C.V. Raman : A Biography Paperback – October 19, 2011

Uma Parameswaran has written a masterpiece of a biography of one of the greatest scientists of our times, Sir C V Raman. The meticulous research she has done is indeed astounding. She traces Raman's ancestry from one Seshadri in the eighteenth century to his grandfather Ramanathan and his father Chandrasekharan to his siblings and progeny- a time span of close to 300 years! She has given precise dates from the grandfather Ramanathan onwards. The very extensive notes followed by the bibliography is indicative of the veracity of the biography. The index is equally exhaustive so that cross-referencing is very easy.There seems to be an unwarranted criticism that this biography skims the surface and does not bring out enough of the man. This I believe is uncalled for since Uma has very carefully brought out the way Raman treated his peers, his students, his servants, and the attention he paid to the minutest details.The book has 24 chapters. Chapters 1-5 deal with his lineage, his birth on 11/12/1988 and his early life. Chapters 6-12, his stay and work in Calcutta including winning the Nobel Prize by himself in 1930 for his momentous discovery, "Raman Effect" on his third nomination. The winners in the earlier nominations were Richardson in 1928 and DeBroglie in 1929. Chapters 13-16 detail his stay in Bangalore as the Director of the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and his unceremonious ouster in 1937, which was totally uncalled for. Chapters 17-19 deal with his stay as Professor of Physics in the same IISc ending with his retirement in 1948. Chapters 20-23 detail his starting the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore and making it into a truly outstanding research institution. Chapter 24 details his death on 11/21/1970 after 82 years of extremely productive work in various facets of science.Uma has done ample justice to this genius. It is not a book on the merits of his scientific achievements even though his achievements are chronicled in Milestones, but a book of an extraordinarily intelligent person with his peculiar foibles and idiosyncrasies. It is an absorbing biography and I recommend it for any person who wants to know about Raman, the man.