CHICAGO: Indian Americans have pitched for a “Ramanujan International Mathematics Museum & Library” in the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan’s birthtown of Erode (Tamil Nadu, India) to mark his 125th birth anniversary which fell on December 22.
Prof Ghanshyam Pandey, an Indian scientist at University of Illinois Chicago said that that Ramanujan did remarkable work to bring glory to India and it was now the turn of India to pay him a befitting tribute. Had he emerged in a city of advanced learning from a family of noted mathematicians, his accomplishments would still have been stunning, but he was born into a poor family of no notable professional attainments in a part of the world where hardly anyone could understand even the nature of his talents. The obstacles to his achieving his goal of becoming a professional mathematician were by reasonable assessment insurmountable. Yet he did, and people around the world still marvel at attainments of Srinavasa Ramanujan, Prof Pandey added.
Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) said that Ramanujan was a deeply religious person, a devout Hindu and a strict vegetarian. This proved that science and religion could go hand in hand. The museum would be an appropriate tribute in Ramanujan’s memory and it would inspire the coming generations.
He argued that the Indian government and Tamil Nadu State government should work together, seeking assistance from University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) of which Ramanjuan was an alumni, to make this international monument a reality.
University of Cambridge and Indian Institutes of Technology should also institute research chairs in mathematics in Ramanjuan’s name honoring his legacy, Rajan Zed added.
Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920), a renowned mathematician, autodidact and natural genius; born to a poor family; made extraordinary contributions to various areas of mathematics at a young age with very little formal training.
Suri Swamy
