Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887 to 1920) was born in Erode and grew up in Kumbakonam, largely teaching himself mathematics. In 1913 he wrote to G. H. Hardy at Cambridge, who brought him to England in 1914. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1918 and the first Indian Fellow of Trinity College. His work covers number theory, partitions, infinite series and mock theta functions; the taxi-cab number 1729 story is his. He died aged 32.
Key facts
- Born 1887 in Erode; wrote to Hardy in 1913; went to Cambridge in 1914; FRS 1918; died 1920 aged 32.
- His 'lost notebook' was rediscovered in 1976; his notebooks hold nearly 3,900 results.
- The ICTP Ramanujan Prize (since 2005) is for young mathematicians from developing countries, run by ICTP with the International Mathematical Union.
- Robert Kanigel's 1991 biography 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' became a 2015 film.
Latest
Mahesh Kakde of IISc Bengaluru won the 2026 Ramanujan Prize for work in algebraic number theory.
Why exams ask about it
The day named for him, Hardy, 1729 and the yearly prize winner are the usual questions.