Author: Aditi Mishra, Grade – IX, Vista International School, Hyderabad.

Srinivasa Ramunajan was a man of astounding ingenuity and intellect whose contributions in mathematics have created waves across the world. He independently formulated more than 3000 correctly proved theorems without any formal training in mathematics. These were so novel and complex that even renowned mathematicians found them difficult to comprehend . While his incredible genius did completely astonish me, his admirable traits aside from his undeniable intellect were my main takeaway from his journey.

From a very young age, Ramanujan possessed a high decree of perseverance and sincerity . At the age of 16 , he received a book containing 5000 theorems , while most children of this age would take it very lightly , Ramanujan read and understood the entire book in detail . His single minded devotion towards his passion – mathematics, and his resilience at times of great adversity when he was drowned in poverty and was starving almost every day really moved me . His journey from the confines of his humble tamil upbringing to facing constant rejections and failures in the outside world to finally establishing his place as one of the greatest mathematicians to ever exist is a reflection of his talent , courage , burning passion and will power , all of which are my learnings from his life.