In the world of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Peace-making, Literature and Economics there exist a few coveted prizes which are bestowed upon the crème de la crème of these fields and inspire scores more.

Among these honors none is thought to be greater than the Nobel itself.

The Nobel Prize was instituted quite literally by the “will” of a Swede named Alfred Nobel. The man, who would lay the foundations of this great human tradition, was himself not only a man of science and letters, but also a great businessman.

Ironically, Alfred Nobel was the inventor of Dynamite and his family was also in the arms and ammunition business. So how was it that such a man would leave his wealth to reward those who “shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind”.

In 1876, Bertha von Suttner an Austrian lady worked as a secretary for Nobel for only a week in Paris and became a good friend. She continued communication with him till his death. Suttner was a pacifist and authored the novel “Lay down your arms”. I

It is thought that it was her influence that gently nudged Nobel towards the idea for honouring service of mankind.

Will of Alfred Nobel - According to the will, the prize is given in Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Physiology or Medicine. In 1968 the Swedish central bank sponsored the Economics category in honor of Alfred Nobel. The Nobel Museum in Sweden aims to provide opportunities to “learn more about the Nobel Prize and its founder, as well as the Nobel Laureates and their creative endeavors.” These days a travelling exhibition of the museum “The Nobel Prize: Ideas Changing the World” is on a tour of Dubai, in collaboration with Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. When an opportunity to attend it came my way, I grabbed it with both hands.

Dynamite - Incidentally, in 1888 Alfred Nobel’s brother died and in their haste to break the news, a French newspaper published Alfred Nobel’s obituary instead of his brother. With an invention like Dynamite and the ammunition business owned by his family as his credentials, the obituary was titled “The merchant of death is dead." The paper further wrote "Dr Alfred Nobel, who made his fortune by finding a way to kill the most people as ever before in the shortest time possible, died yesterday”! Some say that it was this incident that forged Nobel’s resolve to change his “obituary” by inking a “will”.

Amnesty International was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1977 for its “Campaign against torture”.

Berlin Wall Piece - Berlin wall, the most physical manifestation of the “Iron Curtain” started being chipped away by Mauerspechte (wall woodpeckers) on November 9, 1989. This was the dawn that culminated in the reunification of East Germany and West Germany on October 3, 1990. A chipped off piece of the Berlin Wall is also on display. Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in the peace process that saw the end of the cold war. The removal of the Berlin Wall became a symbol for the change in relations between East and West.

Freedom of Speech - Carl Von Ossietzky was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1935. “Under the leadership of Carl von Ossietzky and Kurt Tucholsky, the German newspaper Die Weltbühne carried out a campaign against the spread of Nazism.”

Drawings and a Patent Letter - In the 1860’s and 1870’s Alfred Nobel’s technical work focused on the development of explosives. He later became increasingly interested in other technical problems.

Drawings and a Patent Letter - Alfred Nobel began taking an interest in artillery and firearms, for example. His later projects included silent rifles, production methods for cannon barrels, rocket-propelled projectiles, and ignition tubes for projectiles. While Nobel enjoyed his scientific and technical work most, he also had to manage business and legal affairs. For example, when establishing his inventions in other countries, applying for patents became an important part of his work.

A suitcase - Alfred Nobel lived a multifaceted, cosmopolitan life. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1833, but moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, at the age of nine. After returning to Stockholm for a few years in the early 1860's, he later settled in Hamburg, Germany, and then later in Paris, France. At the time of his death in 1896, he was living in San Remo, Italy. Nobel's business required constant travel and he frequently visited spas to try to improve his health. His suitcase contained cutlery and medicine flasks as well as stationery.

Transistor - The their discovery of the transistor effect and their researches on semiconductors, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain in 1956. Transistors revolutionised the electronics industry by reducing the size and cost of devices.

Modern Physics has provided theories about the structure of our world and the laws that govern it. Among other advances, it has laid the foundation for electronic devices we encounter daily. Computer, display monitors, and telephones are built from components that grew from Nobel Prize-awarded discoveries and inventions. Laser pointers, holograms, and LED lamps also have both direct and indirect connections to the Nobel Prize

Insulin - Frederick Banting and J.J.R. Macleod 1923 shared the Nobel in the field of Physiology / Medicine for discovering Insulin. The discovery in 1921 has revolutionized the quality of life for diabetics the world over.

Rudyard Kipling - Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle book was published in 1895 and was inspired by his childhood and travels in British India. He received the Nobel for Literature in 1907.

Finance, Money, Economics - Finances and money are an important part of life for most of us, whether rich or poor. Economics Laureates have studied and analyzed many different aspects of economics in our everyday lives – how we buy and sell goods and services, how our financial behavior is affected by social and psychological circumstances, and how our finances are influenced by share prices and exchange rates.

Penicillin - Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medince in 1945 for their discovery of Penicillin.

Inspiring the Next - Above all, a walk through the exhibition helps one realize how today is better than yesterday because someone cared to make an effort and more importantly how tomorrow can be better than today if we care to make an effort now. Exhibitions such as this are celebrations of mankind’s achievement and help to inspire higher goals for the future.

The writer can be reached at vagabonds.odyssey@gmail.com