Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao
Encyclopedia
Prof. Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao, (9 September 1898–20 June 1972) was an India
n physicist
in the field of Spectroscopy
.
Rangadhama Rao is best known for his work on Spectroscopy, his role in the development of Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance
(NQR), and his long association with Physics labs of Andhra University
. In his later years, he became known for his position as the Principal of all the colleges of Andhra University before their divisions into separate colleges, viz., AU College of Arts and Commerce
, AU College of Engineering
, AU College of Law
, AU College of Pharmacy
and AU College of Science and Technology
.
Over the course of his life, Prof. K. Rangadhama Rao was known both for his scientific ability and his interpersonal relations and volatile personality
, a coastal town in present-day Vizianagaram district of state of Andhra Pradesh
, India, on 9 September 1898. His mother tongue was Telugu
. His father, Kotcherlakota Venkata Narsing Rao (1860–1928), who belonged to the Hindu
Brahmin
community, was the Post Master
of the present-day cities of Vizianagaram
, Gajapathinagaram
and Visakhapatnam
, then small cities in the state of Andhra Pradesh in the Madras Presidency
of British India
. His paternal grandfather and grandmother were Venkata Ramaswamy and Mallampalli Bangaramma. His mother, Ramayamma, a Hindu, died in the year 1923 in Trichiniopoly, the present-day Tiruchirappalli in the state of Tamil Nadu
. Growing up with a devout mother, a strict father and the Hindu
traditions of the region, the young Rangadhama Rao had the influences that would play an important role in his adult life; these included compassion for sentient beings and vegetarianism
.
Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was married to Vaddadi Perramma in an arranged marriage
, as was the custom in the region. On 6 December 1925, when Rangadhama Rao was 27, the couple's first child, Ramakrishna Rao, was born. Rangadhama Rao and Vaddadi Perramma had seven more children, four sons and three daughters: Venkata Rao (5 February 1928); Venkata Narsing Rao (27 June 1933); Ramaleela (24 April 1938); Lakshmi Narayana (23 July 1940); Lalitha Kumari (31 July 1941); Amarnath (8 June 1944); and Vijaya Vani (19 December 1945).
As described by Prof. Badami, Prof. Rangadhama Rao was a very jovial person and hardly lost his temper. He was fond of listening to Indian music and in his leisure he would often be seen humming songs, particularly, Gajendra Moksha
. Unlike many research workers, he was very liberal in giving credit for any work done by his colleagues.
Prof. S.Ramachandra Rao, F.N.A., another close friend, describes Prof. Rangadhama Rao as an open-hearted, frank and delightful friend. His whole interest was in physics. His family came only second in his attentions. He used to stay in his laboratory all the time. He used to open himself only to the very few people who were close to him. He treated those around him with utmost kindness and courtesy. He never wanted publicity or sought any place in the administrative echelons of the different scientific bodies in India.
As described by Prof.R.K.Asundi, in the First Memorial Lecture of Prof. Rangadhama Rao
, he was a quiet person, friendly, unassuming and lovable spectroscopist who was devoted to science. He would never consent to have his name associated as one of the authors even when the work was suggested and guided by him.
. He passed his 10th grade (SSLC
) in C.B.M. High School at Visakhapatnam and 12th grade (Intermediate), from Mrs. A.V.N. College at Visakhapatnam.
Prof. K. Rangadhama Rao was in the first batch of students for the B.A.
degree course in 1920 (there was no B.Sc.
degree course at that time in Madras University) in the Maharajah's College
in Vizianagaram. The B.A Degree course was initiated by Dr. Appadvedula Lakshmi Narayan
in 1918.
Prof. K.R.Rao took his M.A.
in Physics from Tiruchirappalli in 1923. His research career started in the year 1923 when he enrolled as a Research Scholar for D.Sc. (Doctor of Science
) from Madras University. He was awarded the D.Sc. Degree from Madras University and was selected for studies abroad from the Andhra University in 1928. This was a turning point in his quest for knowledge and research of his lifetime.
of which C. V. Raman was Director and with the facilities provided there, they further extended their work on analysis of spectra in the visible and ultraviolet regions.
