J C Bose: Scientist extraordinaire

The copious correspondence between the scientist and the poet is one source of delight for the reader

Unsung Genius: A life of Jagadish Chandra Bose

Author: Kunal Ghosh

Publisher: Aleph

Pages: 477

Price: Rs 999

If you ask a Bengali about Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose, the top-of-the-head responses will be: (a) Marconi cheated him out of a Nobel Prize by claiming primacy in radio transmission; and (b) Kolkata’s Lower Circular Road is named after him (The Bose Institute is actually on Upper Circular Road named after his friend, Acharya Prafulla Ray). Digging a little deeper, some might be aware that he did “some” work with plants, and that he had a connection with Sister Nivedita. 

All of this is true insofar as it