It was December 1887. In the small town of Erode in South India, a boy was born into a humble Brahmin family. He was named Srinivasa Ramanujan. At that time, no one could have imagined that this child would one day shine as a mathematical genius whose brilliance would illuminate the world of mathematics for centuries to come.
Numbers Became His Companions
From a very young age, Ramanujan was different from other children. While others played with wooden swords and marbles, he played with numbers. His eyes sparkled with curiosity, and his mind brimmed with questions — a relentless desire to understand everything and delve deep into its logic.
Once, he asked his mother, “Amma, if I cut a mango in half, and then half again, and again... will it ever end?”
His mother smiled, not realizing that this innocent question touched the concept of infinite series — a fundamental topic in advanced mathematics.
First Encounter with Mathematics
When Ramanujan was just 10 years old, he came across a book in his school titled “A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics” by G.S. Carr. This book listed thousands of mathematical formulas and theorems, often without proofs or explanations.
For most, it would have been a dry and confusing book, but for Ramanujan, it was a treasure trove. He would spend hours with the book, trying to derive each formula on his own, reconstructing the logic behind them.
By that age, he had already mastered geometry, trigonometry, and algebra, and began developing new formulas on his own.
Hunger and Mathematics Went Hand in Hand
Ramanujan’s obsession with mathematics became so intense that he started ignoring other subjects. As a result, he failed his college exams and lost his scholarship. He had to drop out of college.
Now unemployed and penniless, he still never stopped working on mathematics. Sometimes he would go hungry for days, yet he remained immersed in equations and numerical patterns. His notebooks were filled with complex formulas, series, and theorems.
His family grew concerned. Neighbors said, “This boy has gone mad. Send him to work. Numbers won’t feed his stomach.”
But for Ramanujan, it wasn’t the stomach but his soul that mathematics nourished.
A Seeker in Search of Guidance
Ramanujan realized that he needed someone who could understand and recognize his work. He began sending letters to mathematicians across India and abroad, detailing his ideas and formulas. Most letters went unanswered, some dismissed as amateur work.
Then one day, Professor G.H. Hardy of Cambridge University received one of those letters.
Hardy, after reading Ramanujan’s formulas, was astonished. Many of them were unlike anything he had seen before. Some were so advanced, he had to spend hours just trying to understand them. Hardy told his colleague Littlewood,
“This man is either a genius or a fraud. But to guess such correct results by accident is impossible.”
Hardy immediately wrote back, inviting Ramanujan to Cambridge.
Journey to England — A New World
Traveling to England was no easy decision for Ramanujan. On one hand, there were his strict religious beliefs, and on the other, financial difficulties. But deep down, he felt, “If mathematics is my religion, then research is my worship.”
In 1914, he set sail for England. The cold weather, foreign language, and strange food were all new to him. But none of this deterred him. He continued to work day and night, lost in the world of numbers.
The partnership between Hardy and Ramanujan became legendary. Hardy later said,
“I calculate, but Ramanujan sees the result. He just wants someone to confirm his visions.”
Ramanujan’s Mathematical Miracles
Ramanujan’s work was so original and profound that even today many of his results remain incompletely understood. Some of his groundbreaking contributions include:
- Ramanujan Primes — a special class of prime numbers he defined.
- Partition Theory — revolutionary ideas on how numbers can be broken into sums.
- Mock Theta Functions — mysterious functions that continue to puzzle mathematicians in modern number theory.
He created over 3,900 mathematical identities, many of which were never seen before and are still being researched today.
Shadow of Illness
England’s damp and cold climate was harsh on Ramanujan’s health. The lack of vegetarian food and cultural isolation added to his misery.
In 1917, he became severely ill. Doctors suspected tuberculosis. Even in the hospital, Ramanujan was thinking about equations. He once wrote to his wife:
The number 1729 is interesting — it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways: 1729 = 10^3 + 9^3 = 12^3 + 1^3
This later became famously known as the "Taxi Cab Number", as Hardy mentioned in his memoirs.
Return to India and Final Days
In 1919, Ramanujan returned to India. His health had deteriorated further. But his mind remained sharp as ever. Even from his sickbed, he continued working on mathematics.
He compiled a set of notebooks during this time, which later became famous as "Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook." These notebooks contained concepts and formulas decades ahead of their time.
On April 26, 1920, at the young age of 32, Ramanujan passed away.
Ramanujan’s Immortality
Though Ramanujan’s physical life was brief, his mathematical legacy is immortal. His notebooks, filled with thousands of equations, remain a source of inspiration and mystery.
In 1997, American mathematician Bruce Berndt, while studying his work, said:
Ramanujan’s mind worked beyond the 21st century.
To honor his memory, the Government of India declared December 22 as National Mathematics Day. His life has inspired countless books, documentaries, and films. The 2014 movie "The Man Who Knew Infinity", starring Dev Patel, was based on his biography.
A Life That Inspires
Ramanujan’s life is no less than a cinematic tale. A boy from a small town, with no formal degree, rose to stand among the greatest mathematicians in history.
He taught the world that genius is not bound by degrees, resources, or recognition. All it needs is curiosity, passion, and relentless effort.
His story is not just about mathematics — it is about faith, perseverance, and the power of the human spirit.
In the end, a line for Ramanujan:
He who mastered numbers, touched the infinite.
