Remembering Ramanujan
drpartha@gmail.com
22 December 1887 -- 26 April 1920
About the author
Who says maths is boring ?
A trip to Kumbakonam, in Tamilnadu, India, is usually seen as an
opportunity to visit the innumerable number of Temples and shrines in the region. For me, it was a very different experience. This web page is the result of all the introspection and study I did following my memorable visit to Kumbakonam (in June 2016).
Kumbakonam is closely related to a genius called
Srinivasa Ramanujan, the outstanding Indian mathematician, who made extraordinary contributions
to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions.
My trip to Kumbakonam, gave me the chance to visit two sacred
and inspiring places which reminded me
of Srinivasa Ramanujan :
- The house where Srinivasa Ramanujan lived.
- The school where Srinivasa Ramanujan studied.
The house where Srinivasa Ramanujan lived
18 Sarangapani Sannidhi Street, Kumbakonam.
Lucky to have such inspiring neighbours.
|
Do NOT get carried away by the looks of this house. This is where the mathematician inside Ramanujan grew up and
blossomed. This old, tiny, unimpressive, tiled house is an inspiring monument which will remind visitors about the genius called
Ramanujan. The house is
flanked by two unlikely neighbours (who were most certainly not there when Ramaujan was around) :
- A meat-vending, "non-vegetarian" restaurant (Ramanujan was a strict vegetarian coming from an orthodox Hindu,
Brahmin family).
Surprisingly, this incongruous neighbour is also located at a stone's throw from a very important
and sacred Hindu temple. (But, why should anyone care for such trivia ?).
- A huge store/shop selling construction materials.
Take a a video tour of his house.
The saving grace comes from the efforts of a
nearby University which has acquired the house,
and made it into a memorial monument for the greatest modern
mathematician born in India. But for this initiative, Ramanujan's house
would have been long since devoured by these business-minded commercant neighbours.
The place is very cleanly maintained, and is open the
whole day (usual working hours), seven days a week, with free-of-cost entry, and must be visited by all admirers of mathematics.
|

Better late than never.
|
The school where Srinivasa Ramanujan studied
This 152 year old school
(known earlier as Town High School), boasts of having initiated Ramanujan
into mathematics. It has now on proud display, a bust of its most famous student. Many people visit this
school today, to draw inspiration from the
"man who knew infinity".
This school is a landmark in itself, and is located in Kumbakonam downtown. Ramanujan's home
(mentioned above) is just about a kilometre away (approximately a 15 minute walk).
|
The next time you visit Kumbakonam, make sure you drop in at the above two places.

The temples I visited in Kumbakonam.
Take a look at this

GOR book.
|
More about Ramanujan :
- Try this quiz first:
How much do you know about Ramanujan ? 
- This page, belonging to a very good site for maths biographies, contains many useful links. I found (and have reported) a minor error in this page, concerning
Ramanujan's place of death.
- Here is a must-see website devoted to Ramanujan
- Essentials of Ramanujan's mathematics
- Video : The letter which started it all !
- Why is Ramanujan still jobless ?

- Ramanujan chronology
Notice the ridiculous bloomer -- Ramanujan was born in 1887, and he started going to school in 1882 ! (Are we not talking about a mathematician ?) I have pointed this out to the institution where I found this. They have still not understood their faux pas.
- The story of Janaki ammal -- Ramanujan's wife
- She knew the man who knew infinity.
- Ramanujan and the taxi cab
- Ramanujan and the taxi cab... again

- Why is 1729 so special ?
1729 and Ramanujan
- Why is 251 called the taxi cab's little brother ?
- 163 and Ramanujan
- What is so special about this magic square
?
- There is no magic !
- What a coincidence !
- The book which became a famous movie: The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan
- The man who discovered the man who knew infinity
-
When the Professor told a lie
- Ramanujan deserves more than this.
- Ramanujan Maths Park, Kuppam (AP)
Take a look at this video tour of Ramanujan Maths Park, Kuppam (AP).
- Ramanujan Yatra
-- Manjul Bhargava speaks about Ramanujan.
- The SASTRA Ramanujan Prize , our way of paying
tribute to the genius from Kumbakonam.
- ICTP, Trieste, Italy awards the The DST-ICTP-IMU Ramanujan
Prize for young mathematicians from developing countries.
- It took almost a century, and a Professor from Tokyo,
to locate
the house where Ramanujan was born !
- Did the stars foretell anything ?
- Ramanujan in the news
- Sadhguru explains the secret of Ramanujan's genius.
- Take a look at some maths-related books
- We are still not taking Ramanujan seriously:
Example #1 |
Example #2 I have informed both the concerned
parties, to correct their errors.
- When a mother
almost killed her own son
-
The mystery of the illness which killed him.
- A Professor's saddest job : Obituary note by G H Hardy
- How his last contribution to maths :
"mock theta functions" was
lost and found later by accident.
And a video from the person who helped restrieve this treasure.
- A Pakistani look at Ramanujan (video)
- Have you heard about the The blackened coarse elbow of Ramanujan ?
- An extra-ordinary documentary :
The Mathematician & His Legacy 
- Yet another extra-ordinary documentary :
The genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan (by Vigyan Prasar and IISER-Pune).
- The Sequel :
After Ramanujan left us

- Prizes and awards for mathematicians
- Meet
Swami Ramanujananda
- Glimpses of Ramanujan The complete story
|
Only a genius can think of something like this:
Thank GOD ! We did'nt have to learn this in school.
|
Anti-climax
I feel sad to report these discoveries:
Where ignorance is bliss
Where ignorance is bliss ... a
sequel.
The mystery of the missing museum
Take a look at :
Casting pearls before ...
Remembering Ramanujan
Like this page ? Send me a mail !
You can also support this site and encourage the author
|