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Remembering Ramanujan

drpartha@gmail.com

22 December 1887 -- 26 April 1920

About the author

Who says maths is boring ?

nat-maths-day 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 :
  1. The house where Srinivasa Ramanujan lived.

  2. The school where Srinivasa Ramanujan studied.

The house where Srinivasa Ramanujan lived

18 Sarangapani Sannidhi Street, Kumbakonam.

ramnujanhouse1

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. video-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.
ramanujanhouse3


Better late than never.

The school where Srinivasa Ramanujan studied

ramanujanschool1     carrbook

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.

ramanujanschool6

ramnujanschool7

The temples I visited in Kumbakonam.

Take a look at this
ISBN
GOR book.



More about Ramanujan :
  1. Try this quiz first:
    How much do you know about Ramanujan ? pdf


  2. 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.

  3. Here is a must-see website devoted to Ramanujan

  4. Essentials of Ramanujan's mathematics
  5. Video : The letter which started it all ! video
  6. Why is Ramanujan still jobless ? pdf
  7. Ramanujan chronology pdf 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.
  8. The story of Janaki ammal -- Ramanujan's wife pdf
  9. She knew the man who knew infinity.
  10. Ramanujan and the taxi cab
  11. Ramanujan and the taxi cab... again pdf
  12. Why is 1729 so special ?
    1729 and Ramanujan video
  13. Why is 251 called the taxi cab's little brother ?
  14. 163 and Ramanujan video
  15. What is so special about this magic square video ?
  16. There is no magic ! pdf
  17. What a coincidence !
  18. The book which became a famous movie: The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan
  19. The man who discovered the man who knew infinity
  20. When the Professor told a lie
  21. Ramanujan deserves more than this.
  22. Ramanujan Maths Park, Kuppam (AP)
    Take a look at this video tour of Ramanujan Maths Park, Kuppam (AP).
  23. Ramanujan Yatra video -- Manjul Bhargava speaks about Ramanujan.
  24. The SASTRA Ramanujan Prize , our way of paying tribute to the genius from Kumbakonam.
  25. ICTP, Trieste, Italy awards the The DST-ICTP-IMU Ramanujan Prize for young mathematicians from developing countries.
  26. It took almost a century, and a Professor from Tokyo,
    to locate the house where Ramanujan was born !
  27. Did the stars foretell anything ?
  28. Ramanujan in the news
  29. Sadhguru explains the secret of Ramanujan's genius.
  30. Take a look at some maths-related books
  31. We are still not taking Ramanujan seriously:
    Example #1
    | Example #2
    I have informed both the concerned parties, to correct their errors.
  32. When a mother almost killed her own son
  33. The mystery of the illness which killed him.
  34. A Professor's saddest job : Obituary note by G H Hardy
  35. 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. video
  36. A Pakistani look at Ramanujan (video) video
  37. Have you heard about the The blackened coarse elbow of Ramanujan ?

  38. An extra-ordinary documentary :
    The Mathematician & His Legacy video

  39. Yet another extra-ordinary documentary :
    The genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan video
    (by Vigyan Prasar and IISER-Pune).

  40. The Sequel : After Ramanujan left uspdf
  41. Prizes and awards for mathematicians
  42. Meet Swami Ramanujananda
  43. Glimpses of Ramanujan The complete story
Only a genius can think of something like this:

ugly pdf

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


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