J. C. Bose
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Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose (; ; 30 November 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a
polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
with interests in
biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
,
physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
and writing science fiction. He was a pioneer in the investigation of radio
microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than other radio waves but longer than infrared waves. Its wavelength ranges from about one meter to one millimeter, corresponding to frequency, frequencies between 300&n ...
optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of optical instruments, instruments that use or Photodetector, detect it. Optics usually describes t ...
, made significant contributions to botany, and was a major force behind the expansion of experimental science on the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
. Bose is considered the father of Bengali science fiction. A crater on the Moon was named in his honour. He founded the
Bose Institute Bose Institute (or Basu Bigyan Mandir) is a premier public research institute of India for biological sciences and also one of its oldest. The Bose Institute Kolkata is a Tier 1 Natural Science Research Institute in India, sharing the podium wit ...
, a premier research institute in India and also one of its oldest. Established in 1917, the institute was the first interdisciplinary research centre in Asia. He served as the Director of Bose Institute from its inception until his death. Born in
Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...
,
Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...
(present-day
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
), during British governance of India, Bose graduated from
St. Xavier's College, Calcutta St. Xavier's College is a Private university, private, Catholic, autonomous college in Kolkata, India. It is run by the Calcutta Province of the Society of Jesus. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1860 and named after Francis Xavier, St. Franc ...
(now
Kolkata, West Bengal Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
, India). Prior to his enrollment at St. Xavier's College, Calcutta, Bose attended
Pabna Zilla School Pabna Zilla School () is the oldest high school in the Pabna District of Bangladesh. It provides education from class Three to Ten. It has two shifts - morning and day. The morning shift starts at 7:15 am and ends at 11.45am. And the day shift star ...
and
Dhaka Collegiate School Dhaka Collegiate School is a secondary school in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is one of the oldest schools in Bangladesh. The students of collegiate school are called Collegiatian. History The school was established in Dhaka on 21 June 1835 as Dhaka E ...
, where he began his educational journey. He attended the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
to study medicine, but had to give it up due to health problems. Instead, he conducted research with
Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...
,
Lord Rayleigh John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh ( ; 12 November 1842 – 30 June 1919), was an English physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1904 "for his investigations of the densities of the most important gases and for his discovery ...
at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. Bose returned to India to join the Presidency College of the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...
as a professor of physics. There, despite
racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their Race (human categorization), race, ancestry, ethnicity, ethnic or national origin, and/or Human skin color, skin color and Hair, hair texture. Individuals ...
and a lack of funding and equipment, Bose carried on his scientific research. He made progress in his research into radio waves in the microwave spectrum and was the first to use
semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...
junctions to detect radio waves. Bose made pioneering discoveries in plant physiology. He used his own invention, the
crescograph A crescograph is a device for measuring growth in plants Plants are the eukaryotes that form the kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived ...
, to measure plant response to various
stimuli A stimulus is something that causes a physiological response. It may refer to: *Stimulation **Stimulus (physiology), something external that influences an activity **Stimulus (psychology), a concept in behaviorism and perception *Stimulus (economi ...
and proved parallelism between animal and plant tissues. Bose filed for a patent for one of his inventions because of peer pressure, but he was generally critical of the patent system. To facilitate his research, he constructed automatic recorders capable of registering extremely slight movements; these instruments produced some striking results, such as quivering of injured plants, which Bose interpreted as a power of feeling in plants. His books include ''Response in the Living and Non-Living'' (1902) and ''The Nervous Mechanism of Plants'' (1926). In a 2004
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
poll to name the ''
Greatest Bengali of All Time Soon after the completion of ''100 Greatest Britons'' poll in 2002, the BBC Bangla, BBC organized a similar opinion poll to find out the greatest Bengalis, Bengali personalities throughout the history of Bengalis, Bengali people. In 2004, the BBC ...
'', Bose placed seventh.


