The 2020 Olympics, concluded yesterday in Tokyo, has almost been like a symbolic rise of the resilient human spirit after the devastation caused by and the 'clear and present danger' of the Covid-19 pandemic. Japan has presented the world with an exciting fortnight and we should all be grateful for that. However, we can't really move our focus away from Japan just yet.
Seventy-six years ago on this day (9 August 1945) the Japanese city of Nagasaki was completely destroyed when the US army dropped an atomic bomb on it. The city has since been rebuilt but the scars remain, so does our firm entry into the age of nuclear armament.
[But the political significance of 9th August goes way back. A British charter of 1683 (granted on 9th August) effectively gave 'sovereign' power to the East India Company over Asian territories, and sowed the seeds of British Empire. Then, close to 250 years later to the date (9 August, 1925) a group of dedicated freedom fighters (Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Chandrashekhar Azad..) robbed a train (carrying money for the British treasury) in Kakori, near Lucknow, to fund the movement to free India from the clutches of that selfsame empire.]
This day also saw the birth of the noted physicist, Alladi Ramakrishnan (9 August 1923 – 7 June 2008), a couple of years before the Kakori incident. Ramakrishnan, son of the famous lawyer Alladi Krishnaswami Iyer (who took a prominent role in drafting the Indian Constitution), made significant contributions to stochastic processes, elementary particle physics, matrix algebra, and the special theory of relativity.
After completing his studies at Presidency College, Ramakrishnan worked with Homi Bhabha at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and then moved to the University of Manchester to work under M. S. Bartlett. He joined the physics department of the University of Madras (where crystallographer G. N. Ramachandran was the head) upon returning to India (1952).
A few years later, Ramakrishnan met Robert J. Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, and went on to spend a year (1957-'58) at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton at Oppenheimer's invitation.
Inspired by this visit he became desirous of inducting talented students into theoretical physics. In particular, he wanted to expose them to the latest advances through seminars given by scientists working at the frontiers of the field. Because he considered such seminars to be “the essence of intellectual activity, where there is as much desire to imbibe as there is to impart, where opportunities are provided for a clash of intellects which would produce creative ideas”.
Ramakrishnan used to invite eminent scientists from all over the world for these seminars and hold the seminars at his Madras home. Niels Bohr visited in 1960 and recommended the creation of an institute of advanced research. Bohr's recommendation, steadfast political support from C. Subramaniam, and (last but not the least) Ramakrishnan's enthusiastic students directly petitioning the prime minister paved the way for setting up of such an institute. The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (Matscience) was launched on January 3, 1962 and Ramakrishnan served as its director for 21 years till his retirement in 1983.
Today, Matscience is counted as one of the top research institutes of India, in the field of mathematical sciences. It is a curious coincidence that this institute of eminence had its origin in a private seminar series, born out of Ramakrishnan's connection with the 'father of the atomic bomb'!
Wow! Such rich legacy! Feeling proud to be a part of this institution today. Thanks for sharing the story.
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