Gallery watch: CNR Rao’s life in science in focus

C N R Rao is often described as a scientist who has won nearly every award in solid-state and structural chemistry, except the Nobel Prize. A gallery in Jakkur, called the C N R Rao Hall of Science, showcases the Bengalurean’s achievements.

It displays replicas of his awards, including national and international civilian honors, 40 of the 86 honorary doctorates he has received, books he has authored, and photos of Indian institutions he has shaped, as well as scientists and Indian prime ministers he has worked with. Rao, 90, is a world-renowned nanoscientist and Bharat Ratna recipient.

The gallery is located at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), which Rao founded and still works at.

Inaugurated in 2008, it is open to the public by prior appointment. It also offers tours for school and college students. The gallery tour is part of the institute’s outreach programme, which also includes experiment demonstrations, interactions with scientists, and visits to research labs and a chemistry expo (see box). These half-day tours are held 2-3 times a month, with a minimum of 25 participants. Annually, over 5,000 visitors attend.

Until 2020, Rao would address young visitors before the tour. Now, he is focused on research, shares Vinayak Pattar, researcher and program coordinator for JNCASR’s Education Technology Unit (ETU).

Role models

The gallery aims to inspire youngsters to dream big. One learns about Rao’s inspirations as soon as one enters the space. A high school talk by Nobel Laureate C V Raman about Marie Curie sparked his interest in science, while Linus Pauling’s ‘The Nature of the Chemical Bond’ led him to chemistry. Michael Faraday’s motto ‘Work, Finish, Publish’ became his guiding principle, leading him to publish over 1,800 papers. Despite studying at Purdue and Berkeley, Rao returned to India to work, following Mahatma Gandhi’s example.

Medals and mementos dot the gallery. “Rao won his first international medal, the Marlow Medal, in his early 30s, in 1967. He received the Eni Award in 2020, considered the Nobel Prize in energy research,” says Pattar.

There are also photos of two historic meetings Rao was invited to: one from the 1984 assembly when Pope John II revoked Galileo’s excommunication, and another from 2010, when Rao delivered a key address at the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary in London.

Rao and his wife, Indumati, an educationist and honorary co-ordinator of ETU, have travelled across urban and rural India to popularise science. A map highlights their journey.

Diverse interests

The gallery also offers a glimpse into Rao’s diverse interests as a chef, gardener, reader, animal lover, globe-trotter, and collector of Harappan pottery. He admires Shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan and poet Rabindranath Tagore. A photo from 1952 shows him acting in the Kannada play ‘Home Rule’. Outside, wall art shaped like a periodic table describes him as ‘witty’ and ‘optimistic’.

Levitation at Chem Expo

The Chemical Heritage Exposition displays illustrations of pioneers in chemistry and biology along with their contributions. Visitors are given demonstrations of concepts such as the Raman Effect, how liquid crystals work, and superconducting magnetic levitation (see pic). In the latter, blocks of thermocol float and glide above metal strips like a moving train.

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