MatScience and Mathmen

Alladi Ramakrishnan, one of the great mathematicians of India, who made fundamental contributions to several fields of study in

Mathematics since 1947 and founded the MATSCIENCE at Chennai, died in Florida, on Saturday night [Sunday 8th June 2008 at 6 AM IST].

He was 85 years.

I thought this was an appropriate occasioin to remind oureselves of the great contribution to Mathematics made by another great

Mathematician of the country , Srinivasa Ramanujam [1887-1920]. Hence the attachment.


B.M.N.Murthy, 9th June 2008


SRINIVASA RAMANUJAN [1887-1920 ]
--The Mathematical Genius of the 20th Century.

Ramanujan was born on 22nd December 1887 in Erode in Tamlinadu as the eldest son in a family of 6 children. Evan when he was just 7 years old, he gave clear evidence of his mathematical gifts. He could reel off the square root of a natural number to the specified number of places and he could point to the indeterminate nature of zero divided by zero. The family was extremely poor as his father was a clerk in a firm earning about Rs. 20 a month.As purchasing books for the son was beyond their capacity, his mother took in a few college students as boarders, who, noticing Ramanujan's interest in Mathematics, brought him the necessary books on Mathematics from the college library. Loney's trigonometry was one such book which Ramanujan mastered.

With the high academic record in school, Ramanujan joined F.A. Course [Equivalent to modern PUC ] in 1904 but unfortunately failed in English Composition with the result that he lost his scholarship. At the age of 22, he got married to Janaki who was just 9 years old. He tried his luck again in F.A. in 1906, but failed again. One more attempt was made again in 1907, but luck did not favour him even in his 3rd attempt. This marked the end of his formal education. With an extraordinary passion for Mathematics and an indomitable determination to pursue it, he carved out his own course, selected his own books, picked up results in which he saw possibilities of creation. He studied those results carefully, assimilated them and thus educated himself
to be a Mathematician, rather than becoming a mere university graduate. And this he did with an unbelievable sincerity and rigid discipline. By the age of 22, Ramanujan was already a Mathematician, mature and self-reliant, but not yet recognised.

As a part of the self-discipline which he imposed upon himself for self-education, Ramanujan maintained a careful and systematic record of his findings. The notebooks in which he kept a record of all his findings are known as " Ramanujan's Notebooks ".
They contain all his discoveries right from his school days till he went to Cambridge
in 1914. It is believed that these notebooks contain nearly 3,000 to 4,000 theorems.

Ramanujan's much-needed recognition first came locally by the Madras University
and internationally at the hands of Prof. G.H. Hardy of Trinity College, Cambridge, who had, by that time made a name as a mathematician of repute. Ramanujan, on the advice of his local mentors , had already started correspondence with Prof. Hardy. When Ramanujan communicated the results of 120 theorems from his Notebooks to Prof. Hardy, Hardy was stunned and at once could recognise the genius in Ramanujan. He started moving heaven and earth to get Ramanujan to Cambridge, inspite of the fact that Ramanujan was junior in age by 10 years.

With the initiative taken by Hardy and the subsequent follow-up action taken by his local mentors, it was finally decided that Ramanujan should go to Cambridge. Strangely enough, Ramanujan refused to go to England, probably on account of his orthodox views on overseas travel. However, one of his uncles persuaded him to go. Reluctantly, Ramanujan agreed. Before departure to England, he went to Namakkal to receive the blessings of Goddess Namagiri Devi, the family deity. When he visited the temple and offered pooja, that night Goddess Namagiri Devi apperad in his dream and commanded him to go to England.

Ramanujan sailed for England in 1914. Stayed in Cambridge for 5 years. What he achieved there during these 5 years is history. The famous Historian, J.R. Newman, wrote in 1968, the following lines about Ramanujan :
" Ramanujan arrived in England abreast and often ahead of contemporary mathematical knowledge. Thus, in a lone mighty sweep, he had succeeded in recreating
in his field, through his own unaided powers, a rich half-century of European Mathematics. One may doubt whether so prodigious a feat had ever been accomplished in the history of human thought ”.

Ramanujan spent about 5 years in Cambridge. Being a strict vegetarian, lack of proper food and nourishment had its inevitable toll. He took sick in 1917 and recovered sometime later. However, it was felt that more congenial surroundings and a homely environment would be a better medicine for his falling health. He therefore returned to India in 1919 still ailing and weak. Within a year thereafter, he died on 26th April 1920 at the age of 33.

Just before Ramanujan’s return to India from Cambridge, the Madras University had intimated that they would continue his fellowship for a further period. When Ramanujan received this intimation, he was already in a nursing home in England and from the hospital bed, he wrote the following letter to the Registrar, Madras University
“ I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 9th December 1918 and gratefully accept the very generous help which the University offers me.
I feel however, that after my return to India, which I expect to happen as soon as arrangements are made, the total amount of money to which I am entitled will be much more than I shall require. I should hope that after my expenses in England have been paid, 50 pounds a year will be paid to my parents and that the surplus, after my necessary expenses are met, should be used for some educational purpose, such in particular as the reduction of school fees for poor boys and orphans and provision of books in schools. No doubt it will be possible to make an arrangement about this after my return. I feel very sorry that as I have not been well, I have not been able to do so much mathematics during the last two years as before. I hope that I shall soon be able to do more and will certainly do my best to deserve the help that has been given to me”
This letter, which speaks more than it writes, speaks of a genius of the 20th century
who had a noble heart full of humility, kindness and gratitude.
ALLADI RAMAKRISHNAN--Founder of the Institute of Mathematica lSciences, Channai
Created: Sunday, June 8, 2008 9:42 PM