19. Purnima Sinha (1927 – 2015)

 

In the early 1950s there was a research student who wandered the narrow streets of Kolkata looking for something to build an X-ray machine for her  research experiments among the iron and rust piles scattered here and there as remnants of the Second World War. It was Purnima Sinha (Sen Gupta) who graduated in 1956 and  first Ph.D. from Calcutta University. The fact that she was under the tutelage of Prof. Satyendranath Bose, one of India's immortal scientists, makes it doubly sweet. Poornima was also someone who fought for women's rights, like Kamala Sohani, who went on a  satyagraha in front of Nobel laureate CV Raman and got admission to Ph.D. in Indian Institute  of Science.

 

At that time, around ten people were doing research in the Khaira Laboratory of Calcutta University. Most of them had to make their own equipment for the experiments they had to do. Some of them were scavenging to see if they could get any of the equipment left over from World War II. Purnima was one of them.

Childhood and inspiration

Poornima was born on 12 October 1927 in a progressive family in Kolkata. It was a family where men and women were considered equal. Purnima's father, Naresh Chandra Sen Gupta, was a lawyer dealing in constitutional matters. He was a person who fully believed that there should be no discrimination between men and women. While Poornima's sisters chose finance, mathematics and chemistry as subjects of study, Poornima chose Physics. Her extraordinary passion and dedication towards the subject, caught the  attention of  Prof. Satyendranatha Bose. He had joined Calcutta University as Khaira Professor in 1945. Dr. Bose admitted Purnima to his   research team in 1951.  Dr. Bose was interested in many other subjects besides physics. He was also a person who made great efforts to bring the methods of science to common people. He was also interested in in music. He had extraordinary interest and knowledge in literature and everything. Poornima's family was also a family continuously associated with artists. Poets and film artists like Satyajit Ray were regular visitors to their home.

Dr. Sinha's PhD thesis 'X-ray & differential thermal analysis of Indian clays' was submitted in 1955. The next year she  got her degree. Their research involved X-ray analysis of around fifty clay specimens brought from different places in India. It is amazing that this research was guided by Dr. S.N. Bose who was one of the foremost physics professors and researchers in India.

After completing her  studies full time  for Ph.D., she joined Stanford University in the United States to conduct research in biophysics. There, she  joined the project called "The Origin of Life", It was here that the double spiral form of DNA was  discovered.

After returning from Stanford, she worked for the next twenty years at the Geological Survey of India and later at the J.C. Bose Institute. Finally, she also worked for some time at the Central Glass & Ceramics Research Institute.

Following in the footsteps of her mentor, SN Bose, she strove to bring knowledge of science to the common man. For that they made a Bengali Science Association. She translated many profound books written in English into Bengali. She has written and published several books on Professor Bose's life and scientific contributions.

Other subjects

Dr. Sinha was basically a scientist but she also showed her talent in music. She learned the tabla from her guru, Pandit Jnan Shankar Ghosh, and played well. She was also well versed in Hindustani music. They also excelled in painting.

Poornima is married to Dr. Surajit Sinha, an anthropologist. Dr. Sinha became the Vice Chancellor of Vishwabharati University. Poornima was also an active presence in the work  of her husband. They both started a school in Shantiniketan for the children of the tribal people. There physics,  music and even  making sculptures in clay were taught. In spite of these multitasking activities, she raised  two daughters .They also contributed in science and nation building.

Although she passed away in 2015, her contributions still stand today. Inspired by the path she  blazed, many continue in the path  by her.

Publications

Her books cover all subjects of science, music and literature. She has written many articles to promote scientific knowledge among the common people. Following are some of their important strengths.

• Bijnan Sadhanar Dharay Satyendranath Bose, a book published by Visva Vidya Sangraha.

• Amar Katha, a book published by Bangiya Bijnan Parishad.

• Satyen Bose-er Byaktitto O mononer dhara, article published in Desh[1]

Reference

https://www.thebetterindia.com/203173/purnima-sinha-india-first-woman-phd-physics-satyendra-nath-bose-kolkata-india/