The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

The opening chapter explores the significant early influences on Ramanujan’s life, beginning with his mother, Komalatammal, whose role in her son’s life was far more central than his father’s. Kanigel points out that “in India, strong ties between mother and son are legendary; close indeed must have been the relationship between Ramanujan and his mother that even his Indian biographers invariably saw fit to comment upon it” (19). In addition to providing Ramanujan with typical maternal nurturing, Komalatammal also influenced the shape of Ramanujan’s worldview. Kanigel says that from Komalatammal, “Ramanujan absorbed tradition, mastered the doctrines of caste, learned the puranas […] in short, what he must do, and what he must never do, in order to be a good Brahmin boy” (19). Later chapters reveal that Komalatammal also imposed herself on his life by arranging his marriage when he was a young man. She encouraged him to pursue his intellectual abilities and afforded him the space to do so; however, all of that was expected to happen within the confines of tradition and caste.

One of the more significant legacies passed onto Ramanujan by his mother was a strong belief in the divine. Toward the end of the chapter, Kanigel explains why he rejects the assertion of Ramanujan’s acquaintances that he was not religious. Kanigel discusses how Ramanujan attributed his mathematical gifts to the family deity, Namagiri. He then poses the rhetorical question “Did he believe it?” (36). Kanigel’s answer is an emphatic yes, and he locates Ramanujan’s belief in divinity in Komalatammal’s influence. She certainly believed what Ramanujan claimed; she had likewise experienced divine intervention in the mere fact of Ramanujan’s birth. Kanigel says of Komalatammal, “her son’s birth, after long prayer to Namagiri, had only intensified her devotion, made her more fervent in her belief” (36). Komalatammal was a devout believer, and there is no real evidence to suggest that Ramanujan was any different. In fact, Kanigel says that “Ramanujan absorbed [his faith] from her” (36). Ramanujan was highly influenced by the spirituality that his mother passed down to him. Kanigel says of Ramanujan’s faith that “he did not deny the unseen realm of the spirit, nor even hold it at arm’s length; rather, he embraced it” (32). He says that Ramanujan “attributed to the gods his ability to navigate through the shoals of mathematical texts written in a foreign language” (30). Exploring the theme of Religion Versus Reason, he suggests that Ramanujan found a way to incorporate both perspectives in thinking about himself. Kanigel does not try to convince the reader of the validity of Ramanujan’s religious beliefs; instead, he argues that in order to fully understand Ramanujan the man, one must understand how he saw his own skills and gifts. With the influence of his mother, Ramanujan was a spiritual man who believed that ultimate answers of existence were always outside the reach of human reason and could only be found by looking to the divine.