This man whose father worked in sari shop, married 10-year-old girl at 21, later turned out to be one of most famous mathematicians, but lost life at just 32, he was...

Among the world’s greatest mathematicians like Leonhard Euler, Carl Gauss, and Carl Jacobi, there’s a common thread, they were all professionally trained. But Srinivasa Ramanujan (22 December 1887–26 April 1920) was different. He taught himself mathematics and believed his ideas were divine blessings from Goddess Namagiri Thayar of the Namakkal temple. In fact, Ramanujan once said, “An equation for me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God."

Born into a modest family in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, Ramanujan's father worked in a sari shop, and his mother played an important role in his early education. In 1909, at the age of 21, he married a ten-year-old girl named Janakiammal. Though they had no children, Janakiammal’s life story is remarkable too.

Ramanujan’s love for mathematics was so deep that he lost his scholarship and later dropped out of college. At just 18, he even left home after a misunderstanding, an incident that was reported in The Hindu newspaper under the headline “A Missing Boy.”

Well-Wishers Who Recognized His Talent

His talent caught the attention of Ramaswamy Aiyer, founder of the Indian Mathematical Society. With his support, Ramanujan published his first paper, “Some Properties of Bernoulli Numbers," in 1910. Over time, he published 12 papers in the Society's journal. He later got a clerical job at Madras Port Trust and became the University of Madras’ first research scholar.

Following advice from his mentors, Ramanujan wrote letters to famous British mathematicians. After several rejections, in 1913, he sent a letter to G.H. Hardy at Cambridge University. Hardy immediately recognized Ramanujan's extraordinary talent and invited him to England.

Ramanujan travelled to England in March 1914 and stayed for five years, becoming one of the most famous mathematicians of his time despite World War I raging around him. He solved many complex problems and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and Trinity College, Cambridge — huge honors.

Years later, in 2012, mathematician Ken Ono solved a problem Ramanujan had written about in his final letter — work that even connects to modern theories like black holes!

Ramanujan’s most celebrated contributions include number theory, infinite series, modular forms, and mock theta functions. A visit to the Ramanujan Museum in Chennai, created by P.K. Srinivasan, can help students understand his genius better.

The Life of Janakiammal After Ramanujan

After Ramanujan’s death at just 32, Janakiammal lived independently in Chennai. She supported herself through tailoring and later adopted a boy, W. Narayanan, raising him with care and love. Janakiammal lived a long life, passing away in 1994 at the age of 94. She often fondly remembered her time caring for Ramanujan.

Thanks to support from various governments and institutions, Janakiammal lived with dignity. Today, Ramanujan’s name stands proudly among the giants of Indian mathematics like Aryabhata and Bhaskara.