Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan, who played mathematician Anand Kumar in Super 30, is shocked and saddened to hear the news about the death of mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh, 74, passed away on Thursday following a prolonged illness. His death has shocked many people across the country and Hrithik Roshan is one of them. Soon after hearing the news, the Bollywood superstar took to his Twitter account today express his sadness over his death.
Actor Hrithik Roshan tweeted, "Not many people know that yesterday we lost one of the biggest mathematicians that India produced in the modern era. Vashishtha Narayan Singh, born in a village in Bihar, solved some of the most difficult equations of mathematics. Deeply saddened by his demise."
As Hrithik Roshan said, not many people know about Vashishtha Narayan Singh and his achievements. We bring you some interesting facts about this mathematician who questioned Albert Einstein's theory. Scroll down to see them.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh was born on April 2, 1942, at Basantpur village in Bhojpur district. His father Lal Bahadur Singh was a constable and mother Lahaso Devi was a housewife. He received his primary and secondary education from Netarhat Residential School. He was a bright student and secured the first rank in higher secondary examination in the state.
Vashishtha was admitted to Patna Science College (PSC) and opted for honours in mathematics in BSc Part I. He used to irritate the teachers by asking so many questions. Impressed with him, NS Nagendra Nath, the then principal of PSC, requested the then Patna University vice-chancellor George Jacob to allow him to appear for the BSc final year examination before completing the first year.
Having granted permission, Vashishtha emerged the topper in the BSc final examination. During an international conference, NS Nagendra Nath introduced him to John L Kelley from California University. Impressed with him, Johan invited him for research. Besides getting a scholarship, he also became his doctoral advisor. Vashishtha received PhD in Reproducing Kernels and Operators with a Cyclic Vector in 1969.
Vashishtha served prestigious institutions
After returning to India, Vashishtha served prestigious institutions like IIT-Kanpur, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research-Mumbai and Indian Statistical Institute-Kolkata. He was married to an Army officer's daughter in 1974. He suffered from schizophrenia due to a mismatch in his married life and the disappointment in his professional career. His wife left him due to his illness after a few years.
He was admitted to the Central Institute of Psychiatry in Ranchi and released in 1985. He went missing and was found picking rags in Chapra in February 1993. The then Union HRD minister Arjun Singh arranged for his treatment at NIMHANS, Bangalore. He was felicitated at Patna Science College. Later, he again fell ill and remained confined in his native home. After his condition deteriorated, he was brought to PMCH a few days back and breathed his last there.
