Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

November 2, 2026 Gopal

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha among the Bengali scientists who altered the trajectory of world science despite suffering from discrimination, poverty, and a lack of opportunities for modern research under British colonial rule in India, three of the most brilliant stars were Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose, and Meghnad Saha. Defying extreme adversity, they proved that no obstacle is insurmountable in the face of intellect and determination. In this essay, we will discuss the lives, struggles, and immortal achievements of these three legendary scientists.

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Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

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Introduction: The Environment of Scientific Practice in Colonial India

India in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was under British colonial rule. At this time, opportunities for modern scientific practice in India were extremely limited. The equipment needed for research, libraries, easy access to international journals, money for research, almost none of these existed. The policy of the British government was to keep India as a supplier of raw materials and a market; it was not their purpose to build high-quality scientific research here.

The University of Calcutta, Presidency College, and the University of Dhaka were the main educational centers of that time. There were some European professors at Presidency College, but research opportunities for Indians were limited. An Indian scientist often had to buy instruments with his own salary money, build instruments with his own hands, and wait for months to send research papers to foreign journals.

It was in the midst of this adverse environment that three Bengali scientists made contributions to world science that are still taught today. They are Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose, and Meghnad Saha. Their lives and work are linked by the same thread. Jagadish Chandra Bose was a generation before them. Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha were classmates and later colleagues at the University of Dhaka. The stories of these three cannot be understood separately, because they came from the same environment and faced the same problems.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the lives, education, research, struggles, and legacy of these three. Not only their discoveries, we will see how they worked, how they overcame obstacles, and why their work is still important today.

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

Jagadish Chandra Bose: The Man Who Proved Plants Are Also Alive

Birth, Family, and Early Education

Jagadish Chandra Bose was born on November 30, 1858, in the then British Indian district of Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh). His father, Bhagaban Chandra Bose, was a Deputy Magistrate in the British government. Because of his father’s transferable job, Jagadish had to live in a Bengali village in his childhood. During this time, he became deeply acquainted with village nature. Ponds, trees, birds, soil, all of this was his first school.

His father did not want his son to be educated only in English education. So he was first admitted to a Bengali-medium school. Later he came to Calcutta and studied at St. Xavier’s College. His life turned here. His teacher at this college was Father Eugene Lafont, who was a French Jesuit priest and scientist. Lafont taught him science through experiments. Instead of memorizing by reading books, he got the habit of testing things himself with instruments from here.

Study at Cambridge and DSc

Jagadish Chandra Bose went to England for higher education. He was admitted to Christ’s College, University of Cambridge. There he studied physics and natural science. While at Cambridge, he listened to the lectures of the famous scientists of the time and learned modern research methods.

After returning from Cambridge, he obtained a DSc degree from the University of London. For an Indian to get this degree at that time was an extremely rare event. This degree qualified him to join Presidency College as a professor.

Professor Life at Presidency College and Salary Discrimination

In 1885, Jagadish Chandra Bose joined Presidency College, Calcutta, as a professor of physics. But immediately after joining, he became a victim of a major discrimination. Compared to his European colleagues, his salary was about half. He protested against this discrimination and worked for about three years without taking the extra salary. Finally, the authorities were forced to accept his demand.

At that time, there were no research facilities at Presidency College. There were no good instruments in the laboratory. Jagadish Chandra Bose bought instruments with his own money and built many instruments with his own hands. His assistants were very skilled, but still all work had to be done by hand. It was in this condition that he did research that amazed the world.

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

Research on Radio Waves: Before Marconi

The first major field of research of Jagadish Chandra Bose was electromagnetic waves. Hertz had then discovered these waves, but research on them was ongoing. Bose started working on much shorter wavelengths than Hertz, that is, microwaves.

He built a special instrument, which he called a coherer. With this instrument, he could detect electromagnetic waves. In November 1895, at the Town Hall in Calcutta, he conducted a famous experiment. He sent radio waves from a distance to ring a bell and cause an explosion in gunpowder kept at a distance. Everyone present was amazed to see this experiment.

This experiment was conducted before Guglielmo Marconi’s patent for wireless telegraphy. Marconi patented it in 1896. After seeing Bose’s work, Marconi himself met him and wanted to know about his coherer. Bose did not take a patent for his invention. He believed that the discovery of science is for everyone. For this reason, he was deprived of the credit for the invention of wireless, but scientists today recognize him as one of the pioneers of radio science.

