A mathematical pilgrimage : Ramanujan yatra

All of us have heard anecdotes from the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan through books, friends and teachers. Robert Kanigel presents very beautifully the life of Ramanujan in his book The Man who Knew Infinity. A lot about the life of Ramanujan became known after Hollywood brought out the biopic on Ramanujan. Despite this, we felt that it would be worth taking some Math enthusiasts for a tour where they could get immersed in the life of Ramanujan for a few days. The idea took seed sometime in September 2017 while I was talking to Rajith who heads a culture and heritage tour company – The Traveling Gecko – and we thought, why not do an experiential tour on the life of Ramanujan? A detailed account of the 5-day Yatra (Chennai – Thanjavur – Kumbakonam – Chennai) from 12th to 16th November 2018, which I called A Mathematical Pilgrimage | Ramanujan Yatra, is put up on my blog https://vinayrnair.wordpress.com/2018/11/19/ramanujan-yatradiaries- day-1/ . Hence, I am not writing a travelogue again. What I would like to share in this article are some stories, discussions and thoughts about Ramanujan and the lives of people that revolved around him during and after his time.