Early life and education

Jagadish Chandra Bose was born on 30 November 1858 to a
Bengali Kayastha Bengali Kayastha is a Bengali Hindu caste that originated from the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent, and is one of the main subgroups of the Kayastha community. The historical caste occupation of Kayasthas throughout India has been that of ...
family of
Brahmo Bengali Brahmos are those who adhere to Brahmoism, the philosophy of Brahmo Samaj which was founded by Raja Rammohan Roy. A recent publication describes the disproportionate influence of Brahmos on India's development post-19th Century as un ...
s in
Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...
,
Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...
(now part of
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
). His family were originally from the village of Rarhikhal in
Munshiganj Munshiganj (), historically known as Bikrampur, is a town in Dhaka division in central Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of Munshiganj District. Munshiganj is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited urban place. Etymology Munshiganj w ...
, Dacca district. His father was a leading member of the
Brahmo Samaj Brahmo Samaj ( ) is the societal component of Brahmoism, which began as a monotheistic reformist movement during the Bengal Renaissance. It was one of the most influential religious movements in India and made a significant contribution to ...
and worked as a civil servant with the title Deputy Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in several places, including Faridpur and
Bardhaman Bardhaman (, ), officially Bardhaman Sadar, is a city and municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an a ...
.Mukherji, pp. 3–10. Bose's father sent Bose to a
Bengali-language Bengali, also known by its endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. It is native to the Bengal region (Bangladesh, India's West Bengal and Tripura) of South ...
school for his early education, as it was important to him that his son should study in his
native language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...
and culture before studying in English. Speaking at the
Bikrampur Bikrampur (lit. City of Courage) was a historic region and a sub-division of Dhaka within the Bengal Presidency during the period of British India. Located along the banks of the Padma River (a major distributary of the Ganges), it was a sign ...
Conference in 1915, Bose described the effect this early education had on him: Bose joined the
Hare School Hare School is one of the oldest schools in Kolkata, India, teaching grades one to twelve under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. It is a state government-administered boys ...
in Kolkata in 1869, followed by SFX Greenherald International School, also in Dhaka. In 1875, he passed the entrance examination of the
University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...
and was admitted to St Xavier's College, Calcutta. There, he met
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
Father Eugene Lafont, who played a significant role in developing his interest in natural sciences. He received a BA from the University of Dhaka in 1879. Bose wanted to follow his father into the
Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...
, but his father forbade it, saying his son should be a scholar who would "rule nobody but himself." Bose went to England to study medicine at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
, but had to quit because of ill health, possibly worsened by the chemicals used in the dissection rooms. Through the recommendation of
Anandamohan Bose Ananda Mohan Bose () (23 September 1847 – 20 August 1906) was an Indian politician, academic, social reformer, and lawyer during the British Raj. He co-founded the Indian National Association, one of the earliest Indian political organizati ...
, his brother-in-law and the first Indian Wrangler at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, Bose secured admission in Christ's College, Cambridge to study
natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...
s. In 1884 he received a BA (
Natural Sciences Tripos The Natural Sciences Tripos is the framework within which most of the science at the University of Cambridge is taught. The tripos includes a wide range of Natural Sciences from physics, astronomy, and geoscience, to chemistry and biology, whi ...
) from the University of Cambridge as well as a BSc from the
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
affiliated under University of London in 1883.Jagadis Chandra Bose, Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose, His Life and Speeches, The Cambridge Press, Madras
Project Gutenberg eBook
Among Bose's teachers at Cambridge were
Lord Rayleigh John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh ( ; 12 November 1842 – 30 June 1919), was an English physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1904 "for his investigations of the densities of the most important gases and for his discovery ...
, Michael Foster,
James Dewar Sir James Dewar ( ; 20 September 1842 – 27 March 1923) was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is best known for his invention of the vacuum flask, which he used in conjunction with research into the liquefaction of gases. He also studie ...
,
Francis Darwin Sir Francis Darwin (16 August 1848 – 19 September 1925) was a British botanist. He was the third son of the naturalist and scientist Charles Darwin. Biography Francis Darwin was born at Down House, Downe, Kent in 1848. He was the third s ...
, Francis Balfour, and Sidney Vines. While at Cambridge, he met
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
student
Prafulla Chandra Roy Sir Prafulla Chandra Ray (also spelled Prafulla Chandra Roy; ''Prôphullô Côndrô Rāẏ''; 2 August 1861 – 16 June 1944) was an Indian chemist, educationist, historian, industrialist and philanthropist. He established the first moder ...
, with whom he became close friends. In 1887, Bose married feminist and social worker
Abala Bose Abala Bose (8 August 1864 – 25 April 1951) was an Indian social worker and feminist. She was known for her efforts in women's education and her contribution towards helping widows.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998 ...
.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, , p23,


