E-Paper
The Unsung Mathematician
A life that was equal parts tragic and fruitful, S.S. Pillai's story as a mathematician begins and ends in obstacles. An inspiration for many, his contributions live on, inspiring countless others.
Passed away on 31st August 1950
If one has to speak of a mathematician in regards to India, it would come across as no surprise if people speak of Ramanujan. While Ramanujan has attracted all the attention and rightly so, there are many unsung and unacknowledged heroes who have equally contributed their best, if not less. From crafting mind-boggling equations to sailing the uncharted paths of algebra, they have traversed the length and breadth of mathematics and have only enriched their chosen subject. An incomprehensible subject to many, these people are no less than mathematical wizards who have opened the secret doors to its treasures. One such person was Subbaya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai of Vallam, Tamil Nadu who solved the conundrum revolving around Waring’s problems and unravelled the secrets to its mystery.
Pillai came to this Earth at the dawn of a century on 5th April 1901. Not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, his life was filled with uncountable hardships and difficulties. Losing his mother the year after his birth and his father some years after, life proved to be a constant burden. Not able to arrange money for his own education, it was his school teacher Sastriar who came to his rescue and provided him with the necessary funds. Overcoming each obstacle, he pursued higher education and did a B.Sc. from Scott Christian college and a B.A. from Trivandrum’s Maharaja College.
Although it looked as better days were soon to arrive, given he had a double bachelors degree, life soon struck a major blow to him as the University of Madras denied him the offer to pursue a Masters degree, on the grounds that Pillai had received a second division in his bachelors.
However, some people came to his help, one of them being Chinna Thambi, a principal of a college who argued in his favour, given his merit and even cited the case of Srinivas Ramanujan who had not even finished his schooling. The doors to the master’s degree opened and Pillai not only passed with flying colours but was appointed the lecturer in Annamalai University.
Very soon, he published one paper after another solving hitherto uncracked equations and theories. His major contribution came when he solved the Waring’s problem, which had hounded mathematicians for one and a half-century.
By then, he had earned laurels and honours, with the University of Madras taking the lead by honouring him with a DSc. Life came to a full circle when the university that had closed its doors awarded him with their highest honour. The mathematician was also invited to work with Albert Einstein for his phenomenal research but destiny had something tragic planned for him. Spending his childhood in poverty, the end of his life would also be utterly tragic when his plane crashed in an Egyptian desert, killing all 55 passengers. S.S. Pillai passed only at the age of 49 on 31st August 1950, never being able to see the Earth again, never being able to stand before the blackboard and teach his students and never being able to relish his love for numbers and equations. India became bereft of one of her most talented sons and the world lost an eminent mathematician.
This was story was first published on This Day.app.
