The National Mathematics Day is celebrated every year on December 22 to honour the achievements of great mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. He was born on December 22, 1887, in Erode, Tamil Nadu. The Government of India in December 2011 designated the birth anniversary of Mr Ramanujan as National Mathematics Day (NMD). For the first time, the year 2012 was celebrated as the National Mathematics Year across the country.
Mr Ramanujan emerged from extreme poverty and began his journey to become one of the most influential mathematicians of all times. His mathematical identities and theorems contributed immensely to the frontier areas of mathematics.
Mr Ramanujan is remembered for his contributions to mathematical analysis, infinite series, continued fractions and number theory. He also discovered his own theorems and compiled as many as 3900 results independently. Mr Ramanujan's ideas transformed and reshaped 20th century mathematics and still continue to shape mathematics of the 21st century.
He gave solutions to mathematical problems which were considered unsolvable at that time. Mr Ramunajan's ground-breaking work in the field of mathematics is an inspiration for mathematicians across the world, and his work has inspired extensive research over the years.
India's contribution to mathematics spans from 1200 BCE to 1800 BCE. The decimal number system, concept of zero and negative numbers are India's contribution to the world in addition to its inputs into the fields of arithmetic, algebra and trigonometry. Its classical, as well as golden period, ranged from fourth to sixteenth century, having contributions come from great scholars like Āryabhaṭa, Varāhamihira, Brahmagupta and Bhāskara II.