Professorship at Presidency College

After obtaining a degree from the University of Cambridge Bose returned to India.
Henry Fawcett Henry Fawcett (26 August 1833 – 6 November 1884) was a British academic, politician, statesman and economist. Background and education Henry Fawcett was born in Salisbury where his father was a gentleman farmer. He was educated at the A ...
had given Bose an introduction to
Lord Ripon George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, (24 October 1827 – 9 July 1909), styled Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and known as the Earl of Ripon in 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British p ...
, the
Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the Emperor of ...
, who recommended him for a post to the Director of Public Instruction in Kolkata. In those days such posts in the Imperial Education Service were usually reserved for Europeans. Bose was appointed as an officiating professor of physics at Presidency College. Although the principal
Charles Henry Tawney Charles Henry Tawney (26 December 1837 – 29 July 1922) was an English educator and scholar, primarily known for his translations of Sanskrit classics into English. He was fluent in German, Latin, and Greek; and in India also acquired Sanskrit ...
and Director of Education
Alfred Woodley Croft Sir Alfred Woodley Croft (7 February 1841 – 29 October 1925) was a British educationist and administrator who spent most of his career in India. From 1877 until his retirement in 1897 he was Director of Public Instruction in Bengal, and was a ...
were reluctant to appoint him, Bose took up his post in January 1885.S. Ramaseshan, The centennial of the discovery of millimetre waves by Jagadis Chandra Bose (1858–1937), Current Science, Vol. 70, No. 2 (25 January 1996), pp. 172-175 At that time, an Indian professor was paid two thirds the salary of a European and since his appointment was considered temporary, his salary was further halved, making his salary one-third that of his European peers. As a protest, Bose did not accept his salary and worked without remuneration for the first three years at Presidency College. He was popular among the students for his teaching style and demonstration of experiments. He got rid of the roll call. After three years in this temporary post, the value of his professorial work was recognized by Tawney and Croft, who made Bose's appointment permanent with retrospective effect. Bose received his full pay for the last three years in a lump sum. However, another source states that his appointment was made permanent on 21 September 1903, some 8 years after his joining the college. Bose used his own money to fund his research projects as well as receiving funding and support from the social activist nun
Sister Nivedita Sister Nivedita ( born Margaret Elizabeth Noble; 28 October 1867 – 13 October 1911) was an Irish teacher, author, social activist, school founder and disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She spent her childhood and early youth in Ireland. She wa ...
.


