Today (September 24, 2004) is the day of commemoration of Padmasree Raja Ramanna, the father of the Indian nuclear reactor who conducted the first hydrogen bomb test.

Today (September 24, 2004) is the day of commemoration of Padmasree Raja Ramanna, the father of the Indian nuclear reactor who conducted the first hydrogen bomb test. 

Raja Ramanna was born on January 28, 1925 in Tumkur, Karnataka. Father's name was P.Ramanna who served in the judiciary. Mother Rukminiamma. He was well versed and skilled in composing poetry and repairing electrical appliances. After Ramanna's parents, he was attracted to his mother's sister Rajamma in his life. He worked as a school teacher and told stories, legends and coffee stories to Ramanna and guided his knowledge development. Raja in the name of Ramanna is part of the name Rajamma. Ramanna's primary education was in Mysore. His family moved to Bangalore, where he attended Bishop Cotton School. It is a school for unsupported Anglo-Indian children.

He became interested in music from an early age and studied it regularly. He was also attracted to western music as he studied in English medium school. After completing his schooling, he completed his Intermediate studies at St. Joseph's College, Bangalore. Later he joined Tambaram Christian College in Chennai for higher studies. There he received a bachelor of science degree in physics. After graduating with a B.Sc. He studied Nuclear Physics, Reactor Physics, Design, Western Music and Theology. He came to India in 1948 with a doctorate and an L.R.S.M degree from the Royal School of Music (Licentiate in the Royal School of Music). 

While studying at Ramanna College, he had a crush on Indian nuclear scientist Homi Jahangir Baba. He also had the opportunity to meet Baba through Dr. Alfred Mistowski, a selector at the Trinity College of Music, who stayed in India as a result of World War II in 1944. Another time when Baba went to London Ramanna who was studying there met him again. Baba then offered him an opportunity to work with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the cradle of Indian nuclear power. On December 1, 1949, Ramanna took over the post. The company, located at Kumbala Hill in Mumbai, had just moved to the Yacht Club area and was undergoing new construction.

Sensing his interest in music, Baba set aside two adjoining rooms in the hostel as a room for him to play his piano. The ground floor of the hotel became the laboratory for his research. Here he studied nuclear fission and fission. It has been five years since he joined the company. At the time, Baba's research on cosmic rays was world-famous. The nuclear research team initiated by Baba is proud to have worked remarkably well. The group worked hard to make technology and nuclear power projects thrive in India. The head of the electronics department, 'A.S. Rao 'was one of the reasons. The group's research continued despite various hardships. 

Ramanna's role in the fields of neutron, nuclear, and nuclear reactor physics is significant. Ramanna worked as a junior researcher at the Baba Atomic Research Center under the leadership of Homi Baba. The first nuclear reactor, Apsara, was developed by the group on August 4, 1956. Ramanna contributed to the study of neutrons, KS Singhvi in ​​theoretical physics, and AS Rao in instrument monitoring and control methods in the field of electronics. VD Krishnan, a mechanical engineer, was responsible for the design of the fuel holes system for the nuclear reactor. Ramanna created the neutron finger by limiting its velocity in water and beryllium oxide using a vibrating neutron source. Neutron heating was carried out by various methods in modern methods. He also studied the neutron spectrum that forms when doing so. The thermal neutrons found in it helped in the basic studies of the beam.

 

He studied the sub-radiation generated by nuclear fission in uranium-235. Measured their energy and angles. These measurements provided much information about the expression of neutrons and the average rotation of splits. These particles, which emit in the nuclear fission triggered by heat and velocity neutrons, help to determine important information about their emission. Ramanna, who was involved in nuclear research, was more interested in developing many young scientists to continue to be involved in these studies. To this end, he started a training school at the Baba Atomic Research Center in 1975, the first major initiative he took. Many scientists were created here. They have served in various capacities within India as Atomic Energy and Space Research Centers, Adviser to the Ministry of Defense, Directors of various Laboratories, Scientific Secretaries to the Government of India.

In 1967-68 he was an assistant professor to graduate students at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1971-73 he was a graduate teacher at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1984 he was a trainee teacher in Amsterdam, and in 1987 he was a graduate lecturer in advanced science physics at Santiniketan. He has conducted several classes in mechanics, cavity field theory, and elementary particle physics. He has also worked as a teacher from time to time and conducted classes at the Mathematical Training Institute in Chennai. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at various universities in India and around the world. He has directly or indirectly contributed to the formation of many training institutes in our country. With the help of Tata, he started the Advanced Technology Center in Indore (the task of creating advanced accelerators) and the National Training Boys for Advanced Studies and took charge as its director in Bangalore. 

From 1972 to 1978 he was President of the Indian Institute of Technology Training, President of the Indian National Academy of Sciences from 1977-78, Member of the Advisory Board to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and later Chairman of its Third General Conference in 1986. In 1977-79 he was the Vice President of the Indian Academy of Sciences. He also served as director general of the Defense Research and Development Organization. He was the Director of the Baba Atomic Energy Research Center, Mumbai for more than 10 years (1972-1978, 1981-1983). The first six years can be said to be the golden age of Ramanna's nuclear achievements. It was then that the first atomic bomb, the symbolic 'Smiling Buddha', was developed under his direct supervision. On May 18, 1974, India bombed the Pokhran Desert in Rajasthan, shocking and shocking the world. 

After Dr. Homi J. Baba, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and Dr. Homi N. Chetna, Dr. Raja Ramanna was elected to the Atomic Energy Commission in 1983 and served for four years. In 1990, VP Singh served as the Minister of Defense in the Cabinet. In 1997, he became a member of the upper house of parliament. He also served as the Director of the Training Institute for Advanced Studies in Bangalore. Ramanna also served as the head of the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research), the Indian Academy of Sciences (1977), and the Indian Institute of Engineering (Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (1972)). In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Shanti Swarup Patnagar Award in 1963, the President's Padma Shri in 1968, the Padma Vibhushan Award in 1973, the Magnat Saga Medal of the Indian National Academy of Sciences in 1984, and the Omprakash Pasin Award in 1985-86. D. Birla Memorial Award and Ashutosh Mukherjee Gold Medal in 1996.

Various universities have conferred honorary doctorates on him. Many of Ramanna's scientific publications have been published in India and abroad. He was a great contributor to the development of science and technology in India. He was an inspiring leader and a great administrator. Raja Ramanna, the father of the Indian nuclear reactor, died of a heart attack in Mumbai on September 24, 2004 at the age of 79.

Source By: Wikipedia

Information: Ramesh, Assistant Professor of Physics, Nehru Memorial College, Puthanampatti, Trichy.