The Department of Elementary Education in Lady Shri Ram College for Women organised a seminar on the occasion of National Mathematics Day on 22nd December 2023 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the legendary mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan. The event, comprised a captivating talk by Dr. T.V. Venkateshwaran and a hands-on workshop session by Dr. Jonaki Ghosh. The session aimed to shed light on the enigmatic life of Ramanujan, offering insights into his mathematical genius and the impact of his groundbreaking work.
Dr. T.V. Venkateshwaran, Visiting professor IISER Mohali and Former scientist, Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science and Technology, delivered a talk on the life and work of Srinivasa Ramanujan highlighting the enigma, inspiration, and hope encapsulated within the life of this great mathematician. He shared several anecdotes, unravelling the mystery behind Ramanujan’s unparalleled contributions to mathematics. He highlighted important mathematical discoveries by Ramanujan which can be understood by everyone, such as, finding the sum of natural numbers to infinity. The session included a presentation featuring the original letters written by Ramanujan to Hardy and his work related to the zeta function, offering a deep understanding of the mathematical mystique that surrounded him. Dr. Venkateshwaran shared insights into Ramanujan’s unconventional methods, such as writing on paper from top to bottom, bottom to top, and from left to right using different coloured ink. He also highlighted Ramanujan’s incredible work and the astonishing number of formulas invented by him—3254 in his short life span of 32 years. Dr. Venkateshwaran addressed misconceptions about Ramanujan’s mathematical abilities, emphasising that despite initial setbacks, and lack of an privileged background, he persevered and became a great mathematician. The speaker discussed Ramanujan’s contributions to mathematics, including his work on Fermat’s equation, Diophantine equation, Euler’s equation, and the invention of the smallest number expressible as the cubes of two numbers. Dr. Venkateshwaran concluded the talk by emphasising how Ramanujan’s life serves as an inspiration not only to mathematicians but to everyone. He shared many personal anecdotes, and insights which led him to make a film based on Ramanujan’s life in collaboration with IISER Pune
Following the enlightening talk, participants engaged in a hands-on workshop conducted by Dr. Jonaki Ghosh. The workshop provided a unique opportunity to participants to delve into interesting problems which are connected to Ramanujan’s work. The session began with a discussion on the well known house number problem which is connected with Ramanujan’s interaction with P C Mahalanobis during his days in Cambridge. The problem was explored mathematically as well as numerically on MS Excel. Dr. Jonaki Ghosh demonstrated that the appropriate use of technology can lend deeper insight into mathematical problems which can be explored by school students at a fairly young age. She also introduced participants to Magic Squares, which made the session both fascinating and engaging.
The National Mathematics Day celebration, spearheaded by the Department of Elementary Education, was a resounding success. The insightful talk by Dr. T.V. Venkateshwaran and the interactive workshop by Dr. Jonaki Ghosh left participants inspired and enriched, fostering a deeper appreciation for the life and contributions of Srinivasa Ramanujan. The event served as a testament to the department’s commitment to promoting mathematical excellence and commemorating the legacy of one of the greatest mathematicians of all time.
