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Heighlights of SK Mitra's
Life-long Achievements

Brief Life Sketch of Sisir Kumar Mitra

Sisir Kumar Mitra was born at Calcutta on October 24 1889 to Jaykrishna, a school teacher, and Saratkumari, a doctor. Soon thereafter, the family shifted to Bhagalpur in Bihar, where Saratkumari got an appointment at the Lady Duffrin Hospital, and Jaykrishna secured a job in the Bhagalpur Municipality. Sisir studied at the Bhagalpur District School, and later at the local T N J College. Just before his first arts (FA) examination, Sisir lost his father, and was wholly supported by his mother, who displayed indomitable courage and determination in bringing up the young boy. It was due to her encouragement that Sisir, despite considerable financial difficulties, came over to Calcutta to study for the BSc Degree at the Presidency College. Sisir was fortunate to have studied under two great scientists – Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose and Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray. It was at this stage that Sisir decided to pursue teaching and research as a career. He obtained his MSc degree in physics in 1912 from the same college, topping the list of successful candidates. For a short period thereafter, he joined Acharya Bose as a research scholar, but because of the need for supporting the family, he had to take up a teaching job, first at the T N J College, Bhagalpur, and later at the Bankura Christian College. He married Lilavati Devi in 1914. In 1916, the then Vice Chancellor of the Calcutta University, Ashutosh Mookherjee established a postgraduate Department of Physics at the newly established University Science College, and invited Sisir, along with a few other highly talented scholars, which included C V Raman, S N Bose, M N Saha and D M Bose, to join the department. Raman joined as the Palit Professor, and Sisir started working under his guidance on interference and diffraction of light. He was awarded the DSc degree in 1919, and soon thereafter, he proceeded abroad for advanced research. His first appointment was at the Sorbonne University in Paris to work under Charles Fabry. Sisir obtained a second DSc degree there in 1923. Later, he joined Madame Curie at the Institute of Radium.

Since his arrival in France, Sisir became deeply interested in radio valves and their applications in radio communication, and after a short period with Madame Curie, made the final decision to work in this new field at the Institute of Physics, University of Nancy under Gutton, which settled his future career in radio research. At that time, there was no activity in this subject – either in teaching or research in India. Sisir realized the importance of the field and wrote to Ashutosh for including ‘wireless’ (as it was called those days) in the MSc physics curriculum and setting up a laboratory for experimental work. Ashutosh conveyed his full support to the proposal and asked Sisir to prepare the necessary details and return to India. Sisir returned to India at the end of 1923 and was appointed the Khaira Professor of Physics. Teaching, setting up of the laboratory and research on wireless started in full enthusiasm. That marked the beginning of radio electronics in India, and along with a large number of talented students, Sisir was successful in establishing an international level school of teaching and research at the Calcutta University, which later grew up into a separate department, known as the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics. The highlights of achievements of S K Mitra have been given elsewhere in this issue, and some details can be found in the article by M K Das Gupta.

S K Mitra retired from the service of the University in November 1955, but continued as Emeritus Professor. At this time, he was requested by Bidhan Chandra Roy, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, to take charge of the West Bengal Secondary Education Board, which was then in a rather unsatisfactory state of affairs. Mitra took up the challenge and during his six years of tenure, reorganized the Board into an efficient and disciplined organization. Despite his heavy schedule of work at the Board, Mitra continued his research and supervision at the Institute.S K Mitra received many awards and honours, notable amongst them being Fellowship of the Royal Society (1958), Presidentship of the Indian National Science Academy (1959-60), National Professorship (1962), and the Padmabhushan (1962).

He breathed his last, after a brief spell of illness, on August 13, 1963.

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