The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

“All the World Seemed Young Again”

As the war came to a close, there were signs that Ramanujan’s health was improving. Colleagues began discussing his return to India. Hardy made a visit to Ramanujan at a nursing home, and Kanigel describes a very famous anecdote involving his taxicab number, 1729. Prior to his return home, Ramanujan had been offered, and had accepted, a professorship at the university in Madras. In the time between the armistice and his departure, Ramanujan worked through his illness, and it was clear that his mathematical acumen had not diminished. Meanwhile, his reputation in India grew and became legendary. In April 1919, he made the return voyage to his native land.

Return to the Cauvery

Ramanujan was met upon his arrival in India by his mother and brother, but not by his wife. Komalatammal wanted to bring Ramanujan to a temple for a purification ceremony, but she decided against it because he was visibly ill. When he was finally reunited with Janaki, they forged an actual husband-and-wife relationship. Ramanujan had left India when she was 13, and now that she was 18, their relationship proceeded as a married couple. They spoke frequently, and Ramanujan was kind to her. However, after some time at home, with his health continuing to deteriorate, Ramanujan became quarrelsome with her and just about everyone else in his life. During this time, he had a major confrontation with his mother. Eventually, Ramanujan and his family moved further inland to a more arid climate in the hope that it would help his health improve.

The Final Problem

Although Ramanujan had been suffering from his illness, he was still working on mathematics. In fact, in a 1920 letter to Hardy, he presented an idea that by one estimate demonstrated “one of the most original pieces of mathematics” (322). Kanigel addresses the idea that near-death tuberculosis patients often had these razor-sharp moments of insight. In those days, many saw this as a product of the disease itself. As Ramanujan’s illness became worse, he began losing the will to live. His end was becoming more inevitable with each passing day. Ramanujan finally died on April 26, 1920, at the age of 32.

A Son of India

Much of this section describes how Ramanujan’s legacy was formed. His fellow citizens would eventually regard him as one of the foremost Indians of the modern era, alongside the likes of Gandhi and Nehru. Kanigel describes the belief of Ramanujan’s doctor that failing to accurately diagnose Ramanujan with tuberculosis early on was a catastrophic mistake. The doctor implied that Ramanujan’s death could have been prevented by an accurate early diagnosis. Ramanujan’s death was especially difficult for his mother, who never fully recovered from the loss. Janaki eventually distanced herself from Komalatammal and the rest of Ramanujan’s family. Hardy was devastated by the news of Ramanujan’s death. In response, he helped curate his old friend’s work so that it would live beyond him. Kanigel closes the section by discussing how Ramanujan’s work began influencing a new generation of mathematicians.

Ramanujan Reborn

In 1957, Ramanujan’s original notebooks in facsimile were discovered. This was significant in that it showed his work before it was edited by Hardy. Kanigel points to milestone dates, many of which are important in the scholarly study of Ramanujan. Kanigel discusses Ramanujan’s hypothesis, also known as the tau conjecture, and how it interested mathematicians in the latter half of the 20th century.

Better Blast Furnaces?

A debate arose in the sciences as to how Ramanujan’s work might be applied to physics and chemistry, thus applying utilitarian approaches to pure mathematics, something that Hardy would have roundly objected to. Kanigel discusses various ways Ramanujan’s work has been “brought to bear on practical problems” (347). He also shows how Ramanujan’s work has been extended in pure mathematics and other theoretical endeavors, such as its influence in string theory. By the late 1980s, Ramanujan’s reputation had become legendary, and a nationwide commemoration of the centennial of his birth took place in 1987. Meanwhile, Janaki, who had initially retreated into a quiet life away from the spotlight, gradually became more outspoken and garnered more attention.

Svayambhu

Kanigel explores the apparent contradiction represented by Ramanujan’s academic experience and the lingering concern that he had to move away to gain legitimacy. Kanigel discusses how others perceive this contradiction. Although Ramanujan was impoverished, he was still of the Brahmin caste, which allowed him an elevated place in society. Kanigel uses this to discuss how educational systems in India at the time may have prevented those less fortunate from exercising their own gifts. Finally, Kanigel mentions that part of Ramanujan’s legacy is the idea that he was self-made and self-willed. (The title of this section, “Svayambhu,” means “Self-born.”) Ramanujan stands as a representation of the power of the individual.