Microwave radio research

Bose became interested in radio following the 1894 publication of British physicist
Oliver Lodge Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge (12 June 1851 – 22 August 1940) was an English physicist whose investigations into electromagnetic radiation contributed to the development of Radio, radio communication. He identified electromagnetic radiation indepe ...
's demonstrations on how to transmit and detect radio waves.Mukherji, pp. 14–25 He began his own research in the new field in November 1894, setting up his equipment in small 20 ft sq room at Presidency College. Wanting to study the light-like properties of radio waves which were hard to study using long radio waves, he managed to reduce the waves to the millimetre level (in the microwave range of about 5 mm wavelength). Bose's research was not initially appreciated by his department at the college. They felt he should focus only on teaching and that research involved neglect of his duties as a teacher, in spite of Bose giving 26 hours of weekly lectures. Later, when interest was generated in the wider scientific community, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal proposed a research post to help Bose. But this scheme was withdrawn when Bose voted against the government's stance during a university meeting. The Lieutenant-Governor persevered to have a Rs.2500 annual grant issued. Despite this, Bose struggled to find time for research due to his teaching duties. Bose submitted his first scientific paper, "On polarisation of electric rays by double-refracting crystals," to the
Asiatic Society of Bengal The Asiatic Society is an organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of " Oriental research" (in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions). It was founded by the philologist Will ...
in May 1895. He submitted his second paper, "On a new electro-polariscope," to the
Royal Society of London The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
in October 1895, and it was published by ''
The Electrician ''The Electrician'', published in London from 1861–1863 and 1878–1952, was one of the earliest and foremost electrical engineering periodicals and scientific journals. It was published in two series: The original ''Electrician'' was published ...
'' in December 1895. This may have been the first paper to be published by an Indian in Western scientific periodicals.https://vigyanprasar.gov.in/bose-jagdish-chandra/ Bose Jagdish Chandra, igyanprasar.gov.in The paper described Bose's plans for a ''coherer'', a term coined by Lodge referring to
radio wave Radio waves (formerly called Hertzian waves) are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the lowest frequencies and the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies below 300 gigahertz (GHz) and wavelengths g ...
receivers, which he intended to "perfect" but never patented. The paper was well received by ''The Electrician'' and '' The Englishman'', which in January 1896 (commenting on how this new type of wall and fog penetrating "invisible light" could be used in
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
s) wrote: In November 1895 at a public demonstration at the
Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
of Kolkata, Bose showed how the millimetre range wavelength microwaves could travel through the human body (of Lieutenant Governor Sir William Mackenzie), and over a distance of 23 metres (75') through two intervening walls to a trigger apparatus he had set up to ring a bell and ignite gunpowder in a closed room. Wanting to meet other scientists in Europe, Bose was given a six month scientific deputation in 1896. Bose went to London on a lecture tour and met Italian inventor
Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi ( ; ; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based Wireless telegraphy, wireless tel ...
, who had been developing a radio wave
wireless telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is the transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using electrical cable, cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimenta ...
system for over a year and was trying to market it to the British post service. He was also congratulated by
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (26 June 182417 December 1907), was a British mathematician, Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist and engineer. Born in Belfast, he was the Professor of Natural Philosophy (Glasgow), professor of Natur ...
and received an honorary Doctor of Science ( DSc) from the University of London. In an interview, Bose expressed his disinterest in commercial telegraphy and suggested others use his research work. In 1899, Bose announced the development of an "''iron-mercury-iron
coherer The coherer was a primitive form of radio signal detector used in the first radio receivers during the wireless telegraphy era at the beginning of the 20th century. Its use in radio was based on the 1890 findings of French physicist Édouard Bra ...
with telephone detector''" in a
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
presented at the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, London. In 1900, he presented his research at the first
International Congress of Physics The International Congress of Physics () was a scientific conference held in Paris from 6 to 10 August 1900, in connection with the 1900 Exposition Universelle. It was the first large international conference about physics as a whole. Physicists ...
in Paris.


