International year of crystallography and Kerala

This year, 2014 is being celebrated as the 'International Year of Crystallography' throughout world based on the decision of the UN General Assembly. The aim of the celebration is mainly to bring the attention of all concerned to this area of science which is so important as far as its applications are taken into consideration.Crystals are the basic geometrical forms of certain particles.It will be a continuum of such small particles which finally give the form for the particle.Examples are ice crystals, sugar crystals, etc.
This year is also the hundredth year winning a Nobel Prize for a related work (X-ray defraction).
A great contributor to this branch of science was G.N.Ramachandran, who was born (in 1922) and brought up at Ernakulam. Up to the Intermediate class he studied at Maharaja's College at Ernakulam (his father was the Principal there).Then for higher studies he went to Tamil Nadu and to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.There he got in touch with the great scientist Dr.C.V.Raman which took him to the heights of scientific works.He became a world renowned scientist in Crystallography and contributed very much into growth of this branch.He died in 2001 at Chennai.