Who was Srinivasa Ramanujan?

Srinivasa Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematical genius born into poverty in Erode, India, fundamentally transformed the field of mathematics despite his short life. After mastering advanced theorems from a textbook as a teenager, he gained international recognition by mailing 120 original formulas to G.H. Hardy at Cambridge University. This correspondence led to his move to England, where he produced nearly 4,000 mathematical results, including the famous "taxicab number" 1729, the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. Although he struggled with health issues and cultural isolation before his death at age 32, his work remains vital today. His discoveries, particularly his mock theta functions, provide essential insights for modern physics, including the study of black holes and string theory, proving that profound intellectual contributions can emerge from any background.