Book review
Icons brings you the stories of the men and women who have changed the face of India as we know it. By their achievements in their chosen fields, they have provided us with inspiration and encouragement. Each of the ten stories is a revelation of how talent, determination and individual aspiration can make heroes.

Icons from the World of Science brings together the life stories of ten remarkable men whose discoveries and theories changed the course of science in their time. This book tells us about: J.C. Bose, whose work on electromagnetic waves anticipated the discovery of wireless telegraphy; Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of mathematics’ most brilliant minds; S.N. Bose, based on whose work Einstein developed a new field of physics; C.V. Raman, India’s first Nobel laureate for science; Meghnad Saha, who developed a formula to understand how the atmosphere of the sun behaves; S. Chandrashekhar, the Nobel laureate who anticipated the existence of black holes; Homi Bhabha, who dreamt of nuclear capability for a newly independent nation; E.C. George Sudarshan, who did pathbreaking work in the field of nuclear physics; Hargobind Khurana, who started the process of mapping the human genome; Jayant Narlikar, astrophysicist and thinker who dared to think differently from the rest.

Filled with scientific facts and ideas explained in simple language with diagrams and pictures, this book is to be read by all those who want to know about some of the brightest stars in the world of science.


About the author S. Ananthanarayanan has an M Sc in physics and after a series of jobs, including selling insulation contracts, a spell in a newspaper and some time in a bank, came to roost in the Indian Railways, where he works as 'financial adviser'. He is married and has two children.