Srinivasa Ramanujan, Mathematician
Mathematician

Srinivasa Ramanujan

Born 22 December 1887 · Tamil Nadu — Died 26 April 1920

Discovered the Ramanujan prime and made groundbreaking contributions to number theory.

Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar was an Indian mathematician who worked during the early 20th century. Despite having almost no formal training in pure mathematics, he made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions, including solutions to mathematical problems then considered unsolvable.

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A detail that
surprised us

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Ramanujan believed many of his mathematical ideas came from visions of the Hindu goddess Namagiri appearing in his dreams.

The Story

1
In 1913, from the small town of Kumbakonam, Ramanujan sent a letter filled with groundbreaking theorems to G.H. Hardy at Cambridge, sparking one of the most unusual academic correspondences in history.
2
🌟 Despite no formal university degree and losing a scholarship in 1904 for neglecting all subjects but math, he published a paper on Bernoulli numbers in 1911 that caught attention in the Indian Mathematical Society.
3In 1914, Ramanujan traveled to England, becoming the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, where Hardy called some of his results "defeated me completely; I had never seen anything like them before."
4🌟 Ramanujan compiled nearly 3,900 mathematical results, many completely novel, including the mysterious mock theta functions discovered within his last year and only brought to light decades after his death.

🏅 Awards & Honours

—
Fellow of the Royal Society

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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Ramanujan independently compiled nearly 3,900 results, many of which were later proven correct, despite lacking formal proofs himself.

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Through the Years

1 photograph from the archives
Srinivasa Ramanujan seated with mathematician K. Ananda Rau in a historical photograph.
Srinivasa Ramanujan seated with mathematician K. Ananda Rau in a historical photograph.

🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Birth in Erode, Tamil Nadu
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born into a Tamil Brahmin family in British India, setting the stage for his unique blend of cultural and mathematical heritage.
1887
📚
Education
Scholarship to University of Madras
Ramanujan secured a scholarship but lost it in 1904 due to neglecting all subjects but mathematics.
1903
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Publication
First published paper on Bernoulli numbers
Ramanujan published a paper in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society, gaining early recognition.
1911
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Career
Correspondence with G. H. Hardy begins
Ramanujan sent letters to Hardy at Cambridge, who recognized his extraordinary talent.
1913
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Career
Travels to Cambridge University
Ramanujan moved to England and later became the first Indian Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.
1914
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Death
Return to India due to illness
Ramanujan returned home suffering from hepatic amoebiasis and declining health.
1919
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Death
Death at age 32
Ramanujan died in Madras, leaving behind thousands of unpublished and published results.
1920
More moments to come...
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 04
🔍LESSER KNOWN

His "lost notebook," rediscovered in 1976, contained discoveries from the last year of his life that continue to reveal new mathematical insights.

02 / 04
👤PERSONAL

Ramanujan lost his University of Madras scholarship in 1904 for neglecting all subjects except mathematics, despite showing extraordinary genius in math.

03 / 04
💡SURPRISING

The English mathematician G. H. Hardy described some of Ramanujan's theorems as completely novel, stating they "defeated me completely."

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"An equation for me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God."

— Srinivasa Ramanujan

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
Srinivasa Ramanujan: The Mathematician and His Legacy
More from this archive
Srinivasa Ramanujan: The Mathematician and His Legacy
01
Srinivasa Ramanujan: The Mathematician and His Legacy
The Genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan | Vigyan Prasar | IISER Pune
02
The Genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan | Vigyan Prasar | IISER Pune
Untold Story of Ramanujan: The Man Who Knew Infinity | The Sad Story of India's Math Prodigy
03
Untold Story of Ramanujan: The Man Who Knew Infinity | The Sad Story of India's Math Prodigy
The Sad Story of the Math Prodigy from India
04
The Sad Story of the Math Prodigy from India
RAMANUJAN: Letters from an Indian Clerk
05
RAMANUJAN: Letters from an Indian Clerk
Janakiammal Ramanujan 1987 Channel 4 "Equinox" Interview
06
Janakiammal Ramanujan 1987 Channel 4 "Equinox" Interview
A Self-Taught Genius - Srinivasa Ramanujan
07
A Self-Taught Genius - Srinivasa Ramanujan
Ramanujan: Genius Formula That Revolutionized Pi Calculation
08
Ramanujan: Genius Formula That Revolutionized Pi Calculation
Richard Feynman Explains Why GENIUS RAMANUJAN Got Math Answers In His Dreams
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Richard Feynman Explains Why GENIUS RAMANUJAN Got Math Answers In His Dreams
Ramanujan's Mathematical Legacy Inspires Facebook Founder
10
Ramanujan's Mathematical Legacy Inspires Facebook Founder

🌱 What changed because of them

Ramanujan’s notebooks and theorems have created entire new fields in number theory and infinite series, influencing institutions such as the University of Cambridge and inspiring the creation of The Ramanujan Journal dedicated to his work. His life story challenged academic norms and opened doors for Indian scholars worldwide, reshaping global mathematical research approaches.

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