His research on microwaves was even deeper. He tested wave absorption, reflection, and refraction with various materials. He worked on the polarization of waves. The instruments he built were extremely fine and precise. The Royal Society praised his work and elected him as a Fellow.

Revolution in Botany: The Crescograph

After 1900, Jagadish Chandra Bose started working in a new field, which seemed strange to the scientists of that time. He started experiments on plants. The question was, can plants feel? Do plants show reaction when hurt?

He invented an instrument, which he named the Crescograph. With this instrument, the growth of plants could be measured per minute. The instrument was so fine that how much a plant grew in one second could be recorded. With this instrument, he showed that the growth rate of plants changes according to temperature, light, and humidity.

After that, he built an even finer instrument, named the Magnetic Crescograph. With this instrument, he could measure the electric current inside plants. He showed that when a part of a plant is hit, heated, or poisoned, an electric signal is created in the plant and spreads from one part to another. That is, plants also have a nervous response system, much like animals.

He proved that plants also get tired, plants respond to excitement, and when poison is applied, plants die, much like animals. His research was published as a book in 1902, titled Response in the Living and Non-Living. At first, many scientists did not want to accept this claim. But after repeated experiments and getting the same results in other laboratories, it was accepted.

As a result of this discovery, a new branch was created in botany. Today’s plant physiology and plant neuroscience are largely based on his work.

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

Establishment of the Bose Institute

In 1917, Jagadish Chandra Bose established the Bose Institute in Calcutta. The purpose of this institution was to create an independent center in India for basic science research. In this institution, he created a library and laboratory where young researchers could work independently.

He gave his own land and money for this institution. He wanted Indian youth to do research in their own country instead of going abroad to learn research. The Bose Institute is still conducting research in Calcutta today.

Death and Recognition

Jagadish Chandra Bose died on November 23, 1937. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society, received honor from the French Academy of Sciences, and the British government gave him a knighthood. But his greatest recognition is that the instruments and theories he discovered are still used in science.

Satyendra Nath Bose: The Man After Whom a Particle is Named

Birth, Family, and Early Education

Satyendra Nath Bose was born on January 1, 1894, in Calcutta. His father, Surendranath Bose, was a railway officer. From childhood, Satyendra Nath showed extraordinary talent in mathematics.

He studied at Hare School in Calcutta. His classmate in this school was Meghnad Saha. From Hare School, he was admitted to Presidency College. At Presidency College, he studied mathematics and physics. Among his teachers were famous mathematicians.

While at Presidency College, he and Meghnad Saha did a work that was extraordinary for students of that time. They translated science books written in German themselves and published them in Bengali. At that time, German was the main language of science. This translation work introduced them directly to German science.

Teaching at the University of Dhaka

In 1921, the University of Dhaka was established. Good professors were needed to build the science department in this new university. Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha both joined the University of Dhaka.

At that time, the condition of the laboratory at the University of Dhaka was very bad. There was no money, no instruments, no books. But Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha started research in this condition. They discussed theory at night, and taught students during the day.

Satyendra Nath Bose did deep work at the University of Dhaka on quantum theory, relativity theory, and statistics. He explained these complex subjects in simple terms to students. His lectures were extremely popular.

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

The Historic Paper of 1924

Satyendra Nath Bose’s greatest work was in 1924. At that time, quantum theory was taking new shape in physics. There was debate about the nature of light. Max Planck had said that light is emitted in quanta or packets. Einstein had said that light is made of particles called photons. But what the statistics of photons would be was not yet clear.

Satyendra Nath Bose worked on this problem. He explained Planck’s law in a new way. He showed that if photons are considered indistinguishable, that is, counted as identical particles, then Planck’s law is obtained directly, without any additional assumption.

He wrote a research paper and sent it to the famous journal Philosophical Magazine. But the journal’s editor returned the paper. They did not give importance to the work of a young Indian scientist at that time.

Bose was not disheartened. He sent the paper directly to Albert Einstein. In his letter to Einstein, he wrote that he was an Indian professor and if Einstein thought his work was important, then he should arrange to publish it.

After reading the paper, Einstein immediately understood its importance. He himself translated the paper into German and arranged for its publication in the famous German journal Zeitschrift für Physik. In 1924, the paper was published. In this paper, Bose’s name remained as the first author, and Einstein acknowledged himself as co-author.

Bose-Einstein Statistics and Bosons

The statistics created from Bose’s paper is called Bose-Einstein statistics. The particles that follow this statistics are named bosons. The photon is a boson. Later, many more particles were discovered that follow this statistics, such as gluons, gravitons, and the Higgs boson discovered in 2012.

