PM Narendra Modi gifts Angela Merkel reproductions of CV Raman's papers

BERLIN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today gifted Chancellor Angela Merkel reproductions of some manuscripts and papers by Indian Nobel Laureate Sir C V Raman who shared a "deep connection" with Germany.

The Prime Minister presented the papers to Merkel who herself holds a doctorate in quantum chemistry.

"Presented Chancellor Angela Merkel with some manuscripts and papers by Sir C V Raman," Modi tweeted.

Winner of the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physics, Raman had a strong connection with Germany, Modi said.

"Sir CV Raman had a deep connection with Germany. He was inspired to pursue science as a career by famous German scientist von Helmholtz," he said.

Helmholtz's famous book 'The Sensations of Tone' had motivated Raman to undertake a scientific study of acoustics of both Indian and western musical instruments.





"Sir CV Raman's work finds extensive application in diverse areas, even quantum chemistry - in which Chancellor Merkel holds a doctorate," Modi tweeted.

"Terms Raman Effect and Raman Spectrum themselves were coined in 1928 by a German physics professor Dr Peter Pringsheim," he said.

Two of the scientists who nominated Raman for the Nobel Prize were German physician Richard Pfeiffer and German physicist Johannes Stark who had won the Nobel in 1919.

The seeds of Indo-German research collaboration were sown in Raman's time. Such collaboration has grown immensely over the years and now Germany is one of India's leading partners in research.