Place in radio development

Bose's work in radio microwave optics was specifically directed towards studying the nature of the phenomenon and was not an attempt to develop radio into a communication medium. His experiments took place during the same period (from late 1894 on) when Marconi was making breakthroughs on a radio system specifically designed for wireless telegraphy and others were finding practical applications for radio waves, such as Russian physicist
Alexander Stepanovich Popov Alexander Stepanovich Popov (sometimes spelled Popoff; ; – ) was a Russian physicist who was one of the first people to invent a radio receiving device. declassified 8 January 2008 Popov's work as a teacher at a Russian naval school led hi ...
's radio wave based lightning detector, also inspired by Lodge's experiment. Although Bose's work was not related to communication he, like Lodge and other laboratory experimenters, probably had an influence on other inventors trying to develop radio as communications medium. reprinted in Igor Grigorov, Ed.,
Antentop
', Vol. 2, No.3, pp. 87–96.
Bose was not interested in patenting his work, and openly revealed the operation of his galena crystal detector in his lectures. A friend in the US persuaded him to take out a US patent on his detector, but he did not actively pursue it and allowed it to lapse." Bose was the first to use a semiconductor junction to detect radio waves, and he invented various now-commonplace microwave components. In 1954, Pearson and Brattain gave priority to Bose for the use of a semi-conducting crystal as a detector of radio waves. In fact, further work at millimetre wavelengths was almost non-existent for the following 50 years. In 1897, Bose described to the Royal Institution in London his research carried out in Kolkata at millimetre wavelengths. He used waveguides, horn antennas, dielectric lenses, various polarisers and even semiconductors at frequencies as high as 60 GHz. Much of his original equipment is still in existence, especially at the
Bose Institute Bose Institute (or Basu Bigyan Mandir) is a premier public research institute of India for biological sciences and also one of its oldest. The Bose Institute Kolkata is a Tier 1 Natural Science Research Institute in India, sharing the podium wit ...
in Kolkata. A 1.3 mm multi-beam receiver now in use on the NRAO 12  Metre Telescope, Arizona, US, incorporates concepts from his original 1897 papers. Sir Nevill Mott, Nobel Laureate in 1977 for his own contributions to solid-state electronics, remarked that "J.C. Bose was at least 60 years ahead of his time. In fact, he had anticipated the existence of P-type and N-type semiconductors." Bose's 1898 experiment on the
optical rotation Optical rotation, also known as polarization rotation or circular birefringence, is the rotation of the orientation of the plane of polarization about the optical axis of linearly polarized light as it travels through certain materials. Circul ...
of microwaves in a twisted
jute Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...
structure pioneered the study of
chiral media 300px, The direction of current flow and induced magnetic flux follow a "handness" relationship The term chiral describes an object, especially a molecule, which has or produces a non-superposable mirror image of itself. In chemistry, such a m ...
, and preceded the fields of
artificial dielectrics Artificial dielectrics are fabricated composite materials, often consisting of arrays of conductive shapes or particles in a nonconductive support matrix, designed to have specific electromagnetic properties similar to dielectrics. As long as the ...
and
metamaterials A metamaterial (from the Greek word μετά ''meta'', meaning "beyond" or "after", and the Latin word ''materia'', meaning "matter" or "material") is a type of material engineered to have a property, typically rarely observed in naturally occur ...
by decades and a century, respectively.


Plant research

Bose conducted most of his studies in plant research on ''
Mimosa pudica ''Mimosa pudica'' (also called sensitive plant, sleepy grass, sleepy plant, action plant, humble plant, touch-me-not, touch-and-die, or shameplant) is a creeping annual or perennial flowering plant of the pea/legume family Fabaceae. It is often ...
'' and '' Desmodium gyrans'' plants. His major contribution in the field of biophysics was the demonstration of the electrical nature of the conduction of various stimuli (e.g., wounds, chemical agents) in plants, which were earlier thought to be of a chemical nature. In order to understand the heliotropic movements of plants (the movement of a plant towards a light source), Bose invented a torsional recorder. He found that light applied to one side of the sunflower caused turgor to increase on the opposite side. He was also the first to study the action of microwaves in plant tissues and corresponding changes in the cell membrane potential. He researched the mechanism of the seasonal effect on plants, the effect of chemical inhibitors on plant stimuli and the effect of temperature.


Study of metal fatigue and cell response

Bose performed a comparative study of the fatigue response of various metals and organic tissue in plants. He subjected metals to a combination of mechanical, thermal, chemical, and electrical stimuli and noted the similarities between metals and cells. Bose's experiments demonstrated a cyclical fatigue response in both stimulated cells and metals, as well as a distinctive cyclical fatigue and recovery response across multiple types of stimuli in both living cells and metals. Bose documented a characteristic electrical response curve of plant cells to electrical stimulus, as well as the decrease and eventual absence of this response in plants treated with anaesthetics or poison. The response was also absent in metal treated with
oxalic acid Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and chemical formula , also written as or or . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name i ...
.


Science fiction

In 1896, Bose wrote ''Niruddesher Kahini (The Story of the Missing One)'', a short story that was later expanded and added to ''Abyakta (অব্যক্ত)'' collection in 1921 with the new title ''Palatak Tuphan (Runaway Sea-Storm)''. It was one of the first works of Bengali science fiction.


Bose Institute

In 1917 Bose established the Bose Institute in
Kolkata, West Bengal Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
, India. Bose served as its director for its first twenty years until his death. Today it is a public research institute of India and also one of its oldest. Bose in his inaugural address on 30 November 1917 dedicated the institute to the nation saying:


Later life

He spent the last years of his life in
Giridih Giridih is headquarters of the Giridih district of Jharkhand state, India. The city of Giridih is known for its industrial and health sectors, as well as its scenery. Giridih houses the Giridih Coalfield which is one of the oldest coalfields to ...
. Here he lived in the house located near Jhanda Maidan. This building was named Jagdish Chandra Bose Smriti Vigyan Bhavan. It was inaugurated on 28 February 1997 by then Governor of Bihar
Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai Akhlaq Ur Rehman Kidwai (1 July 1921 – 24 August 2016) was an Indian chemist and politician. He served as Governor of the states of Bihar, West Bengal and Haryana. Also, he worked as Governor (as an additional charge) of the state of Rajas ...
.


Personal views


Philosophical views

Jatras, which were popular ancient plays, sparked his interest in the stories of the ''
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
'' and ''
Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
''. In the latter, he was particularly impressed by the character of
Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
and even more so by the soldierly devotion of his brother
Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...
. However, he found that most of the characters in these stories seemed too good and perfect. It was the elderly warriors of the ''Mahabharata'', with their flaws and qualities that were both human and superhuman, who appealed more to his imagination as a boy. Impressed by
Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later ...
, Bose said:
Always in struggle for the uplift of the people, yet with so little success, such frequent failures, that to most he seemed a failure. All this too gave me a lower and lower idea of all worldly success - how small its so-called victories are! - and higher and higher idea of conflict and defeat; and of true success born of defeat. In such ways I have come to feel one with the highest spirit of my race; with every fibre thrilling with the emotion of the past. That is its noblest teaching - that the only real and spiritual advantage is to fight fair, never to take crooked ways, but keep to the straight path, whatever be in the way.


Legacy and honors

Bose's place in history is now being re-evaluated. His work may have contributed to the development of radio communication. He is also credited with discovering millimetre length electromagnetic waves and being a pioneer in the field of biophysics. Many of his instruments are still on display and remain largely usable over 100 years later. They include various antennas, polarisers, and waveguides. To commemorate his birth centenary in 1958, the JBNSTS scholarship programme was started in
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. In the same year, India issued a postage stamp bearing his portrait. The same year ''Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose'', a documentary film directed by Pijush Bose, was released. It was produced by the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
's
Films Division The Films Division of India (FDI), commonly referred as Films Division, was established in 1948 following the independence of India. It was the first state film production and distribution unit, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcastin ...
. Films Division also produced another documentary film, again titled ''Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose'', this time directed by the prominent Indian filmmaker
Tapan Sinha Tapan Sinha (2 October 1924 – 15 January 2009) was one of the most prominent Indian film directors of his time forming a legendary quartet with Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. He was primarily a Bengali filmmaker who worked both ...
. On 14 September 2012, Bose's experimental work in millimetre-band radio was recognised as an IEEE Milestone in Electrical and Computer Engineering, the first such recognition of a discovery in India. On 30 November 2016, Bose was celebrated in a Google Doodle on the 158th anniversary of his birth. In 2018, the
Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...
decided to redesign the 50 pound note with a prominent scientist. Jagadish Chandra Bose was featured in that nomination list for his pioneering work on technology that would enable later development of
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
. However, he was not shortlisted.


Honors

*
Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...
(CIE) – ''1903'' – in the
1903 Durbar Honours The 1903 New Year Honours, announced at the time as the Durbar Honours, were appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British India. The list was announced on the day of the 1903 Delhi Durbar held to celebrate the suc ...
. *
Companion of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...
(CSI) – ''1912'' *
Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
(1917) *
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
(FRS, 1920) * Member of the
Vienna Academy of Sciences The Austrian Academy of Sciences (; ÖAW) is a legal entity under the special protection of the Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every fi ...
, 1928 * President of the 14th session of the
Indian Science Congress Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Calcutta and it meets annually in the first week of January. It h ...
in 1927. * Member of
Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters The Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters (, , ) is a Finnish learned society for natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. It is a bilingual (Swedish and Finnish) science academy and the oldest of the four science academies in Finland. ...
in 1929. * Member of the League of Nations' Committee for Intellectual Cooperation (from 1924 to 1931) * Founding fellow of the National Institute of Sciences of India (now the Indian National Science Academy)


