At the recent launch of Prof. Sydney Srinivas’ latest book on Marie Curie, Ewelina Ellsmore, the Literature Coordinator of the Polish School of Sydney, wanted to know what he would ask the pioneering Polish scientist if he were to meet her today.
“I would not ask her anything, I would simply touch her feet,” Dr Srinivas replied, in his Indian tradition of showing respect.
It was enough to give the audience of three hundred people an idea of the absolute regard with which Prof. Srinivas holds Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the only woman to win it twice.
The book Marie Curie: The first woman Nobel Laureate and a pioneering scientist (Prism Books Pty Ltd) is the latest in Prof. Srinivas’ series on great scientists like Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Galileo and Alfred Nobel.
It tells the story of Marie Curie’s struggles and triumphs as a pioneering woman scientist working in a predominantly male world, and in a continent ravaged by World War I. That Marie rose through these challenges as a common citizen, and as a poor, struggling migrant in Paris, speaks volumes of her extraordinary aptitude.
Talking to Ewelina Ellsmore, Prof. Srinivas described his research for his books. Even though he had read biographies in his younger days, it was his visits to the homes and work places of the scientists and immersing himself in their worlds, that gave him the deep insights needed for his own books.
“These travels are like scientific pilgrimages for me. I could feel the presence, standing in Newton’s room, or being in Marie Curie’s laboratory.” It was clear that these trips moved him profoundly.
The book was formally launched by Prof. Jonathan Bland-Hawthorn, Laureate Professor of physics at the University of Sydney, and Director of the Sydney Institute for Astronomy. Prof Bland-Hawthorn complimented Prof. Srinivas on his keen interest in bringing the lives of the great scientists to the common man in a simple, lucid style. That he explains the science in his books, beyond the life stories, was also laudable, Prof. Bland-Hawthorn observed. Marie Curie sydney srinivas
(The chapter on the discovery of radium, for example, introduces lay readers to the concept of radioactivity, captures the awe of witnessing luminous radium for the first time, details the process of announcing a new element, describes the laboratory equipment used, and highlights Marie Curie’s meticulous notes. And did you know that the other element Marie discovered, Polonium, was named for Poland, her homeland?)
“Marie led a remarkable family – they share five Nobel prizes among themselves,” Prof. Bland-Hawthorn said, noting from the book that Marie and Pierre shared a Nobel Prize in physics and Marie was awarded a second one in chemistry, making her the first person in history to win a Nobel in two scientific disciplines. Her daughter Irène and son-in-law Frédéric Joliot-Curie won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Henry Richardson Labouisse, Jr., the spouse of Irène’s younger sister, Ève Curie, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.
Helen Lyne, writer and spoken word poet, recalled her association with Prof. Srinivas at the writers’ forum where he had shared extracts from his manuscript. “He doesn’t describe Marie Curie as a feminist,” she said, “but I do, after reading this book.”
Prof. Srinivas details Marie Curie’s fight throughout her life to be accepted as a scientist. Women were not allowed to access university education in Poland, so Marie had to go to Paris for higher studies. There, she had to fight the system to gain recognition for her work as a young scientist. Her name was included in the citation by the Nobel Committee only at her husband Pierre Curie’s insistence.
As a scientist Marie Curie was an early role model for women in STEM today. She may be an old stalwart, but as Rajni Anand Luthra, the editor of Indian Link pointed out, all the old masters have tremendous contemporary relevance. “We’ve seen in recent times the rise of a movement away from scientific thought,” she said. “We live in times when we should be reading more of the old masters who gave us things that we now take for granted.”
One unique aspect of this book is that it is simultaneously published in two languages, English and Kannada, Prof. Srinivas’ native tongue, spoken by 44 million people in the South Indian state of Karnataka.
“Kannada comes from my heart and English comes from my brain,” Prof. Srinivas has said many a time. Producing books like these in language can exponentially expand their reach, connecting with larger and more diverse communities.
Prof. Srinivas is well-known to Indian Link readers through his incisive reviews of Indian classical dance and music concerts in Sydney. He is also known for his fictional and non-fictional books, especially the life histories of great scientists. He very skillfully weaves complex scientific topics in the context of the scientist’s life and times. This makes the books immensely readable.
The books for the launch were shipped with assistance from Qantas. Copies of the book will be available online at Prismbooks Pvt Ltd. The proceeds from the book will be donated to the McGrath Foundation. Marie Curie sydney srinivas
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