Jagadish Chandra Bose, The father of Radio Science

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Jagadish Chandra Bose

Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose was an eminent Indian scientist, biochemist, physicist and botanist. He was the first man to prove plants and metals too have feelings. He was one of the fathers of radio science. He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics. Bose was also the father of Bengali Science Fictions.

Family and Education

Jagadish Chandra Bose was born in a prominent Bengali family in Munshiganj (Vikrampur), Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh) on 30 November 1858. His father was Bhagwan Chandra Bose and his mother was Bama Sundari Bose. Mr Bhagwan was a civil serviceman. He served as a deputy magistrate and assistant commissioner for the British Government. He was also a reputed leader of Brahmo Samaj, created by Raja Rammohan Roy.
Bose's schooling started at his home. Then his father admitted him to a vernacular school near his home. That school's environment and cultural practices helped him a lot to build a spirit of liberality, universality, and integration.
In 1869, Bose had joined the Hare School, but could not stay for a long time. Then he was admitted to the St. Xaviers School at Kolkata. He passed the Entrance Examination of the University of Calcutta and was admitted to St Xaviers College in 1875. 
Bose received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) degree from the University of Calcutta in 1879. Then he went to England to study Medicine at the University of London. But he could not continue because of illness. So he decided to study Natural Science and got admitted to Christs College, Cambridge. At the University of Cambridge, he received another B.A degree in Natural Sciences.
He received a BSc in 1884 and a DSc in 1896 from the University College, London.
Bose was married to Abala Bose, a famous feminist and social worker, daughter of Brahmo reformer Durga Mohan Das. Abala was the sister of Satish Ranjan Das, former advocate general of Bengal and educationalist Sarala Roy and cousin of famous politician Chittaranjan Das and Former Chief Justice of India Sudhi Ranjan Das.
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Research Works

Bose got interested in Science because of his father's encouragement. His father wanted his son to be a scholar. Bose's one of the best and remarkable researches is researches on radio waves. He made a revolution in radio science. That is why he is considered one of the fathers of radio science.
Bose reduced the microwaves to the millimetre level (about 5 mm wavelength) because he realized the disadvantages of long waves. In 1894, Bose performed a project in Kolkata Town Hall. He ignited the gun powder and rang a bell at a distance using millimetre range wavelength microwaves. Then he wrote a Bengali essay, Adrisya Alok (Invisible Light) on this project.
Bose's first two scientific papers were communicated by the Asiatic Society of Bengal and the Royal Society of London respectively. His first scientific paper was "On polarisation of electric rays by double refracting crystals". It was published in 1895. The latter year he published his second research paper.
In 1896, he went to London. There he met Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi. At that time, Marconi was trying to develop a wireless telegraphic system and market it for British Post Service. Marconi proposed Bose commercialize his technology. 
But Bose was not interested in commercializing his technology, though suggested that others use his research works. Bose was not very much eager to take a patent for his technology. That's why he revealed the operation of his Galena Crystal Detector in his lectures openly. 
He was the first to use a semiconductor junction to detect radio waves, and he invented various now-commonplace microwave components. He was ahead of his time. In fact, further work at millimetre wavelengths was almost non-existent for the following 50 years!
Bose spent a lot of time researching plants as well. Most of his studies were conducted on Mimosa pudica and Desmodium gyrans. He demonstrated the electrical nature of the conduction of various stimuli in plants. He also invented a torsional recorder to understand the heliotropic movements of plants.
Bose's experimental works in millimetre band radio were recognized as an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) milestone in 2012.
In 1917, Bose established the Bose Institute in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He served as the director for its first 20 years until his death in 1937.
He was also a successful writer of many books and papers. Almost 27 papers had been published only in Nature. Some of his notable publications are Response in the living and non-living, Research on Irritability of Plants, Plant response as a means of physiological investigation, The physiology of Photosynthesis, Life movements in Plants (vol. 1 & 2) and so on. 

Awards and Recognition

Jagadish Chandra Bose himself is a remarkable history. His research works, publications all are still very reliable to today's scientists'. Many of his instruments are still on display and remain largely usable now.
Bose achieved a lot of recognition throughout his life and even after his death for his remarkable achievement in science and technology.
  • Jagadish Chandra Bose National Science Talent Search, a scholarship for growing scientists started in West Bengal in 1958.
  • The government of India issued a postage stamp bearing Bose's portrait in 1958
  • The Bank of England redesigned the 50 UK pound currency with Bose.
  • The J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA is named after him.
  • Companion of the order of the star of India and the Indian Empire
  • Member of the League of Nations' Committee for Intellectual Cooperation from 1924 to 1931.
  • Member of the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters.
  • Member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences.
  • Fellow of the Royal Society
  • Indian Botanic Garden was renamed in his honour as the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden.
Bose was proudly a Knight Bachelor. He achieved this in the year 1917. He was also a founding fellow of the Indian National Science Academy. 

Death

Jagadish Chandra Bose died on 23 November 1937 at Giridh, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Giridh, Jharkhand, India). Then he was 78 years old.

Bose was a successful science fiction writer as well. In 1896, he wrote Niruddesher Kahini, a short story. Later it was expanded and added to the Abyakta collection with the new title Palatak Tuphan.
It was one of the first works of Bengali science fiction. So he is considered the father of Bengali Science Fiction. Bose was ranked number 7 in BBC's poll of the greatest Bengali of all time. 


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