From Zero to Infinity’ is a biography of the mathematics genius Ramanujan. He was a genius in Maths even in his school days. His teacher was surprised to know that. Ramanujan talked about the ‘infinitive’. The teacher complimented the boy for asking intelligent questions in maths. But for other boys his question was absurd. The question about infinity was answered by great mathematicians after many centuries. Some claimed it as zero and others claimed it as unity. Finally it was proved as infinity by Indian mathematician Bhaskara.

Ramanujan was born in Erode on December 22, 1887. His father was a petty clerk in a cloth shop. He used to help his seniors in maths. At the age of 13 he got Loney’s Trigonometry and studied that. Based on that, he created mathematical theorems and formulae. One of his seniors showed him ‘Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure Applied

Mathematics’ by George Shoobridge Carr. This book activated his mathematical genius in him. He used to solve problems in loose sheets of papers or slate or note books. He filled in three notebooks before he had gone abroad. These notebooks were called Ramanujan’s ‘Frayed Notebook. After his college days, he had to find a job for him to buy papers to do his sums and for his food. He got a clerical job in Port Trust of India.

Ramanujan sent a letter to the great mathematician G. H. Hardy of Cambridge University. He included 120 theorems and formulae. Hardy and J.E. Littlewood realised a rare mathematical genius. They made arrangements for Ramanujan to go to Cambridge University in 1914. He was not very comfortable at Cambridge. It was difficult to bear the cold and being a vegetarian he had to cook his own food. Hardy found in him an unsystematic mathematician for the lack of formal education. It was sheer genius that led him to mathematical truths. Ramanujan was elected as Fellow of Royal Society and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He published many works in Cambridge.

Ramanujan was affected by tuberculosis. He was sent back to India and he continued to play with number even on his death bed. Besides being a mathematician, he was an astrologer and good speaker.