Title:	The first sixty years - A personal view
Authors:	Ramaseshan, S.
Issue Date:	10-Dec-1994
Publisher:	Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, India.
Citation:	Current Science, 1994, Vol. 67, p798-820.
Abstract:	When the organizers persuaded me to give this talk on the First Sixty Years of the Department of Physics of the Indian Institute of Science, I had not realized the magnitude of the task I was undertaking. It could not just be a catalogue of the work done. Should it deal with history and science? Should it be anecdotal (and entertaining)? If so in what proportions? The path I chose was first to read all the annual reports, glance at the titles of the 1200 or so papers published, talk to a few scientists in and outside the Department. Then without too much preparation I gave the talk hoping that the best and the most interesting work will automatically come out, but quite aware of the potential risks. My personal preferences and prejudices could intrude; more importantly my ability to understand the physics behind some of the researches would become a limiting factor. I therefore apologize in advance to many who would be disappointect/annoyed,annoyed, some for my not describing their work and others for my describing their work! It was when I was asked to produce a written version that the task became even more daunting. To convert what could be done wirh a wave of a hand, or an irreverent or irrelevant remark into cold print was something close to impossible. The fire and excitement of a verbal presentation before a live responsive audience tend to vanish. Perhaps the fault lies not only in my incompetence but also in those who asked me to write even after hearing the spoken version.
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/2289/835
ISSN:	0011-3891
Copyright:	Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, India.
Appears in Collections:	Miscellaneous Publications

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