Legacy

* 2025: The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE has a corporate office ...
(IEEE) instituted IEEE Jagadish Chandra Bose Medal in Wireless Communications to recognize contributions to wireless communications technologies with a global impact. The medal is funded by donations from the
Indian-American Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from India. The terms Asian Indian and East Indian are used to avoid confusion with Native Americans in the United States, who are also referred to as "Indians" or "Am ...
physicist
Mani Lal Bhaumik Mani Lal Bhaumik (born 30 March 1931) is an Indian American physicist and an internationally bestselling author, celebrated lecturer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Early life Mani Lal Bhaumik was born in a Bengali Mahishya family on 30 Ma ...
. * One of the 12 donor levels of the IEEE Heritage Circle is named after Bose. * The
J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA, formerly YMCA University of Science and Technology (YMCA UST) and YMCA Institute of Engineering (YMCAIE), is a state university, India, state public university located in Faridabad, in the ...
was named in his honour. * The ''Indian Botanic Garden'' was renamed in his honour as the ''
Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, previously known as Indian Botanic Garden and the Calcutta Botanic Garden, is a botanical garden situated in Shibpur, Howrah near Kolkata. They are commonly known as the Calcutta Botanica ...
'' on 25 June 2009. * In 2004, Bose was ranked number 7 in BBC's poll of the
Greatest Bengali of all time Soon after the completion of ''100 Greatest Britons'' poll in 2002, the BBC Bangla, BBC organized a similar opinion poll to find out the greatest Bengalis, Bengali personalities throughout the history of Bengalis, Bengali people. In 2004, the BBC ...
.


Publications

Journals * ''Nature'' published about 27 papers. * * Books * Response in the Living and Non-living, 1902 * Plant response as a means of physiological investigation, 1906 * Comparative Electro-physiology: A Physico-physiological Study, 1907 * Researches on Irritability of Plants, 1913 * Life Movements in Plants (vol.1), First Published 1918, Reprinted 1985 * Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919 * Physiology of the Ascent of Sap, 1923 * The physiology of photosynthesis, 1924 * The Nervous Mechanism of Plants, 1926 * Plant Autographs and Their Revelations, 1927 * Growth and tropic movements of plants, 1929Growth and tropic movements of plants, 1929
/ref> * Motor mechanism of plants, 1928 Other * *


Notes


References

* . * *


Further reading

* Ghosh, Kunal (2022). Unsung Genius : A Life of Jagadish Chandra Bose. India. Aleph Book Company. * * J.M. Payne & P.R. Jewell, "The Upgrade of the NRAO 8-beam Receiver," in Multi-feed Systems for Radio Telescopes, D.T. Emerson & J.M. Payne, Eds. San Francisco: ASP Conference Series, 1995, vol. 75, p. 144 * Fleming, J. A. (1908)
The principles of electric wave telegraphy
London: New York and. * Yogananda, Paramahansa (1946)
Autobiography of a Yogi
New York. Chapter 8, "India's Great Scientist, J.C. Bose" * Bose, Jagadish Chandra:
Runaway Cyclone (1921)
(science fiction book translated into English) *


External links




Jagadish Chandra Bose
at the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
'' * * * (Project Gutenberg) * (Project Gutenberg)
J. C. Bose, The Unsung hero of radio communication
, web.mit.edu


Jagadish Chandra Bose
at Engineering and Technology History Wiki

at www.infinityfoundation.com
Jagadish Chandra Bose materials in the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)

Entry on Bangla science fiction by Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay in The Science Fiction Encyclopedia
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bose, Jagadish 1858 births 1937 deaths People from Bikrampur Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of London Alumni of University College London Bengali chemists Bengali physicists Bengali scientists Bengali nationalists 19th-century Indian physicists 20th-century Indian physicists Brahmos Das family (Telirbagh) Hare School alumni Academic staff of Presidency University, Kolkata Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India Indian Knights Bachelor People from Mymensingh District St. Xavier's College, Kolkata alumni University of Calcutta alumni Academic staff of the University of Calcutta Bengali-language science fiction writers Scientists from Kolkata History of radio Radio pioneers Bengali Hindus People from Dhaka Mymensingh Zilla School alumni Pabna Zilla School alumni Scientists from British India People from the Bengal Presidency Bengali knights