For this reason, the name boson is used today in physics. Naming a class of fundamental particles after an Indian scientist is an extremely rare event in the history of science.

In 1924-25, Einstein advanced Bose’s work further. He showed that if the atoms of a gas are cooled to an extremely low temperature, they will all go to the same quantum state. This state is called Bose-Einstein Condensate. This prediction was first made possible in the laboratory in 1995, for which three scientists won the Nobel Prize.

Return to Calcutta and Later Work

In 1926, Satyendra Nath Bose returned to Calcutta from Dhaka. He joined the University of Calcutta as a professor. Here he worked on X-ray crystallography, quantum theory, thermodynamics, and mathematics.

He emphasized not only research but also science education. He believed science should be taught in the mother tongue. He wrote and translated science books in Bengali. He was associated with Visva-Bharati University and had a close relationship with Rabindranath Tagore.

Satyendra Nath Bose died on February 4, 1974. He did not win a Nobel Prize, but after the discovery of the boson particle named after him, the importance of his work has increased further.

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

Meghnad Saha: The Man Whose Equation Measures the Temperature of Stars

Birth, Family, and Early Education

Meghnad Saha was born on October 6, 1893, in the village of Sheoratali in then British India (now in Lakshmipur district of Bangladesh). His father, Jagannath Saha, was a grocery shopkeeper. The family’s financial condition was extremely bad.

In childhood, Meghnad had to struggle a lot. He went to school barefoot, and studied with great difficulty for lack of books. But he was extremely meritorious in studies. He studied at Dhaka Collegiate School and from there came to Calcutta on a scholarship for higher education.

He studied mathematics at Presidency College. His classmate here was Satyendra Nath Bose. A deep friendship developed between the two. The two together translated German science books.

Work at the University of Dhaka and Theoretical Research

In 1916, Meghnad Saha joined the University of Dhaka as a professor of mathematics. Later he worked in the physics department. Together with Satyendra Nath Bose, he created a research environment at the University of Dhaka.

At that time, there was no telescope at the University of Dhaka to work on astronomy. But Saha worked theoretically. He studied the solar spectrum, the spectra of stars, and the structure of atoms. He understood that to explain the spectral lines of stars, a theory of thermal ionization was needed.

The Saha Ionization Equation of 1920

Meghnad Saha’s greatest discovery was in 1920. He was then in London and published a paper in the Philosophical Magazine. In this paper, he gave an equation by which it can be found at what temperature a gas must be heated for its atoms to become ionized.

Ionization means electrons leaving the atom. Inside and in the outer layers of the Sun and other stars, the temperature is so high that the atoms there are in an ionized state. But finding at what temperature how much of an element would be ionized was a big problem.

The equation Saha gave is:

n_{i+1} / n_i = (2\pi m_e k T / h^2)^{3/2} \cdot (2 g_{i+1} / g_i) \cdot e^{-\chi_i / k T} / N_e

Using temperature T, electron density N_e, and ionization energy \chi_i in this equation, the ionization ratio can be found. This equation is still used in astronomy today. It is briefly called the Saha Equation.

The greatest application of this equation is in explaining stellar spectra. In the spectra of stars, absorption lines of various elements are seen. How intense a line will be depends on the temperature of the star. Using Saha’s equation, scientists were able to measure the temperature of stars and find how much of which element is in a star. As a result, a new science was created from astronomy and chemistry, named astrophysics.

Saha himself explained the solar spectrum using this equation and showed in what state hydrogen, helium, and other elements are in the outer layer of the Sun.

Science Planning and Public Service

Meghnad Saha was not only a researcher; he was a science planner. He believed that for the development of independent India, the development of science and technology was extremely urgent.

After India became independent, in 1947, he advised on science and technology matters in India’s first Five-Year Plan. He worked on the use of science for river planning, electricity projects, and industrialization. He played an important role in the planning of the Damodar Valley Corporation.

He also did a lot of work for the popularization of science. He wrote science books in Bengali, wrote about science in newspapers, and tried to bring science to ordinary people. He believed that science should not only stay in the laboratory; it should reach the people of the villages.

He was associated with the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Calcutta and worked for the development of this institution.

Meghnad Saha died on February 16, 1956. He did not win a Nobel Prize, but his equation is still taught in every astronomy textbook.

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

The Relationship Between the Three and Their Joint Legacy

There is a beautiful connection in the lives of these three scientists. Jagadish Chandra Bose was a generation before Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha. The path he created is the path they advanced on.

Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha were close friends and colleagues. Both studied together at Hare School and Presidency College. Together they translated German science books. From 1916 to 1926, the two worked together at the University of Dhaka.

The research environment they created at the University of Dhaka is remembered as a golden age in the history of Indian science. At that time, such discussions took place in the physics department of the University of Dhaka as took place in places like Cambridge or Göttingen. Young students discussed quantum theory and relativity, which were then the most modern theories in the world.

Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose, and Meghnad Saha, all three proved that Indian scientists can not only imitate; they can make fundamental discoveries. As recognition of their work, today:

There is the Bose Institute in Calcutta named after Jagadish Chandra Bose.
The boson particle is named after Satyendra Nath Bose, and research on Bose-Einstein Condensate is ongoing.
There is the Saha Equation and the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics named after Meghnad Saha.

Colonial Obstacles and Their Struggle

One common thing in the lives of these three was that they all were victims of colonial obstacles.

Jagadish Chandra Bose was given less salary than his European colleagues. He had to spend his own money for his research. His research on plants was not given importance at first.
Satyendra Nath Bose’s research paper was first rejected by a Western journal. It was published only on Einstein’s recommendation. He did not win the Nobel Prize, although his work was Nobel-worthy.
Meghnad Saha grew up in poverty. His father was an ordinary shopkeeper. He had to study with great hardship. His equation was not understood by many at first. Later its importance was understood.

These struggles teach us that science is not only about talent, but also about patience and perseverance. If these three had given up, the history of science would have been different.

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

Conclusion: Lessons for Today’s Generation

We learn many lessons from the lives of Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose, and Meghnad Saha.

The first lesson is that science can and should be practiced in the mother tongue. All three wrote about science in Bengali and were in favor of teaching science in Bengali.
The second lesson is that fundamental research is possible even in adverse environments. They did not have modern labs, they did not have money, but they had the courage to ask questions and the patience to find answers.
The third lesson is that science is not done alone. Jagadish Chandra Bose built an institution, Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha worked together, criticized each other’s work, and improved.
The fourth lesson is that even if recognition is not received, the value of the work does not decrease. None of these three won the Nobel Prize, but their work is still taught in universities today. The boson particle, the Saha Equation, and Bose’s Crescograph are still part of science.

For today’s young scientists in India and Bangladesh, the lives of these three are a direction. They showed that from a village, from poverty, crossing colonial obstacles, it is possible to make a place in world science. What is needed is only curiosity, patience, and hard work.

Summary

Jagadish Chandra Bose conducted pioneering research on radio waves in 1895 and later invented the Crescograph to prove that plants also have an electrical response system. He established the Bose Institute in 1917. Satyendra Nath Bose gave Bose-Einstein statistics in 1924, on the basis of which the boson particle is named and the prediction of Bose-Einstein Condensate was made. Meghnad Saha gave the Saha Ionization Equation in 1920, with which the temperature and chemical composition of stars are determined and the foundation of astrophysics is laid. These three, while remaining within the limitations of colonial India, made fundamental contributions to world science and laid the foundation of Indian science. Their lives remain an example of curiosity, patience, and patriotism for today’s youth.

Scientists of India and Bengal – J Bose, S Bose, M Saha Eng

References

Bose, J. C. (1902). Response in the Living and Non-Living. Longmans, Green and Co., London.
Bose, J. C. (1896). On a New Electro-Polariscope. Proceedings of the Royal Society, 60, 167-172.
Bose, S. N. (1924). Plancks Gesetz und die Lichtquantenhypothese. Zeitschrift für Physik, 26(1), 178-181.
Einstein, A. (1924). Quantentheorie des einatomigen idealen Gases. Sitzungsberichte der Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1924, 261-267.
Saha, M. N. (1920). Ionization in the Solar Chromosphere. Philosophical Magazine, 40(6), 472-488.
Saha, M. N. (1921). On the Harvard Classification of Stellar Spectra. Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 99(697), 135-153.
Indian National Science Academy. Biographical Memoirs of Fellows: J. C. Bose, S. N. Bose, M. N. Saha. New Delhi.
Basu, S. (1999). Meghnad Saha: The Man and His Science. Kolkata: Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics.
Sen, A. (2000). Satyendra Nath Bose: A Profile. Kolkata: S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences.
Mukherjee, P. (2014). Jagadis Chandra Bose: The Man and His Work. Kolkata: Bose Institute. ➣Read in Bengali

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