Vashishtha Narayan Singh, celebrated as one of India’s most brilliant minds, was born in 1942 in the small village of Basantpur, Bihar. His early years were marked by extraordinary academic achievements; he topped both his BSc and MSc exams in consecutive years, showcasing his exceptional mathematical talent.
Vashishtha was initially hailed as a potential successor to the great mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. His intellect led him to prestigious institutions like NASA, IIT, and the University of California, Berkeley. However, Vashishtha’s promising career faced a tragic downturn due to mental illness, which overshadowed his remarkable achievements and led to a dramatic decline in his life.
From Prodigy to Disappearance
One notable aspect of Vashishtha’s story is the legend that he challenged Albert Einstein’s theories and made significant contributions to NASA during the Apollo missions. There is even a story that he was called upon by NASA to perform critical calculations when the agency’s computers failed.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh was born to a police constable and attended Netarhat School in Jharkhand before moving to Patna Science College. His brilliance was so evident that the principal persuaded the governor and university chancellor to fast-track his education. By 1969, he earned his PhD, and Professor John L. Kelly arranged for him to study in the United States, where he was admitted to UC Berkeley.
After spending nearly nine years in the U.S., Singh returned to India and taught at esteemed institutions such as IIT Kanpur, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata.
A Life Marked by Struggle
Despite his academic success, Vashishtha’s life took a tragic turn with the onset of schizophrenia. His mental health struggles led to the dissolution of his marriage and his eventual institutionalisation by the mid-1980s. After treatment, Vashishtha mysteriously disappeared during a train journey and was later found living in poverty in his native village.
Initially admitted to NIMHANS in Bengaluru, Vashishtha’s treatment was later supported by BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha at IHBAS in Delhi. Eventually, he returned to academia by joining BNMU Madhepura. Despite his enduring brilliance, Vashishtha’s potential remained unfulfilled, and he passed away at the age of 72 on November 14, 2019.
Posthumously, Vashishtha Narayan Singh was honoured with the Padma Shri award, recognizing his remarkable contributions to mathematics and his inspiring journey through profound adversity.