He was guided in his research career by Prof. A.Fowler at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London
in 1930 in Atomic Spectra for two years for which he was awarded the D.Sc. Degree from London University. In 1930, he had the opportunity of working under Prof. F.Paschen
at the Physikalische Technische Reichsanstalt in Berlin
for six months and under Prof. Manne Seigbahn
in Upsala
, Sweden
on Vacuum Spectroscopy for another six months. His interest in the field of Spectroscopy was so much that he built a Vacuum Spectrograph of his design with his own expenses at Potsdam
, Germany
.
Prof. K.R.Rao's contribution towards physics has placed him in a high position even in his times. His contributions include development of Diatomic and Polyatomic Molecular Spectroscopy laboratory dealing with High Resolution Vibrational structure in electronic transitions, U.V.Absorption, Infrared Absorption, Raman scattering
, Florescence and Phosphorescence
and Crystal Spectra. He also reached the level of construction of microwave test benches and using these techniques he created different lines of investigations in dielectrics. He contributed to the development of Radio Frequency
Spectroscopy which branched into Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance
(NQR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
(NMR) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. In India, work on NQR was first initiated by Prof. K. Rangadhama Rao in the Physics laboratories of Andhra University.
Kotcherlakota Rangdhama Rao was the Principal of Andhra University Colleges from 1949-57. He was appointed as Emeritus Professor of Physics at Andhra University (1966–72) and was special officer for the establishment of Sri Venkateswara University
, Tirupathi (1954).
in the Physics Department of Jeypore Vikram Deo College of Science and Technology, Andhra University, Dr. K. Rangadhama Rao, M.A., D.Sc.(Madras), D.Sc.(Lond.), offered a monthly donation of Rs. 30/~ for a period of three years, the amount being deducted from the salary due to him for founding a Research Scholarship in memory of his late father Kotcherlakota Venkata Narasinga Rao. The Senate at its meeting held in Andhra University accepted and approved the following conditions for award of the Scholarship.
List of Awardees
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n physicist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
in the field of Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
.
Rangadhama Rao is best known for his work on Spectroscopy, his role in the development of Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance
Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance
Nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy or NQR is a chemical analysis technique related to nuclear magnetic resonance .-Principle:In NMR, nuclei with spin ≥ 1/2 have a magnetic dipole moment so that their energies are split by a magnetic field, allowing resonance absorption of energy related to...
(NQR), and his long association with Physics labs of Andhra University
Andhra University
Andhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...
. In his later years, he became known for his position as the Principal of all the colleges of Andhra University before their divisions into separate colleges, viz., AU College of Arts and Commerce
Andhra University College of Arts and Commerce
Andhra University College of Arts and Commerce is one of the constituent colleges of Andhra University established in 1931.-History:The Colleges of Arts and Commerce was started as part of combined Colleges of Arts, Science and Technology in the year 1931. It was separated in 1966 with Prof. B...
, AU College of Engineering
Andhra University College of Engineering
Andhra University College of Engineering at Visakhapatnam, India is an autonomous college of Andhra University.-History:Andhra University was established in 1926. Located on the uplands of Visakhapatnam, the campus has the Bay of Bengal on one side and the Kailasagiri hill range on the other...
, AU College of Law
Andhra University College of Law
Andhra University College of Law is one of the constituent colleges of Andhra University established in 1945.-History:The Law College was established in 1945. The College owes its genesis to the farsightedness and wisdom of Dr. C. R...
, AU College of Pharmacy
Andhra University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Andhra University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences is one of the constituent colleges of Andhra University established in 1951.-History:The College of pharmaceutical sciences was formed as a separate department in 1951, with the commencement of B.Pharm. course with late Prof. S. Rangaswamy as...
and AU College of Science and Technology
Andhra University College of Science and Technology
Andhra University College of Science and Technology is a constituent college of Andhra University established in 1931.-History:The College was started in the year 1931 as the combined Colleges of Arts, Science and Technology. It was bifurcated in the year 1966 with Prof...
.
Over the course of his life, Prof. K. Rangadhama Rao was known both for his scientific ability and his interpersonal relations and volatile personality
Early years
Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was born in VizianagaramVizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
, a coastal town in present-day Vizianagaram district of state of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India, on 9 September 1898. His mother tongue was Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. His father, Kotcherlakota Venkata Narsing Rao (1860–1928), who belonged to the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
community, was the Post Master
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
of the present-day cities of Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
, Gajapathinagaram
Gajapathinagaram
Gajapathi-nagaram is a Town and Mandal in Vizianagaram district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.It is located on National Highway 43 between Vizianagaram and Ramabhadrapuram.-Demographics:...
and Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam is a major sea port on the south east coast of India. With a population of approximately 1.7 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India after Kolkata and Chennai. According to the history, the city was...
, then small cities in the state of Andhra Pradesh in the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
of British India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. His paternal grandfather and grandmother were Venkata Ramaswamy and Mallampalli Bangaramma. His mother, Ramayamma, a Hindu, died in the year 1923 in Trichiniopoly, the present-day Tiruchirappalli in the state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. Growing up with a devout mother, a strict father and the Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
traditions of the region, the young Rangadhama Rao had the influences that would play an important role in his adult life; these included compassion for sentient beings and vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
.
Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao was married to Vaddadi Perramma in an arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
, as was the custom in the region. On 6 December 1925, when Rangadhama Rao was 27, the couple's first child, Ramakrishna Rao, was born. Rangadhama Rao and Vaddadi Perramma had seven more children, four sons and three daughters: Venkata Rao (5 February 1928); Venkata Narsing Rao (27 June 1933); Ramaleela (24 April 1938); Lakshmi Narayana (23 July 1940); Lalitha Kumari (31 July 1941); Amarnath (8 June 1944); and Vijaya Vani (19 December 1945).
Personal life
Prof. Rangadhama Rao has been referred to as a strong nationalist at heart. He wore only khaddar and was simple and unostentatious in his habits. He was fond of his wife and children. It was a pleasure to stay with Rangadhama Rao and partake of his hospitality and of his inimitable wit and humor. Very few people knew that he could be extremely humorous and burst out into fits of laughter.As described by Prof. Badami, Prof. Rangadhama Rao was a very jovial person and hardly lost his temper. He was fond of listening to Indian music and in his leisure he would often be seen humming songs, particularly, Gajendra Moksha
Gajendra Moksha
Gajendra moksha is Puranic legend from Bhagavata Purana. Lord Vishnu came down to earth to protect Gajendra from the death clutches of Makara ....
. Unlike many research workers, he was very liberal in giving credit for any work done by his colleagues.
Prof. S.Ramachandra Rao, F.N.A., another close friend, describes Prof. Rangadhama Rao as an open-hearted, frank and delightful friend. His whole interest was in physics. His family came only second in his attentions. He used to stay in his laboratory all the time. He used to open himself only to the very few people who were close to him. He treated those around him with utmost kindness and courtesy. He never wanted publicity or sought any place in the administrative echelons of the different scientific bodies in India.
As described by Prof.R.K.Asundi, in the First Memorial Lecture of Prof. Rangadhama Rao
Awardees of Prof. Rangadhama Rao Memorial Lectures
Prof. Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao Memorial Lecture Award is given for the outstanding contributions in the subject of Spectroscopy in Physics. The award was established by the National Institute of Sciences of India, located in Calcutta in the year 1979...
, he was a quiet person, friendly, unassuming and lovable spectroscopist who was devoted to science. He would never consent to have his name associated as one of the authors even when the work was suggested and guided by him.
Education
His elementary education was at Maharaja's High School, Vizianagaram for the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades during 1904 and 1906. He joined in different schools each year in his early education. He was shifted to London Mission High School, Vizianagaram, for the 6th grade and studied 7th and 8th grades in Hindu High School at MachilipatnamMachilipatnam
Machilipatnam is a city and a special grade municipality in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located south east of state capital, Hyderabad.-History:...
. He passed his 10th grade (SSLC
SSLC
The Secondary School Leaving Certificate is a certification obtained by a student on successful completion of an examination at the end of study at the secondary schooling level in India.- Relevance of the SSLC :...
) in C.B.M. High School at Visakhapatnam and 12th grade (Intermediate), from Mrs. A.V.N. College at Visakhapatnam.
Prof. K. Rangadhama Rao was in the first batch of students for the B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree course in 1920 (there was no B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree course at that time in Madras University) in the Maharajah's College
Maharajah's College
Maharajah's College shortly M. R. College is one of the oldest Colleges in India. It was established in 1879 by Sri Poosapati Vijayarama Gajapathi, Maharajah of Vizianagram. National Accreditation and Assessment Council assessed and accredited the Institution with "B" grade.There are 21...
in Vizianagaram. The B.A Degree course was initiated by Dr. Appadvedula Lakshmi Narayan
A. L. Narayan
Appadvedula Lakshmi Narayan, better known as A. L. Narayan B.A., M.A., D.Sc., F.I.P. was an Indian Astrophysicist and was the first Indian Director of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory during between 1937–1946. He was born in 1887 to Shri Appadvedula Vyasulu and Smt. Mahalakshmi in the Mukkamala...
in 1918.
Prof. K.R.Rao took his M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Physics from Tiruchirappalli in 1923. His research career started in the year 1923 when he enrolled as a Research Scholar for D.Sc. (Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
) from Madras University. He was awarded the D.Sc. Degree from Madras University and was selected for studies abroad from the Andhra University in 1928. This was a turning point in his quest for knowledge and research of his lifetime.
Career
In 1924, Dr. K. Rangadhama Rao joined Dr. A.L.Narayan as a research scholar in University of Madras. Both of them worked tenaciously to build up a first rate spectroscopic laboratory second to none in the country. They had then with them a constant deviation spectrograph, a small quartz spectrograph and a medium quartz spectrograph. All these were of low dispersion and low resolving power. At this stage of their work, they required an instrument of high dispersion and high resolving power, which they could not afford. So, K.R.Rao went to Calcutta, where a ten-foot concave grating was available in the Indian Association for the Cultivation of ScienceIndian Association for the Cultivation of Science
The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, established in July 1876 at 210 Bowbazar street, Calcutta, is a national institution for higher learning whose primary purpose is to foster high quality fundamental research in frontier disciplines of the basic sciences. Founded by Dr. Mahendra...
of which C. V. Raman was Director and with the facilities provided there, they further extended their work on analysis of spectra in the visible and ultraviolet regions.
He was guided in his research career by Prof. A.Fowler at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1930 in Atomic Spectra for two years for which he was awarded the D.Sc. Degree from London University. In 1930, he had the opportunity of working under Prof. F.Paschen
Friedrich Paschen
Louis Karl Heinrich Friedrich Paschen , was a German physicist, known for his work on electrical discharges. He is also known for the Paschen series, a series of hydrogen spectral lines in the infrared region that he first observed in 1908...
at the Physikalische Technische Reichsanstalt in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
for six months and under Prof. Manne Seigbahn
Manne Siegbahn
Karl Manne Georg Siegbahn FRS was a Swedish physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1924 "for his discoveries and research in the field of X-ray spectroscopy"....
in Upsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
on Vacuum Spectroscopy for another six months. His interest in the field of Spectroscopy was so much that he built a Vacuum Spectrograph of his design with his own expenses at Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Prof. K.R.Rao's contribution towards physics has placed him in a high position even in his times. His contributions include development of Diatomic and Polyatomic Molecular Spectroscopy laboratory dealing with High Resolution Vibrational structure in electronic transitions, U.V.Absorption, Infrared Absorption, Raman scattering
Raman scattering
Raman scattering or the Raman effect is the inelastic scattering of a photon. It was discovered by Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman and Kariamanickam Srinivasa Krishnan in liquids, and by Grigory Landsberg and Leonid Mandelstam in crystals....
, Florescence and Phosphorescence
Phosphorescence
Phosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs. The slower time scales of the re-emission are associated with "forbidden" energy state transitions in quantum...
and Crystal Spectra. He also reached the level of construction of microwave test benches and using these techniques he created different lines of investigations in dielectrics. He contributed to the development of Radio Frequency
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
Spectroscopy which branched into Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance
Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance
Nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy or NQR is a chemical analysis technique related to nuclear magnetic resonance .-Principle:In NMR, nuclei with spin ≥ 1/2 have a magnetic dipole moment so that their energies are split by a magnetic field, allowing resonance absorption of energy related to...
(NQR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance is a physical phenomenon in which magnetic nuclei in a magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation...
(NMR) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. In India, work on NQR was first initiated by Prof. K. Rangadhama Rao in the Physics laboratories of Andhra University.
Kotcherlakota Rangdhama Rao was the Principal of Andhra University Colleges from 1949-57. He was appointed as Emeritus Professor of Physics at Andhra University (1966–72) and was special officer for the establishment of Sri Venkateswara University
Sri Venkateswara University
Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, is a state university, which was established in 1954, in the famous temple city of Tirupati, South India, under the auspices of Late Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, and with support of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams...
, Tirupathi (1954).
Contributions
During his early life of work in the Physics department of Andhra University, Prof. K.R.Rao, established scholarships in his father's name, Kotcherlakota Venkata Narsinga Rao.Kotcherlakota Venkata Narsinga Rao Scholarship
During his tenure as a ReaderReader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in the Physics Department of Jeypore Vikram Deo College of Science and Technology, Andhra University, Dr. K. Rangadhama Rao, M.A., D.Sc.(Madras), D.Sc.(Lond.), offered a monthly donation of Rs. 30/~ for a period of three years, the amount being deducted from the salary due to him for founding a Research Scholarship in memory of his late father Kotcherlakota Venkata Narasinga Rao. The Senate at its meeting held in Andhra University accepted and approved the following conditions for award of the Scholarship.
- (1) The Scholarship shall be named "Kotcherlakota Venkata Narasinga Rao Research Scholarship."
- (2) It shall be of the value of Rs. 30 per mensem tenable at the Andhra University.
- (3) The Scholarship shall be awarded for one year in the first instance and may be renewed for not more than two years.
- (4) The scholar shall carry on research work in Atomic Physics under the guidance of a Director who has had sufficient experience in conducting and guiding research in that branch of Physics.
Honours, distinctions and awards
Prof. Rangadhama Rao was one of the foundation members for the AP Akademi of Sciences, nominated by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in the year 1963. The Indian National Science Academy frequently conducts a Memorial Lecture Award in the honour of Prof. Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao since its inception in the year 1979.Prof Rangadhama Rao Memorial Lecture Award
Prof. Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao Memorial Lecture Award is given for the outstanding contributions in the subject of Spectroscopy in Physics. The award was established by the National Institute of Sciences of India, located in Calcutta in the year 1979.List of Awardees
Awardees of Prof. Rangadhama Rao Memorial Lectures
Prof. Kotcherlakota Rangadhama Rao Memorial Lecture Award is given for the outstanding contributions in the subject of Spectroscopy in Physics. The award was established by the National Institute of Sciences of India, located in Calcutta in the year 1979...
Publications
Prof. K.R.Rao's research works were published in various reputed National and International Journals. Some of his initial publications are given below- On the spectra of the metals of the aluminium sub-group, Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, Volume 37, Issue 1, pp. 259–264 (1924), doi: 10.1088/1478-7814/37/1/332
- A Note on the Absorption of the Green Line of Thallium Vapour, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A April 1, 1925 107:762-765; doi:10.1098/rspa.1925.0055
- On the Fluorescence and Channelled Absorption of Bismuth at High Temperatures, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character, Vol. 107, No. 744 (Apr. 1, 1925), pp. 760–762.
- On the Resonance Radiation from Thallium Vapour, Nature 115, 534-534, (11 April 1925) | doi:10.1038/115534d0
- Proc. Indian natn. Sci. Acad., 46, A, No 5, 1980, pp. 423–434