The Great Mathematician, solving 4-6 OUT OF 8 unsolved Math of ARYA BHATT.
Dr. Vashishtha Narayan Singh was born as the first son of Late Lal Bahadur Singh and Smt. Lahaso Devi in Village Basantpur, under Sadar Block of Dist. Bhojpur on 2nd April 1942. His father was working as a policeman in the state Police Dept.. Vashishtha Babu had his primary education in the village school. Thereafter, he went to Netarhat School in class VI. In the year 1962, he passed his matriculation examination, topping in the entire state of Bihar.
After his school education, he got admission in the prestigious Patna Science College. During that time, Dr. P. Nagendra, a great mathematician, was the principal of Science College. He truly realized the hidden talent in young Vashishtha. Coincidentally, at the same time, the great American scholar Prof.John L. Kelley HOD, University of California-Berkeley was also present. Prof.Kelley is known for writing a Superb Book ON Topology- “GENERAL TOPOLOGY”, which any serious Mathematician must have read at some point of time. Prof. John L.Kelley was visiting Patna to participate in the World Mathematics Conference. Prof. P.Nagendra arranged an interview of Vashishtha with Prof. John L. Kelley. Prof. Jonh L. Kelley quizzed the young student with various types of questions and Vashishtha answered all his questions correctly. Seeing the immense talent in Vashishtha Babu, Prof. John L. Kelley expressed his desire to teach him in America under his guidance. Dr. P.Nagendra showed promptness and immediately arranged for a special examination for Vashishtha Babu and he cleared this examination with cent percent marks. Prof. Kelley got impresses and requested him to come to Berkeley for further study. Dr.Singh told him that it would be difficult for him to come to USA on his own. Prof. Kelley promised all the help and kept the word. Prof. Kelley arranged for Visa and flight ticket and got him into UCB (University of California-Berkeley). Thus, in 1963, he went to California, USA as a research scholar. Prof.John L.Kelley took good care of Vasistha Narayan Singh at UCB as Vashishtha Narayan Singh is a shy person. Vashishtha Narayan Singh didn’t let down HOD and did his PhD with style and went on to work for NASA. There, he conducted research on the Cycle Vector Space Theory / Reproducing Kernels and Operators with a Cyclic Vector and his research work catapulted him to great heights in the world of Science.The Mathematician(Dr.Singh) who challenged works of great Scientist Albert Einstien.
After completing his research, Vashishtha Babu came back to India, but he was destined to return soon to America. During his second stint in the USA, he was appointed an Associate Professor of Mathematics in Washington. It was rumoured that Dr.Vashishtha Narayan had an affair with daughter of his HOD at UC-Berkeley and wanted to marry her but parental pressure and idealistic dream of doing India proud took precedence and he came back to India. It is also rumoured, that he had started taking some durgs when he was in Berkeley and it continued when he came back to India. He returned to India in 1971 and was appointed a professor in IIT Kanpur. After spending barely eight months at IIT Kanpur, he joined as a professor in Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. After a year, in 1973, he was appointed as permanent professor in Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta.
In the same year (1973), he was married to Vandana Rani, an Army Officer’s daughter of Dr. Deep Narayan Singh who hailed from a prestigious family of Khalpura, Dist, Saran. According to Vashishtha Babu’s mother, three days after the marriage, after the ceremony of chauthari, Vandana went to her father’s place to appear for her B.A. examination and Vashishtha Babu returned to Calcutta. His colleagues in ISI Calcutta were jealous of Vashishtha Babu. It was here that he suffered his first attack of mental breakdown. His family members arranged for his treatment as per their capacity. NOBA (Netarhat Old Boys Association) played an active role and with their efforts he was admitted to the Mental Hospital in Ranchi in 1976.
During the rule of Karpoori Thakur, he was admitted to the private “David Clinic” in Ranchi. There his condition started improving fast. But as soon as the Congress Govt. took office in Bihar, the govt. started showing disinterest in incurring the expenditure on his treatment. Dr.Singh has been suffering from SCHIZONFRANIA since 1976. (To understand this disease and to understand cure of this disease, you must watch the film “Beautiful Mind”. Dr.John Nash presently a professor at Princeton University had the same disease : Medicational help is not much of help in this disease) As a result, he had to be shifted from David Clinic back to Ranchi Mental Hospital, which has the right environment to turn even normal people into lunatics!
In the meanwhile, Vashishtha Babu suffered another mental agony due to his divorce. At that time, doctors attributed his mental unbalance to this unfortunate happening. Dr. Vashishtha needed an Arundhati (A sage’s wife) but he got a woman who said, “You may be a worthy person, but you are not worthy of me”. These cruel words of his wife broke the heart of a brilliant scientist.
In the year 1989, after the demise of his father, Vashishtha Babu visited his village, where he also gave a speech. He was quite normal at that time. After the funeral rites of his father, he returned to Ranchi. There, after discussing with doctors, his younger brother Ayodhya Prasad started for Pune along with Vashishtha Babu by Bhagalpur Janata Express. On the way, Vashishtha Babu got down from the train quietly at Gadarwara Station in Madhya Pradesh. His brother tried his best to locate him, but in vain. His family and village reconciled with the fate, giving him up for dead. However, one day in 1993 Vashishtha Babu suddenly appeared in Doriganj in Saran District. His whole village gathered to welcome this beloved son of Basantpur.
Vashishtha Babu was sent to NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences), Bangalore for treatment on Govt. expenditure. He stayed in the hospital from Feb. 1993 to June 1994, but could not recover. Doctors at NIMHANS are of the opinion that he should be sent to USA for treatment. There is no treatment for him in India. Or he should be kept in a good family atmosphere. Since then, Dr. Vashishtha Narayan is spending his time in the village. Doctors say that the deep impact on his brain can be treated only with the balm of loving family care.
