SC
Physicist

Sivaramakrishna Chandrasekhar

Born 16 November 1930 · Tamil Nadu — Died 8 March 2004

Founded the International Liquid Crystal Society and advanced liquid crystal physics.

Sivaramakrishna Chandrasekhar FNA, FRS was an Indian physicist who won the Royal Medal in 1994. He was the founder-president of the International Liquid Crystal Society.

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A detail that
surprised us

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Chandrasekhar was the first to predict and discover disc-shaped molecules forming discotic liquid crystals, a novel phase distinct from the well-studied rod-like molecular liquid crystals.

The Story

1
In 1951, Chandrasekhar topped his MSc physics class at Nagpur University, setting the stage for a career deeply entwined with his uncle C.V. Raman at the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore.
2
🌍 By 1957, he earned a second doctorate from Cambridge University, focusing on neutron and X-ray scattering corrections—an intricate study of crystals that would inform his later liquid crystal research.
3In 1961, he returned to India as the founding head of the University of Mysore’s new Physics Department, where he pivoted from traditional crystallography to the then-sleeping field of liquid crystals.
4🔬 During the early 1970s at Raman Research Institute, he built a liquid crystal laboratory complete with a synthetic organic chemistry unit, enabling breakthroughs on cholesteric liquid crystals with helical structures around 0.5 microns in pitch.

🏅 Awards & Honours

—
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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Chandrasekhar earned two doctorates: one in India under C.V. Raman by 1954, and another from Cambridge University in 1957, focusing on neutron and X-ray scattering corrections in crystals.

📸 Through the Years

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🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Born in Calcutta
Sivaramakrishna Chandrasekhar was born to Sitalaxmi and Sivaramakrishnan in Calcutta, part of a scientifically distinguished family including C.V. Raman.
1930
📚
Education
MSc in Physics with First Rank
Graduated from Nagpur University topping his MSc physics class, setting foundation for doctoral research.
1951
📚
Education
D.Sc. from Nagpur University
Awarded D.Sc. for research in optical rotatory dispersion at Raman Research Institute under C.V. Raman.
1954
📚
Education
PhD from Cambridge University
Received second doctorate focusing on extinction corrections in neutron and X-ray scattering from crystals.
1957
⚡
Career
Head of Physics at University of Mysore
Returned to India to lead the new Physics Department and started work on liquid crystals.
1961
⚡
Career
Established Liquid Crystal Lab at RRI
Created a dedicated lab with organic synthesis facilities at Raman Research Institute to advance liquid crystal research.
1971
🏅
Award
Awarded Royal Medal
Received the prestigious Royal Medal recognizing his research on liquid crystals.
1994
🕊️
Death
Passed Away in Bengaluru
Died at age 73, leaving behind a legacy in liquid crystal science and Indian physics institutions.
2004
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 04
🔍LESSER KNOWN

He developed a synthetic organic chemistry lab within a physics institute in the 1970s to produce new liquid crystal materials in-house, a rare interdisciplinary move at the time.

02 / 04
💡SURPRISING

Chandrasekhar’s research revealed that cholesteric liquid crystals have a helical pitch approximately 0.5 microns, a nanoscale structure crucial to their optical properties.

03 / 04
👤PERSONAL

He was the nephew of Nobel laureate C.V. Raman and part of a family with three brothers all becoming distinguished scientists in related fields of physics and crystallography.

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🌱 What changed because of them

Chandrasekhar established India as a significant contributor to liquid crystal research by founding the Centre for Liquid Crystal Research in Bangalore, which remains a leading institution in the field. His work laid the foundation for India's participation in international scientific collaborations through the International Liquid Crystal Society, influencing both material science and optics research globally.

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