Srinivasa Ramanujan (Born 22 December 1887) was an Indian mathematician and one of the foremost figures in the history of mathematics globally. Though he had a seemingly ordinary education during the early stages of his life, he single-mindedly pursued the subject and rose to become one of the most celebrated mathematicians of his time.
Ramanujan was born in Erode, Tamil Nadu. He showed an early interest in mathematics, developing an exceptional aptitude for solving complex problems. He largely ignored other subjects, tending to focus completely on mathematics. At 16, Ramanujan was already working on advanced concepts and creating original mathematical theories. He mostly studied in isolation and was almost completely self-taught.
Ramanujan’s life significantly turned when some of his mathematical letters reached G.H. Hardy, a prominent British mathematician at Cambridge University in 1913. Despite sending these letters to dozens of other reputed mathematicians in the country, Hardy was the only one who took Ramanujan seriously and responded positively to Ramanujan. He was astounded by the depth and originality of Ramanujan’s work and was surprised that it seemed to emerge from intuition rather than formal logic. Recognizing his extraordinary talent, Hardy moved heaven and earth to bring this mysterious Indian mathematician to Cambridge in 1914, forming what would later be known as one of the most beautiful mathematical collaborations in recent times. Ramanujan’s key contributions were in Number Theory, Infinite Series, and Continued Fractions.
While Ramanujan’s time at Cambridge was fruitful, he faced difficulties due to the vast difference in weather. Also, Ramanujan was a strict vegetarian and struggled to find suitable food there. He often suffered from poor health and eventually returned to India in 1919, where his health continued to decline. Ramanujan died at the young age of 32 in 1920.
Modern mathematicians are still trying to understand and prove many of his theories, theories that Ramanujan formulated purely out of his raw genius and intuition. It is also to be noted that Ramanujan credits most of his discoveries to his family deity – Namagiri Thaayar, and once said – “An equation for me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God.” Till the very end, Ramanujan never stopped talking about mathematics, which shows how deep his passion for mathematics was. It should teach us that greatness is not only achieved with talent but, most importantly, with passion.
Uma Venkat is a Montessori-trained teacher, Chinmaya Mission Balavihar Sevika, and a former NGO trustee who educates children in Chennai.
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