Vashishtha Narayan Singh

Vashishtha Narayan Singh was a Mathematician from India. He finished his PhD in 1969 and was a child prodigy. He worked as a maths teacher at several different institutions from 1960 to 1970.

Early in the 1970s, Singh was admitted to a mental health facility after receiving a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In 2014, he resumed his academic career. In 2020, he received the Padma Shri posthumously, which is India's fourth-highest civilian honor.

Profile

• Date of Birth: April 2, 1946
• Date of Death: November 14, 2019 (age 73)
• Occupation: Academic
• Awards: Padma Shri (2020)
• Alma Mater:
  
  • Netarhat Residential School
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • Patna Science College
• Doctoral Advisor: John L. Kelley

Early Life and Career

Singh was born in the Basantpur village in the Bhojpur district in Bihar, India, on April 2, 1946, to Lal Bahadur Singh, a police policeman, and Lahaso Devi. Singh was an adolescent genius.

He attended Netarhat Residential School for his elementary and secondary schooling and Patna Science College for his college studies. After enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1965, Singh worked with John L. Kelley, his doctoral advisor, to get a PhD in Reproducing Kernels and Cycle Vector Space Theory in 1969.

Following his PhD, Singh became an assistant professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1974, he left the US to teach at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur. Eight months later, he started working at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bombay. Later, he received a faculty position at Kolkata's Indian Statistical Institute.

Later Life

Singh wed Vandana Rani Singh in 1973, and the couple later separated in 1976. Later on, he was identified with schizophrenia. In the late 1970s, he was admitted to the Central Institute of Psychiatry in Kanke, which is now in Jharkhand, as his illness was getting worse. He stayed there until 1985.

Singh made his way back to his Basantpur hometown in 1987. He disappeared in 1989 while going to Pune by rail, and he was discovered in Doriganj, close to Chhapra in the Saran district, four years later, in 1993. After that, he was admitted into Bangalore's National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences. He received treatments at Delhi's Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in 2002.

In 2014, Singh was appointed as a visiting lecturer at Madhepura's Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University (BNMU). Singh passed away on November 14, 2019, at the Patna Medical College and Hospital following a prolonged illness.

Vashistha Narayan Singh's Biography

Indian mathematician Vashistha Narayan Singh was well-known for his substantial contributions to mathematics. In the Indian state of Bihar, on April 2, 1946, he was born in the village of Basantpur. Despite experiencing hardships and poverty in his early years, he eventually rose to become one of the most renowned mathematicians in the world, thanks to his passion for math and his unwavering perseverance.

Singh developed a strong interest in mathematics at a young age and quickly demonstrated remarkable skill in the subject. However, because of his family's financial circumstances, he had to work hard to support himself while he was going to school. In spite of these obstacles, Singh graduated with honors from the famous Patna Science College, where he received the National Science Talent Scholarship.

Singh pursued a Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1969 after finishing his undergraduate studies. His doctoral thesis, which examined the theory of rings and modules, was favorably accepted and contributed to his rise to prominence as a young, bright mathematician.

Vashistha Narayan Singh made huge, important contributions to mathematics. In the areas of algebraic groups, number theory, and algebraic geometry, he made significant contributions. He made notably ground-breaking work on the Langlands program, which aims to integrate disparate branches of mathematics.

Throughout his career, Vashistha Narayan Singh received multiple prizes and honors. He received the Ramanujan Medal from the Indian National Science Academy in 1988, as well as the Padma Shri. He was elected as a fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1998 and the National Academy of Sciences, India in 2002.

Vashistha Narayan Singh was humble and committed to his profession despite his many accomplishments. He was well-known among academics and beyond for his good nature, friendliness, and readiness to lend a hand. At the age of 72, he passed away on March 14, 2018, leaving a lasting legacy of innovative mathematical work as well as a strong dedication to teaching and community involvement.

NASA's Vashishtha Narayan Singh

It is believed that all of the equipment failed during Apollo 11's launch, but Vashishtha Narayan continued to compute. The computer had a 30 to 35-second glitch. Then, he performed a mathematical computation. His computations and the computer's calculations were identical once the machine was fixed.

He used to annoy teachers throughout the class by asking a tonne of questions, which would always make them angry. Vashishtha's impressive performance caught the attention of Patna Science College Principal N S Nagendra Nath, who then approached then-Vice-Chancellor of Patna University George Jacob to allow the youngster to sit for the BSc final year honors test before passing the Part I examination.

In order to allow this particular student to take the final exam, the PU examination rules were changed, and he did better even in this exam.

Some Facts About Vashishtha Narayan Singh

• On April 2, 1942, he was born in the Bihari village of Basantpur.
• University of California Professor John Kelly noticed his potential. In 1965, he relocated to America.
• Vashistha Narayan Singh, a mathematician, received his PhD from the University of California in 1969.
• He was appointed an associate professor at Washington University. While working at NASA, Vashistha Narayan also went back to India in 1971.
• Vasistha Narayan worked at ISI Kolkata, IIT Bombay, and IIT Kanpur.
• In 1973, he tied the knot with Vandana Rani Singh. His mental ailment, schizophrenia, began shortly after his marriage.
• He also worked for NASA, where his mathematical abilities astounded a lot of people.
• He is said to have interrupted his maths teacher at Patna Science College when he was teaching something incorrectly.
• It is believed that he traveled from the USA carrying ten crates of books.

Conclusion

Vashistha Narayan Singh was a talented mathematician who overcame overwhelming obstacles to become successful in his chosen career. In the 1960s and 1970s, he worked as a maths teacher at several different institutions. His contributions to mathematics continue to motivate upcoming generations of mathematicians.

FAQ on Vashishtha Narayan Singh

Question 1. Did Vashishtha Narayan Singh work in NASA?

Answer: Mathematical expert Vashistha Narayan Singh graduated from the University of California with a PhD In 1969. He joined Washington University as an associate professor. While working at NASA, Vashistha Narayan also went back to India in 1971.

Question 2. What is Vashishtha Narayan Singh's theory?

Answer: Narayan Singh Vashishtha contested both the Theory of Gauss and Einstein's E = MC2 theory. It is stated that during the Apollo Mission, while NASA employed him, a computer problem occurred. He proceeded to calculate manually, and his calculations were confirmed to be accurate when the computer was able to function once again.