Meet Indian Maths genius who worked with IIT, NASA, went missing for years, he died...

Vashishtha Narayan Singh, from a small village in Bihar's Basantpur district, was a math genius whose life was full of both brilliance and tragedy. Born in 1942, he excelled in his BSc and MSc. He then worked with prestigious institutions like NASA, IIT and Berkeley. Unfortunately, mental illness drastically changed his life, preventing him from achieving his full potential.

He gained international fame, with some claiming he even challenged Einstein's theories. Stories also suggest he played a key role in important NASA calculations and the Apollo Moon missions.

Vashishtha Narayan was the son of a police constable. He started his education at Netarhat School in Jharkhand and continued at Patna Science College, where his talent in mathematics was quickly noticed. The college principal gave him special promotions, allowing him to earn his PhD in 1969.

Recognising his talent, Professor John L Kelly arranged for him to study at the University of California, Berkeley. After spending almost a decade in the US, he returned to India to teach at top institutions like IIT Kanpur, TIFR Mumbai, and ISI Kolkata. Sadly, schizophrenia struck, leading to his divorce, a decline in his academic career, and eventual institutionalisation. During a train journey, he disappeared and was later found living in poverty in his village.

He received treatment at NIMHANS in Bengaluru and IHBAS in Delhi, with help from actor Shatrughan Sinha. Despite his struggles, he managed to return to academia at BNMU Madhepura. Vashishtha Narayan Singh passed away at the age of 72 on November 14, 2019. He was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to mathematics.