Srinivasa Ramanujan - Adulthood in India

Adulthood in India

On 14 July 1909, Ramanujan was married to a nine-year old bride, Janaki Ammal (21 March 1899 - 13 April 1994). After the marriage, Ramanujan developed a hydrocele testis, an abnormal swelling of the tunica vaginalis, an internal membrane in the testicle. The condition could be treated with a routine surgical operation that would release the blocked fluid in the scrotal sac. His family did not have the money for the operation, but in January 1910, a doctor volunteered to do the surgery for free.

After his successful surgery, Ramanujan searched for a job. He stayed at friends' houses while he went door to door around the city of Madras (now Chennai) looking for a clerical position. To make some money, he tutored some students at Presidency College who were preparing for their F.A. exam.

In late 1910, Ramanujan was sick again, possibly as a result of the surgery earlier in the year. He feared for his health, and even told his friend, R. Radakrishna Iyer, to "hand these over to Professor Singaravelu Mudaliar or to the British professor Edward B. Ross, of the Madras Christian College." After Ramanujan recovered and got back his notebooks from Iyer, he took a northbound train from Kumbakonam to Villupuram, a coastal city under French control.

Read more about this topic:  Srinivasa Ramanujan

Famous quotes containing the words adulthood in, adulthood and/or india:

    One of the most highly valued functions of used parents these days is to be the villains of their children’s lives, the people the child blames for any shortcomings or disappointments. But if your identity comes from your parents’ failings, then you remain forever a member of the child generation, stuck and unable to move on to an adulthood in which you identify yourself in terms of what you do, not what has been done to you.
    Frank Pittman (20th century)

    One of the most highly valued functions of used parents these days is to be the villains of their children’s lives, the people the child blames for any shortcomings or disappointments. But if your identity comes from your parents’ failings, then you remain forever a member of the child generation, stuck and unable to move on to an adulthood in which you identify yourself in terms of what you do, not what has been done to you.
    Frank Pittman (20th century)

    But nothing in India is identifiable, the mere asking of a question causes it to disappear or to merge in something else.
    —E.M. (Edward Morgan)