonstrations, research exhibitions and interactive experiments. In Mumbai, the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education is conducting science activities including experiments, puzzles, quizzes, sunspot observations and rocket demonstrations for school students.
Schools, colleges and laboratories are organising science exhibitions, public lectures, debates and competitions. The observances aim to take science beyond laboratories and encourage questioning and inquiry among students.
The 2026 theme draws attention to women’s participation in science and technology – something, ironically, CV Raman himself was a staunch opponent of.
In 1933, when Kamala Sohonie applied for a research position at the Indian Institute of Science, Raman initially rejected her application on the ground that women were not considered competent enough for research. Only after she staged a protest was she admitted, and even then under restrictive conditions. She was admitted under probation, forced to work only at night and under supervision. After a year, she completed her research with distinction. The next year, the institute was forced to revise its policy and enroll women.
“Though Raman was a great scientist, he was very narrow-minded,” Sohonie later recalled. “I can never forget the way he treated me just because I was a woman. Even then, Raman didn't admit me as a regular student. This was a great insult to me. The bias against women was so bad at that time. What can one expect if even a Nobel Laureate behaves in such a way?”
Sohonie went on to become the first Indian woman to earn a PhD in a scientific discipline.
This year’s theme marks a clear departure from such exclusionary perspectives, recognising women not as exceptions seeking entry, but as essential contributors to India’s development trajectory.
According to the All India Survey on Higher Education 2021–22, women account for approximately 48% of total higher education enrolment and around 43% of enrolment in STEM disciplines. Women also constitute about 42–43% of the higher education teaching workforce.
However, women remain under-represented in senior faculty positions, major research leadership roles and high-impact scientific output. Parliamentary data indicate that women comprise about 18.6% of personnel in government research and development organisations.
The Government of India has introduced multiple initiatives to support women in science across career stages. These include the INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education, the WISE-PhD Fellowship under the WISE-KIRAN programme, the Women Scientist Scheme for career re-entry, and the BioCARe programme in the life sciences. Institutional policies increasingly allow extended fellowship tenures for maternity and childcare, transfer of fellowships in cases of relocation, and childcare facilities within campuses.
The contrast is striking. Where Raman once questioned women’s suitability for research, contemporary policy frames women’s participation as a strategic necessity for innovation and national growth. National Science Day 2026 therefore not only honours Raman’s scientific discovery but also reflects how India’s scientific ecosystem has evolved socially and institutionally.
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