Who was Vashishtha Narayan Singh? Maths genius who challenged Einstein! Topped BSc, MSc, worked at IIT, then disappeared suddenly…, was found…
India has produced several geniuses across diverse fields. One such person is Vashishtha Narayan Singh. He was considered to be a renowned maths genius who once challenged Einstein’s theory, the E=mc2 theory. He was even given the title of ‘Genius of Genius’. He topped BSc, MSc, worked at IIT, then…
Who was Vashishtha Narayan Singh, maths genius who challenged Einstein!
Vashishtha Narayan Singh, a famous mathematician in India, was born on April 2, 1942, in the village of Basantpur in Bhojpur district, Bihar. Speaking about his family, his father, Lal Bahadur Singh, was a police constable. Meanwhile, his mother was Lahaso Devi.
Vashishtha Narayan proved to be a prodigious scholar from an early age, earning accolades not only in India but worldwide. He made headlines worldwide when he challenged the theories of world-famous physicist and Nobel laureate Albert Einstein. Thus, he has carved a niche for himself in the mathematical fraternity. Unfortunately, when he was at a young age, he happened to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, a serious mental illness, which changed the course of his life and his career.
Where did Vashishtha Narayan Singh begin his academic journey?
Speaking about his educational qualifications, Vashishtha Narayan Singh did his schooling in the Netarhat School in Jharkhand. After that, he pursued his higher education in Patna Science College. He was a very bright student. He secured the first position in both BSc and MSc in consecutive years. In 1964, he added another great milestone by being the topper in UGC’s Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) exam.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh made significant contributions to mathematics while associated with top institutions such as NASA, IIT, and the University of California, Berkeley. Singh had serious mental health problems, but he was recognized internationally for his extraordinary intelligence. It is said he even disputed Einstein’s famous equation, E = MC², and Gauss’s claims. His unmatched intelligence impressed Berkeley University, in fact, they once referred to him as “Genius of Geniuses.”
A famous tale regarding Vashishtha Narayan Singh claims that at a time when their computers failed at a crucial point, NASA reached out to him for assistance. Vashishtha also supposedly made significant contributions to the Apollo missions, doing important calculations that helped NASA place a man on the moon.
Where was he found after years of being missing?
Vashishtha Narayan Singh tied the knot, but soon after, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a serious mental illness. His condition led to the breakdown of his marriage in 1976, and his once-bright academic career began to fade. By the mid-1980s, he was admitted to a mental health facility. According to media reports, while returning from treatment, he mysteriously disappeared during a train journey, only to be found years later living in poverty in his home village.
He was later treated at NIMHANS in Bengaluru, and with the help of BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, he also received care at IHBAS in Delhi. Though his brilliance remained, mental illness kept him away from the spotlight. In his final years, he returned to teaching and worked at BNMU, Madhepura.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh died on November 14, 2019, at the age of 72 years. Overcoming immense struggles, he is considered India’s greatest mathematical genius. He was awarded the Padma Shri posthumously for his accomplishments.
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