Venkatraman Ramakrishnan 'didn't believe' he had won the Nobel Prize; Read to know more

Getting a Nobel Prize is a dream of every researcher who dedicates his entire life doing ground-breaking research in any subject. But when Indian-American scientist, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, got a call from Sweden aprising him on his win, he thought it was a prank being played on him. The Instagram account of Nobel Prize shared a post recalling this day. 

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In a post on the official Instagram handle of Nobel Prize, it is mentioned that Venkatraman Ramakrishnan had a bad day when he got the call. His bike had gotten a flat tire as he was on his way to Cambridge University. His telephone rang just as he entered his office. ”This is an important phone call from Stockholm – please hold”, the caller said. He angrily said to the caller in response, “Whoever put you up to this – I don’t believe you!" 

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The general secretary was now on the phone and when he, too, congratulated Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, he was still dubious. Even as the general secretary tried to convince him that the news was true, the Indian-American scientist still refused to believe it.  He then spoke to Måns Ehrenberg who was the committee member Venkatraman Ramakrishnan had met before. After speaking to him, Ramakrishnan actually believed it was true and not a prank. The scientist also heard laughter fin the background and realised he was on loudspeaker. 

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It was hard for people to believe that Venkatraman Ramakrishnan would believe this is to be a prank. The post has garnered over 6000 likes on Instagram and people are sharing and commenting on what they would have done had they gotten a call for winning the Nobel Prize. Here is how netizens reacted to this - 

 

 

 

 

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The Indian-origin scientist won the prestigious Nobel Prize in 2009 for his notable work in the field of chemistry. According to Nobelprize.org, he had studied the structure and function of the ribosome. His contribution was important in the production of anti-biotics. The prize was shared by three scientists. His autobiography is available on the website of Nobel Prize.

Promo image courtesy- @nobelprize_org Instagram