'Dreamt and its there' is not always possible for normal person without ample efforts. But story is different for Ramanujan, a self taught mathematician, who in his 32 years of life span on this earth has gifted his dreams to whole world who never shied of making effort of any extent. It was a moment of surprise for Prof G.H.Hardy of Cambridge University when he received a letter of formulas from a Indian clerk from Madras. What was peculiar about these formulas was that there was no proof. He tried to solve some of them but as said Hardy himself described " for most of them he remained defeated." He understood that this must be a work of a mathematician of higher class.
Ramanujan was not just a mathematician of higher class but a maths wizard. Once introduced to the subject when he was 10, never stopped. he started solving trigonometric equations at age of 12, cubic equations at 14 and even devised his own formula for solving quartic equations. He was so focused in maths that he failed in any other subject. Failed in college for two consequent years, he left college without degree and started his independent research in mathematics in which he excelled. His life was not at all so simple as it appeared but it was curvy one with lot of roadblocks. there was also an incident when he ran away from his home after some misunderstanding with his family. He was married a very early age and took a job in Port Trust Office, Madras. But he always fostered his curiosity for various aspects of mathematics. Ramanujan credited most of his ideas were told to him by family goddess, Namagiri of Namakkal who came in his dreams. He often said, “An equation for me has no meaning, unless it represents a thought of God“. This mathematician's insight and how these flashes of insight results in a panorama of wonderful work, will always remain a mystery.
He went to Cambridge as invited by Prof Hardy. Ramanujan knew that he a world of excellent people. they worked together which lead to formation of famous Hardy - Ramanujan collaboration. They published many papers. Hardy was impressed by the intellectual curiosity and fascinating techniques of the genius. what amazed Hardy was Ramanujan's ability to make well informed guesses. His lack of elementary mathematics teaching was reflected in the proofs with shadowy impression for his formulas and theorems. Hardy tried to teach him some elementary mathematics but as Hard himself said He learnt more than him than he taught him. He was the mad mathematician in fond of mathematics. He was first Indian to be become Fellow of Royal College and Trinity College.
His health always had takes his lot of toil. Suffered from smallpox in his childhood and was the sole survivor in his village of this disease. In his last years developed a gastric ulcer and also developed tuberculosis which led him to not more than a bed ridden. But he never stopped playing with numbers. He returned to India but remained in contact with Hardy through letters. a famous incident '1729' when Ramanujan was sick and visited by Hardy. Hardy himself describes it as
“I remember once going to see him when he was ill at Putney . I had ridden in taxi cab number 1729 and remarked that the number seemed to me rather a dull one , and that I hoped it was not an unfavorable omen . "No," he replied, "it is a very interesting number; it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways."
Mathematicians are still searching for proofs for theorem and significance of formulas given by him. His notebooks are like treasure with lot of cryptographic codes for most.
He always believed that like painter presents patterns and poet presents words in a harmonious way, in mathematics when numbers are presented in harmoniously makes it beautiful. There is no place for ugly mathematics.
Really it is apt to describe him as a man who knew infinity.
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