SIR JAGDISH CHANDRA BOSE
D.C. Sharma

Introduction

The three distinguished Indians, Tagore, Gandhi and Sir J.C. Bose had contributed much to the development of India in different spheres.

India had produced a large number of saints, self sacrificing patriots, poets and men of letters, but only a very few scientists.

Science had taken root in Indian soil with the help of the British.

Sir J.C. Bose quickly attained an eminent position in this field and his astonishing achievement awakened the spirit of his fellow countrymen.

Bose's early life and school and college education

Jagdish Chandra Bose was born on Nov. 30th, 1858 at Rarikhal, a village in the Dacca district of Bengal.

His father Babu Bhagwan Das was a government official.

He founded some technical and industrial schools.

He held the view that young children in India, would be benefited much if they were taught through their other tongues.

Bose's mother shared the idealism of her husband and discharged her household duties very well.

An ex-convict was appointed to look after the young Jagdish and Jagdish loved listening to his stories about daring exploits.

When Jagdish was four years old, his father sent him to a village 'pathashala (school).

It was very unusual, because a man of his father's status was expected to send his son to an English school in a metropolitan city.

This step gave the boy an opportunity to learn his mother-tongue well and he became acquainted with some of the rich treasures of Indian literature and culture.

His mother used to invite Jagdish's classmates to her house and treated them with affection disregarding their caste or social position.

Later he joined St. Xavier's Collegiate School in Calcutta.

After matriculating, he joined the collegiate classes of the same institution.

It was the physics teacher Revered Father E. Lefont, who kindled his feelings and made him take more interest in that subject.

Inspired by father Lefont he wanted to make new researches and carry out new experiments.

Babu Bhagwan Das didn't want his son to compete for the 1.C.S. examination.

He believed that his son could render greater service to humanity by becoming a teacher or doctor.

Jagdish joined the London University, but in London his health failed, and on the advice of the doctors, he went to Cambridge University where he studied science.

The science lecturers at Cambridge and their well-equipped laboratories fascinated him and encouraged his enthusiasm for research.

Bose's research work in India

After graduating from the University of Cambridge, he returned to India and he was appointed Professor of Physics at Presidency College, Calcutta.

He frowned at the discrimination shown to the Indian professors at Presidency College.

Indian professors were not treated on a par with European professors and an Indian professor would get only two-thirds of the salary to which a European professor
would be entitled.

After three years of stubborn argument, he won his point.

He equipped the laboratory at Presidency College and made it one of the best laboratories in the world.

He began his research work in electricity, and soon found that it was possible to transmit electric telegraph messages without the use of wires.

In 1895 he demonstrated in the Town Hall of Calcutta that he could ring a bell and explode a mine in another room with the help of wireless waves.

The University of London conferred upon him the degree of doctor of science.

Bose believed that all the three kingdoms, animal, vegetable and mineral, are one.

Taking a clue from a French scientist, Bose proved that plants have hearts and feel much as human beings do.

One day he put a plant in bottle of poison and recorded its pulse.

He found that the pulse fluttered like that of a human being gasping for breath.

He administered an antidote and the plant came back to life.

Bose proved that sap is for the plant what blood is for the human body.

He showed that plants grow like human beings and he recorded their growth by means of acrescograph, This growth recording machine was his own invention, and he had made it in India.

Bose was hailed by scientists as a great discoverer for he had proved conclusively that plants are sensitive to changes of temperature as we are and that they have nervous flexes like our own.

He also discovered the medicinal value of various plants.
His another amazing discovery was that metals too have a vital force.

He argued that it was wrong to classify matter as, organic and inorganic.

His discoveries brought him renown not only in India but also abroad.

The University of Calcutta conferred upon him the degree of doctor of science.

After his retirement, he was allowed to draw his full salary instead of pension by the Government of India, as long as he lived.

To continue his research work and to help other research scholars, he founded the Bose Institute near Calcutta.

He never bothered to take out patent rights for his discoveries.

It was he who inspired many young Indian scientists to take up research work seriously.

His research work on the sensitivity of plants won him international reputation.

Questions
1) Give a brief account of Bose's early life and his school and university
education?
2) Write a short note on Bose's research work.