Meet man who questioned Einstein’s theory, was called ‘Genius of Genius’, worked with NASA, but later turned...

India has given birth to many geniuses and one of them has even challenged Einstein’s theory, E = mc². This man from Bihar experienced a mental illness and despite this succeeded at highest academic levels. Vashishtha Narayan Singh was born in 1942 in the village of Basantpur. His father was a police constable.  

He did his schooling from Jharkhand’s Netarhat School and then pursued a bachelor’s degree from Patna Science College. Vashishtha Narayan showed remarkable excellence in both BSc and MSc degrees. Soon after this, in 1964, he had yet another success in academics by topping the UGC’s unified Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) exam. 

Vashishtha Narayan Singh is an Indian mathematician genius, who passed all milestones of success throughout his education and career life. After topping engineering courses, JRF exam, he collaborated with world’s top institutions like NASA, IIT, and the University of California, Berkeley. Even though he struggled with mental health issues, particularly schizophrenia, he did not let his mental condition get in the way of his achievements. 

Having exceptionally great mental skills, he made a name worldwide as his achievements got recognition from international institutions and other geniuses. Some of his admirers even claimed that he questioned Einstein’s famous E = MC² theory and Gauss’s theory. After acknowledging his great mind, Berkeley University conferred upon him the title of ‘Genius of Genius’. 

There are several claims regarding being recruited by NASA to solve one of their technical issues and assisting them in one of their projects.   

Narayan Singh earned his PhD in 1969, and Prof. John L. Kelly recognized his remarkable intellect and recommended him to the University of California, Berkeley. He therefore spent nine years in the US and returned to India, where he taught at all top institutes like IIT Kanpur, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata.  Due to his illness, his marriage ended in 1976, and his fame began to diminish. Some media reports said that he mysteriously disappeared during a train journey. When he was found years later, he was living as a destitute in his home village.