According to Vashishtha Babu’s mother and brother, with their limited means, they cannot afford to send him to USA for treatment. So, it is the government’s duty to arrange for the treatment of a person of his stature by sending him to the USA.
Even now, Vashishtha Babu keeps writing something or the other. We saw that he had scribbled some formulae, some dohas (couplets) from Ramayan and some abuses to the government. He said’ “So many people have come and gone, but what have they done for me?”
Since 1993, whenever anyone visits him, why does he ask him for money. When Mr. Laloo Prasad visited him, he asked him for a rupee. It is a matter of investigation by psychologists, why does he ask for money from everyone? Mr.Shatrughan Sinha (former Health Minister and famous Actor) came to his house once. He even arranged a Job for his (brother’s) Son in somewhere in Health Ministry in New Delhi. Due to that employment, now they are able to get medicines at discounted rates. He says,even then, it takes Rs.1200/-per month for his medicines.
It was the government, which stopped all the help and sent him back to this village. No government representatives comes to even meet now a days. All the Politicians and Ministers Visits him, but the results are only false Promises.
Some Short Informations:
Name : Dr.Vashishtha Narayan
Village: Basantpur (12 km from ARA), Bhojpur, Bihar
Family: Poor Family, Father Constable in Bihar Police
Class 10th: Netarhat Vidyalaya.
Class 12th: Science College Patna (Bihar).
*His Ph.D Dissertation Title was : Reproducing Kernels and Operators with a Cyclic Vector. (Completed his Ph.D in year 1969 from University of California under the supervision of Prof.John L.Kelley).
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A recent Interview with the mathematecian in his native language bhojpuri:
Repoter: रउरा के एगो बात पता बावे कि राउर रिसर्च पेपर आज अमेरिका मे पढावल जाला. (do you know that you research paper is being used as a study material in Washington) ?
Vashistha jee: हा, हम जानअ तानी, पढावल जाता. (yes I know it).
Repoter: रउरा जानअ तानी कि दुनिया खासकर अमेरिका मे लोग रउरा बारे मे जाने खातिर केतना बेचॆन बावे. (do you know that the people in this world specially America are so kee to know about you) ?
Vashistha jee: त जाइल जाइ 7-8 साल बाद, बम बन रहल बा. अभी भारत के अटेक भइल बा अमेरिका पर, रुस ओहिजा बम गिरावले रहे. (I will go after 7-8 years, there is a BOMB in making, India had attacked America and russia had dropped a OMB there in America).
Vashistha jee: नाश्ता कर लेहनी... (Did you had Snacks) ?
(We had a plate of sweets as Snacks from his family, then he took a few pieces of sweets from the same plate, we continue the talk while he is eating)
Repoter: रउरा वाशिंगटन मे रहनी हा, लौटला के बाद केहु से भेट भइल ह ?(you have been to washington, did you had any contact with anyone after you returned) ?
Vashistha jee: ना , भेट नइखे भइल. (No, I had not met anyone).
Repoter: चिठ्ठियो ना लिखेला केहु. (Does anyone ever wrote any letter to you) ?
Vashistha jee: ना, केहु ना लिखेला. (No, No letter at all)
Repoter: रउरा अभी लिखत रहेनी दिन भर, का लिखेनी. (You keep writing the whole day, what do you actually write) ?
Vashistha jee: रिसर्च करअ तानी. (Research, on "Double the Elastic Inner Voltage".)
(he used some more technical words here, please listen to the voice file to understand, if you are interested)
Repoter: रउरा कब इ रिसर्च के पब्लिस करे के बा. (When are you going to publish this research paper) ?
Vashistha jee: पब्लिस त होते रहेला. (It is being published all the time)
Repoter: रउरा कौनौ किताब-विताब लिखअ तानी का. (are you wring some book) ?
Vashistha jee: हा, लिखअ तानी. (Yes, I am writing).
Repoter : कौन चीज पर लिखअ तानी. (on what topic you are writing) ?
Vashistha jee: धर्म पर. (on religion)
Repoter: का लिखनी हअ अब तक. (what you have written so far) ?
Vashistha jee: गीता पर लिखअ तानी. (writing something on Geeta).
Repoter: केतना दिन मे खतम हो जाइ. (by when it will be finished) ?
Vashistha jee: अभी टाइम बा. सरकार एक बार गलती कइले रहुवे, हमरा के कलम ना देले रहुवे, इंडियन सरकार के फायदा नइखे होत. अब हम यु.स. सिटीजनसिप लेवे के सोचअ तानी. (It will take some time, The Government once did a big mistake by not giving me Pen. Thats why Indian government is not getting any benefit (from me) now I am planning to take US Citizenship).
Repoter : रउरा मिस्टर क़ॆली के अंडर मे रिसर्च कइले रहुई, उहा के 2003 मे गुजर गइनी, रउरा पता बा. (Did you knew that Mr. Kelly, under whose guidance you did the research, is no more )?
Vashistha jee: प्रोफेसर कॆली... ? ना, ई गलत खबर ह, एक साल पहिले हम उनका से फोन पे बात कइले रहनी ह. (Prof. Kelly... ? NO, its a wrong news, I had a talk with him on Phone, just one year back)
he felt a bit tensed and immediately left the interview.
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References:
http://www.genealogy.ams.org/id.php?id=31977
http://math.berkeley.edu/index.php?module=mathalumman&MATHALUM_MAN_op=sView&MATHALUM_id=1148
http://www.ams.org/mathscinet/search/publdoc.html?pg1=INDI&r=1&s1=540254&vfpref=html
http://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=493
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Kelley
http://math.berkeley.edu/index.php?modul…
