📚 Srinivasa Ramanujan – A Detailed Life History
Srinivasa Ramanujan (22 December 1887 – 26 April 1920) is remembered as one of the greatest mathematical geniuses in human history. In a lifespan of just 32 years, he produced over 3,900 theorems, identities, and results, many of which were far ahead of his time. Though he lacked formal training, the depth and originality of his thinking astonished even the world’s greatest mathematicians.
1. Early Life & Childhood
Ramanujan was born in Erode, Tamil Nadu, in a small house to K. Srinivasa Iyengar, a clerk, and Komalatammal, a culturally rich and religious woman. He was a quiet child—observant, sharp-minded, and deeply curious. At the age of 5, he entered primary school and soon displayed unusual intelligence.
Unlike typical children, he was less interested in play and more drawn to numbers. By 10, he had mastered advanced arithmetic. Teachers soon realized he was unlike any other student, often solving problems that even educators could not.
📌 His memory was photographic. He could recite complex mathematical tables and values that he saw just once.
2. Education & Early Mathematical Passion
Ramanujan attended the Town Higher Secondary School, Kumbakonam, where he was first introduced to trigonometry. By age 13, he had independently explored and proved complex trigonometric identities. His fascination grew when he found a copy of G.S. Carr’s A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics. This instrumental book contained thousands of theorems—without explanations or proofs.
Ramanujan started proving them himself, building a strong foundation of logical thinking. Soon, he was developing new formulas, series, and results unknown to anyone else.
The Ramanujan Notebooks
Between 1903–1910, he filled three notebooks with thousands of original results. These became legendary in mathematics and are still studied today.
3. Struggles, Poverty & Recognition in India
Despite his genius, Ramanujan faced hardship. He failed his college exams—not because of mathematics, but because he neglected other subjects like English. Without a degree, he could not secure a stable job. Poverty followed him, and many days passed with little food.
His breakthrough came when he began approaching professors and scholars who could recognize his talent. His notebooks reached members of the Indian Mathematical Society, who were astonished by his discoveries.
In 1912, he secured a job as a clerk at Madras Port Trust, where his abilities were finally recognized formally. Supported by his mentors, he was encouraged to send his work to mathematicians abroad.
4. The Letter That Changed Mathematics Forever
In January 1913, Ramanujan wrote a historic letter to G.H. Hardy, a world-renowned mathematician at Cambridge University. The letter contained dozens of his most brilliant results.
Hardy was stunned.
“They must be true, because if they were not true, no one would have the imagination to invent them.”
Hardy invited Ramanujan to Cambridge. Initially hesitant due to religious beliefs and family pressure, he finally traveled to England in March 1914, marking the start of a remarkable mathematical partnership.
5. Cambridge Years – The Golden Era of Work
At Cambridge, Ramanujan collaborated with G.H. Hardy and J.E. Littlewood. This period produced some of the most groundbreaking contributions in number theory and analysis.
Major Research Areas at Cambridge
| Field | Work / Achievement |
|---|---|
| Number Theory | Formulas for partition of integers |
| Infinite Series | New series for computing π faster than ever before |
| Continued Fractions | Incredible identities produced without classical methods |
| Modular Forms | Foundation for modern number theory & string theory |
| Mock Theta Functions | Revolutionary concept discovered near the end of his life |
In 1918, Ramanujan was elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)—one of the highest honors in science. He also became the first Indian to be elected Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.
6. Declining Health & Return to India
Ramanujan’s health deteriorated in England due to:
- Cold weather
- Vegetarian food shortages
- Intense work stress
- Possible tuberculosis and malnutrition
Despite illness, he continued to work, producing stunning discoveries from his bed. He returned to India in 1919 and resumed research even while weak.
On 26 April 1920, at just 32 years, Srinivasa Ramanujan passed away. On his deathbed, he gave Hardy scraps of paper filled with new formulas—the last gift of a mind that never stopped creating.
7. Legacy That Lives Forever
Ramanujan died young, but his mathematical universe remains eternal.
His contributions impact modern fields like:
- String Theory & Quantum Physics
- Computer Algorithms
- Cryptography
- Black Hole Physics
- Pure Number Theory
Researchers continue to analyze his notebooks even today—many results have only recently been proven true.
He is remembered through:
🏛 Ramanujan Institute of Mathematics
📅 National Mathematics Day (22 December)
🎥 Film: The Man Who Knew Infinity
📘 Thousands of research papers expanding his ideas
Ramanujan did not just solve mathematics — he created mathematics.
Why Ramanujan Was Extraordinary
- He did not learn mathematics the usual way
- He discovered ideas that others could not even imagine
- He worked with intuition rather than formal proof
- His formulas were like poetry—beautiful, deep, and mysterious
G.H. Hardy once ranked mathematicians on a scale of 1 to 100.
He placed himself at 25, Littlewood at 30, Hilbert at 80 —
and Ramanujan at 100.
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