Page 18 - Ramanujan Yatra
P. 18
On Growing Dhyan Chands
and Ramanujans
Vivek Monteiro
How many Indians would figure in the list of top 100 mathematicians of the 20th century? Srinivasa Ramanujan, India’s most outstanding mathematician in several centuries, would probably be included in the top ten. However, India’s share in the list is far smaller than its
share in the world’s population.
Many writings on Ramanujan idolize and mystify him, as if his achievement was the outcome of some divine intervention. When we label something as superhuman we do a disservice to the society. It is an abdication of responsibility, an admission of defeat, an acceptance of impossibility. In fact, we should be closely studying the path and the process by which Ramanujan grew to become such a great mathematician in order to understand how to grow more Ramanujans in the years to come.
Ramanujan himself was far more realistic about his achievements. Robert Kanigel, Ramanujan’s biographer, writes:
“..... K.S. Srinivasan, a student at Madras Christian College who’d known Ramanujan back in Kumbakonam, dropped by to see him at Summer House.
“Ramanju,” he said, “they call you a genius.”
“Hardly a genius”, replied Ramanujan, “Look at my elbow. That will tell you the story.” It was rough, dirty, and black. Working from his large slate, he found the quick flip between writing hand and erasing elbow a lot faster, when he was caught up in the throes of his work, than reaching for a rag. “My elbow is making a genius of me,” he said.”
Ramanujan
YATRA
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