The hall of fame
By Tirlochan Singh Trewn

IN Stockholm every year the conveted Nobel Prize winners in the fields of chemistry, physics, medicine, physiology and literature are presented in an impressive and solemn ceremony by his Majesty, the King of Sweden. International personalities like Einstein,Rabindra Nath Tagore, C.V. Raman etc received their awards in this historic City Hall. The Stockholm City Hall is one of Sweden’s most fascinating and historical buildings, both in terms of its architectural grandeur and its artistic embellishments.

The Nobel banquet is held each year in the Blue Hall which is a magnificent festival hall with a piazza in the style of an Italian Renaissance palace. The adjoining Gullens Salen room has walls covered with sparkling gold-leaf mosaic work.

There were more than 200 families of Indian origin in Stockholm at that time who either subscribed to the religious thinking of Hare Rama Hare Krishna or to the Swadhyay Movement of Pandurang Ji Shastri affectionately known as Dada ji. They have a weekly meeting, recite tenets of Bhagvadagita and Upanishadas in order to forge a bond.

Each year the Nobel Committee sends individual invitations to thousands of scientists, academics and university professors in most countries asking them to nominate candidates for the Nobel Prizes to be awarded during the coming year. Nominations must be in the hands of the committee before February 10 of the year for which the nominations are intended.

The nominations are then examined by each committee, with the help of specially appointed experts. When special committees have made their choices among the nominees for Nobel awards and have submitted their proposal to the prize awarding institutions, the final selection of prize winners takes place through a vote. The Nobel laureate selected by each respective institution, are announced immediately after it was voted usually around mid-October every year.

The prizes are presented each year on December 10, the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel. The presentation ceremony for the Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine and literature(including one for the bank of Sweden prize in economic sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel) takes place also in Stockholm. His Majesty, the King of Sweden presents to each laureate a diploma, a medal and a cheque for the prize amount. A banquet in the Blue Hall of the Stockholm City Hall follows the ceremony. On the same day the peace prize is presented by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of H.M. The King of Norway in the auditorium of the University of Oslo.

The Nobel Prizes were instituted by the Late Alfred Nobel who patented nitro-glycerine explosive in 1964. He was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833 and died in San Remo on December 10, 1896. Although Nobel was a successful chemical engineer and patented 355 patents, he was strongly interested in social and peace issues. He had a strong interest in literature and wrote his own poems and dramatic works. He invested $ 150 million in a fund, by a will, the interest on which shall be distributed in the form of following prizes annually:

Chemistry and physics by Swedish Academy of Sciences Stockholm; physiology or medicine by Karolinska Institute, Stockholm; literature award by the Swedish Academy, Stockholm.

Peace prize to be awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee at Oslo, Norway.

The Nobel foundation was established in 1900 when Sweden and Norway were in one Union. This union was dissolved in 1905. Norway became fully independed with its own king but this did not alter the internal relations of the Nobel institutions.

In addition to the above prizes, the Bank of Sweden prize in Economic Prizes in memory of Alfred Nobel takes place at Stocklom following the procedures and statutes of the Nobel foundation.

So far 600 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to institutions. A prize can be divided equally between two different accomplishments but may go to no more than three persons.