Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (C.N.R. Rao) is an Indian chemist, distinguished as one of the leading solid state and materials chemists around the world. His scientific career spanning over five decades saw him making significant contribution in development of the field that included his analysis on transition metal oxides. The study aided in comprehending the novel phenomenon and association of materials properties with that of structural chemistry of such materials. He was a front-runner in synthesizing two dimensional oxide materials like La2CuO4. For last twenty years, apart from working on hybrid materials, he has been making significant contribution to nanomaterials. At present he serves as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, a responsibility he has undertaken under different regimes that speaks volumes of the immense faith shown upon him by different governments. He holds honorary doctorates of sixty universities across the world. Rao has penned down about 1500 research papers and 45 scientific books. On February 4, 2014, he was conferred the ‘Bharat Ratna’ by President Pranab Mukherjee. With this he became the third scientist after C.V. Raman and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam to receive the highest civilian honour of India. He has received several national and international honours and awards which include honorary fellowship of the ‘Royal Society of Chemistry’, London in 1989 and ‘Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur’ from France in 2005.