About National Science Day
National Science Day, or Rashtriya Vigyan Diwas, is marked on 28 February to commemorate C. V. Raman's announcement of the Raman effect in 1928, the discovery that won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. In 2027 it falls on Sunday, 28 February 2027. Schools, colleges and research laboratories hold lectures, exhibitions and open days around a theme set by the Department of Science and Technology.
National Science Day is one of the few national days in India named for a single experiment. The experiment was cheap, and the result changed how chemists and physicists study matter.
Why is National Science Day celebrated on 28 February?
National Science Day falls on 28 February because that is the day in 1928 when C. V. Raman announced the discovery of what became known as the Raman effect. He and his student K. S. Krishnan were working at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) in Calcutta.
The date marks the announcement rather than the first observation. The historian Rajinder Singh, quoted by The Wire, notes that preliminary observations had been made in January 1928 by S. Venkateswaran, and Krishnan confirmed and extended them over the following weeks. By 28 February Raman had understood the significance of what they had found, and he gave the news to the press through the Associated Press of India. A short note appeared in the journal Nature on 31 March.
The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) proposed the day, the Government of India accepted it in 1986, and the first National Science Day was held on 28 February 1987. The Wire records a small detail about the choice: Raman's birthday, 7 November, was an obvious alternative, but the scientist who proposed the day, Narender Kumar Sehgal, shared that birthday and did not want to be accused of naming a national day after his own.
- 1921The sea voyage
On a ship to Europe, Raman studies the blue of the Mediterranean with a pocket spectroscope and doubts the accepted explanation.
- Jan 1928First signs
S. Venkateswaran makes preliminary observations at IACS, Calcutta.
- 28 Feb 1928The announcement
Raman announces the discovery to the press.
- 31 Mar 1928In print
A note on the new radiation is published in Nature.
- 1930Nobel Prize
Raman wins the Nobel Prize in Physics, the first Asian to win a Nobel in science.
- 1954Bharat Ratna
Raman receives India's highest civilian honour.
- 1987The first observance
National Science Day is held for the first time.
What is the Raman effect, in simple words?
The Raman effect is the small change in colour, or wavelength, that some light undergoes when it passes through a transparent substance and scatters off its molecules. Most scattered light keeps its original colour. A tiny fraction comes out shifted, and the size of the shift depends on the molecules it met.
That shift works like a fingerprint. Raman spectroscopy, built on the effect, lets scientists identify a substance by shining light on it, without cutting or dissolving the sample. It is used to study materials, medicines and minerals.
The work also became a story about doing a lot with little. Raman is often quoted as saying he spent barely 200 rupees on the equipment behind his Nobel Prize. He went on to found the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1934 and the Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru in 1948, and he died in 1970.
What is the National Science Day theme?
Each year the Department of Science and Technology announces a theme for National Science Day, and events at schools and institutes are built around it.
| Year | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Our Changing Earth |
| 2011 | Chemistry in Daily Life |
| 2020 | Women in Science |
| 2024 | Indigenous Technologies for Viksit Bharat |
| 2025 | Empowering Indian Youth for Global Leadership in Science and Innovation for Viksit Bharat |
| 2026 | Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat |
The national event in 2026 was held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The department also uses the day to present its National Awards for Science Communication, given to people and organisations that explain science to the public.
How do schools, colleges and labs mark National Science Day?
National Science Day is not a holiday, so it happens in working hours. Schools hold science exhibitions, model displays, quizzes and debates. Colleges invite lecturers. Many research institutes run open days, when the public can walk into laboratories that are usually closed, including the Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru, which Raman founded.
A few practical ideas for the day:
- For a classroom, repeat a simple light experiment with a prism or a glass of water and a torch, then explain what Raman was looking for.
- For an office, invite a colleague who works in research or engineering to give a fifteen-minute talk about one problem they solved.
- For a family, visit a planetarium or science centre, or check whether a nearby university or CSIR laboratory has an open day.
What to write on National Science Day
Happy National Science Day. Thank you for letting us break things in the lab and for explaining why they broke.
On National Science Day, here's to your experiments, including the ones that failed first. Every result starts somewhere.
Happy Science Day. Keep asking why. That is all Raman did when he looked at the sea and didn't believe the textbook.
Happy National Science Day. Every lab needs someone who won't stop asking questions, and you have been practising since you were four.
Wishing you a happy National Science Day. Thanks for the careful work behind every product we get to talk about.
On National Science Day, thank you for a career spent finding things out. The rest of us are still using what you taught.
Science Day sits between International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February and National Technology Day on 11 May. For the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, see National Mathematics Day.
How to wish someone on National Science Day
A National Science Day wish works best when it thanks a real person: a science teacher, a researcher, a lab technician, a curious child. Mention Raman or the year's theme if it fits, keep it warm rather than grand, and avoid slogans. For students, encouragement to ask questions lands better than praise for marks.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is National Science Day in 2026 and 2027?
National Science Day is on 28 Feb every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is National Science Day in 2027?
National Science Day 2027 falls on Sunday, 28 February 2027.
Where was the Raman effect discovered?
The Raman effect was discovered at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Calcutta, now Kolkata, by C. V. Raman and K. S. Krishnan. Raman announced it on 28 February 1928, the date now kept as National Science Day.
Who proposed National Science Day?
The National Council for Science and Technology Communication proposed a national science day, and the Government of India accepted it in 1986. The first National Science Day was held on 28 February 1987.
Did Raman discover the Raman effect on 28 February?
Not exactly. Preliminary observations began in January 1928, and K. S. Krishnan extended them in the following weeks. On 28 February Raman announced the finding to the press, and that announcement is the date India commemorates.
Who was K. S. Krishnan?
K. S. Krishnan was C. V. Raman's student and co-worker at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, and he carried out much of the experimental work behind the Raman effect. He co-authored most of the early papers but was not included in the 1930 Nobel Prize.
What is the difference between National Science Day and National Technology Day?
National Science Day, on 28 February, honours C. V. Raman's 1928 discovery and focuses on science education and public understanding. National Technology Day, on 11 May, marks the Pokhran-II tests of 1998 and honours Indian technology and its commercial use.
Why is National Science Day not held on Raman's birthday?
Raman's birthday, 7 November, was a possible choice. According to an account in The Wire, the proposer, science communicator Narender Kumar Sehgal, was born on the same date and chose the discovery date instead to avoid appearing to honour his own birthday.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .