National Mathematics Day: Know the History and Significance of the Day

Every year, December 22 is celebrated as National Mathematics Day in remembrance of the birth anniversary of one of the brilliant minds of the country, Srinivasa Ramanujan. The legendary mathematician was born on December 22, 1887, in a small village of Erode in Madras Presidency, British India. The day marks the importance of mathematics in the development of our nation and honours the amazing works of Srinivas Ramanujan. 

History of the day 

In 2012, Former Prime Minister Dr Manhmohan Singh declared 22 December as National Mathematics Day. The announcement was made during Singh's  visit to the Madras University on Ramanujan’s 125th birth anniversary. 

Srinivasa Ramanujan 

Born on 22 December, 1887, in a Tamil Brahmin family in the city of Erode, Srinivas Ramanujan was known as ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ for his infinite love and contribution to mathematics. At the age of 26, the University of Cambridge invited him for his statements on 120 mathematical theorems on infinite series, continued fractions, improper integrals and number theory.

He became the first Indian to be elected as a Fellow at Trinity College. He was also the youngest Fellow of Royal Society in London for his work on Elliptic functions and theory of numbers. After compiling more than 3,000 mathematical results and equations, he returned to India in 1919 and the following year he passed away due to tuberculosis. 

Significance of the day 

National Mathematics Day is celebrated in the country to honour the mathematical assertions made by Ramanujan, which opened new arenas of mathematical research.