The Ramanujam Fellowship was in the news recently for being the reason why Indian-educated scientists were coming back, leaving behind lucrative careers in the west (News Link).
While this is in itself great news for the country, and a topic to write on about by itself, the subject of this article is something different.
This article reminded me about a movie on the mathematician Ramanujam that I'd seen a few months ago (IMDB Link: The Man Who Knew Infinity). I'd been wanting to write about this great mathematician since then.
I'd read about Ramanujam growing up, as many other high-school children would have. And the Ramanujam Number 1729 (Wikipedia Link). And how numbers were such friends to this true definition of a genius. I'd already read with interest on how it seemed Goddess Namagiri (Wikipedia Link) of Namakkal in Tamil Nadu used to cause intuitions on the solutions, the equations to difficult problems. Answers Ramanujam would arrive at without going through the labour of steps arriving at them. I'd also read about how Prof Hardy was instrumental in recognizing Ramanujam's talent and getting him to England to collaborate with him. I'd also read how Ramanujam passed away at an early age and what at loss to Mathematics this was.
But the movie truly revealed many other aspects of Ramanujam's personal life and hardships which were not known to me, growing up in the era where the Internet's "networks" were just being formed. It was a great movie, who revealed his human side. It was an honest movie. How Ramanujam once even attempted suicide. How despite his professor's commitments and patience with his unscientific talent, was more interested in just going back to the place where his work wouldn't have found its due purpose.
The point I want to highlight in this article is not even this. What I want to point out is that the movie should be watched, to observe and appreciate how the power of intuition is a much greater aspect that the power of reason. At times, or I dare say most times after we've learnt to "hear" it as well as Ramanujam had, we should listen to the voice of intuition than what reason would suggest. Intuition comes from the harmony of Conscience and your God's or Inner Self's grace. It would have to be in harmony with the way things must be. If reason be the pure basis of action, then VIKI from the "I, Robot" film is far from wrong.
While scientific temper and the rigor is needed, it should in my view be a parallel thread. There is a whole world of limitations that we have to leap past, if we have progress faster. And this is not just in science, but all aspects. If one were listening to their inner voice than the brain-washing, the conditioning that happens at various levels, be it societal or marketing, the human life would be move faster towards its core purpose of fulfillment, of freedom.
Intuition is how the Vedas came to us, how the ancient Rishis made the major leaps in astronomy, medicine and philosophy. Somewhere in time, we regressed, so much that today those are just looked up with wonder, or worse, mixed up with superstition. In either case, it's not helping us.
Just as Ayurveda and Yoga are now getting new-found acceptance in the past few decades, the time has come to appreciate and accept Intuition too. To listen to those in tune with the voices in respective areas, be it Ramanujam in Maths or RD Burman in Music. Free them from the rigor to just do this (the reason why Ramanujam was getting disillusioned in England). Let's make investments on this promise from Intuition (although it sounds preposterous today) and get past mental barriers and narrow view to things. A lot of that's lost from the past will start making sense, and we can take them to stretches farther than we can today imagine.
Let's get in touch with our Inner Voice.
While this is in itself great news for the country, and a topic to write on about by itself, the subject of this article is something different.
This article reminded me about a movie on the mathematician Ramanujam that I'd seen a few months ago (IMDB Link: The Man Who Knew Infinity). I'd been wanting to write about this great mathematician since then.
I'd read about Ramanujam growing up, as many other high-school children would have. And the Ramanujam Number 1729 (Wikipedia Link). And how numbers were such friends to this true definition of a genius. I'd already read with interest on how it seemed Goddess Namagiri (Wikipedia Link) of Namakkal in Tamil Nadu used to cause intuitions on the solutions, the equations to difficult problems. Answers Ramanujam would arrive at without going through the labour of steps arriving at them. I'd also read about how Prof Hardy was instrumental in recognizing Ramanujam's talent and getting him to England to collaborate with him. I'd also read how Ramanujam passed away at an early age and what at loss to Mathematics this was.
But the movie truly revealed many other aspects of Ramanujam's personal life and hardships which were not known to me, growing up in the era where the Internet's "networks" were just being formed. It was a great movie, who revealed his human side. It was an honest movie. How Ramanujam once even attempted suicide. How despite his professor's commitments and patience with his unscientific talent, was more interested in just going back to the place where his work wouldn't have found its due purpose.
The point I want to highlight in this article is not even this. What I want to point out is that the movie should be watched, to observe and appreciate how the power of intuition is a much greater aspect that the power of reason. At times, or I dare say most times after we've learnt to "hear" it as well as Ramanujam had, we should listen to the voice of intuition than what reason would suggest. Intuition comes from the harmony of Conscience and your God's or Inner Self's grace. It would have to be in harmony with the way things must be. If reason be the pure basis of action, then VIKI from the "I, Robot" film is far from wrong.
While scientific temper and the rigor is needed, it should in my view be a parallel thread. There is a whole world of limitations that we have to leap past, if we have progress faster. And this is not just in science, but all aspects. If one were listening to their inner voice than the brain-washing, the conditioning that happens at various levels, be it societal or marketing, the human life would be move faster towards its core purpose of fulfillment, of freedom.
Intuition is how the Vedas came to us, how the ancient Rishis made the major leaps in astronomy, medicine and philosophy. Somewhere in time, we regressed, so much that today those are just looked up with wonder, or worse, mixed up with superstition. In either case, it's not helping us.
Just as Ayurveda and Yoga are now getting new-found acceptance in the past few decades, the time has come to appreciate and accept Intuition too. To listen to those in tune with the voices in respective areas, be it Ramanujam in Maths or RD Burman in Music. Free them from the rigor to just do this (the reason why Ramanujam was getting disillusioned in England). Let's make investments on this promise from Intuition (although it sounds preposterous today) and get past mental barriers and narrow view to things. A lot of that's lost from the past will start making sense, and we can take them to stretches farther than we can today imagine.
Let's get in touch with our Inner Voice.
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