The special supplement, “Ramanujan@125” (Dec. 26), was a pleasant surprise. We, Indians, know only very little of the man who knew the infinity. Wide coverage of the great mathematician, S. Ramanujan, and his work will surely enable us to understand the man who still remains a mystery. The Hindu has proved yet again that it is a leader in whatever it does.
S. Shanmuganathan,
Bangalore
It was great pleasure to see the letter of Seenivasa Raghava Ayangar written in 1905, about the “missing boy” who left home due to “some misunderstanding.” It was remarkable to see the reproduction of the letter written 106 years ago.
U. Jumana Afrin,
Dindigul
It was unique of The Hindu to have brought out the special supplement, highlighting the life of the great mathematician, S. Ramanujan. The interview in the Op-ed page with Robert Kanigel, whose book The Man Who Knew Infinity made non-mathematicians understand Ramanujan, was also interesting.
I would like to draw attention to the pioneering work of P.K. Srinivasan, who single-handedly published the first biography of Ramanujan in two volumes, interviewing several persons. Known as Ramanujadasan, he founded the Ramanujan Museum in Royapuram with the help of one of his old students. It is a must-see for all those who want to have a peep into the mathematician's life.
S.S. Rajagopalan,
Chennai
Much has been said and written about the great mathematician after his death. But the supplement went beyond Ramanujan's contribution and celebrated Mathematics itself. The article “For a career in mathematics” will certainly motivate today's students to study the subject which is both a science and an art.
Mala Ashok,
Chennai
Jawaharlal Nehru said in The Discovery of India : “Ramanujan's brief life and death are symbolic of conditions in India. Of our millions how few get any education at all, how many live on the verge of starvation; of even those who get some education how many have nothing to look forward to but a clerkship in some office on a pay that is usually far less than the unemployment dole in England. If life opened its gates to them and offered them food and healthy conditions of living and education and opportunities of growth, how many among these millions could be eminent scientists, educationists, technicians, industrialists, writers and artists, helping to build a new India and a new world.”
G.T. Sampathkumarachar,
Mysore
When Robert Kanigel arrived in Chennai in November 1988 to do research for his book on S. Ramanujan, there were no cabs to take him from the airport to his hotel, as there was a bandh. A friend of mine V. Viswanathan (now in the U.S.), grandson of Narayana Iyer (the mentor of Ramanujan when he worked for the Madras Port Trust), had also arrived on the same flight from London. He found one autorickshaw which already had a passenger. He offered the stranded foreigner a lift and Mr. Kanigel readily accepted it.
While talking to him, Mr. Viswanathan learnt that Mr. Kanigel was in Chennai to do some study on S.R. and meet some of his relatives. He told the foreigner that he had already met someone whose grandfather was S.R.'s mentor.
K.R.A. Narasiah,
Chennai
