The first sixty years - A personal view

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.