V. Ramaswamy Aiyer (4 August 1871 – 22 January 1936) was a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

in the Madras Provincial Service. In 1907, along with a group of friends, he founded the

Indian Mathematical Society Indian Mathematical Society (IMS) is the oldest organization in India devoted to the promotion of study and research in mathematics. The Society was founded in April 1907 by V. Ramaswami Aiyar with its headquarters at Pune. The Society started ...

with headquarters in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

. He was the first Secretary of the Society and acted in that position until 1910. Ramaswamy Aiyer also served the Society as its President from 1926 to 1930.

Early life and career

Ramaswamy Aiyer was born on 4 August 1871 at

Satyamangalam Sathyamangalam (also known as Sathy) is a town and municipality in Erode district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. 8 th century Town. It lies on the banks of the River Bhavani, a tributary of the River Cauvery in the foothills of the West ...

, in the then Coimbatore District, in his maternal grandfather's house. He completed the F.A. course at a local college in Coimbatore and secured B.A. and M.A. degrees from

Presidency College, Chennai Presidency College is an art, commerce, and science college in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. On 16 October 1840, this school was established as the Madras Preparatory School before being repurposed as a high school, and then a gra ...

. During his student days, Ramaswamy Aiyer took an active interest in

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

. While still a student at the Presidency College, he contributed to the Educational Times and other mathematical journals. The Editor of the Educational Times addressed him as 'Professor Ramaswami', mistaking him for a College Professor. This informal title of 'Professor' stuck to him ever afterwards. After securing the M.A. degree, he served Central College,

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

for a short period and was then appointed to Mysore Maharaja's college to assist Principal Weir in teaching Mathematics for the B.A. Degree. In 1898, he joined Madras Provincial Service as a civil servant. After a probationary period, he was appointed Deputy Collector in 1901. He retired from the Service in 1926. Ramaswamy Aiyer died of a cerebral hemorrhage on 22 January 1936.

Founding of the Indian Mathematical Society

In 1906, while he was Deputy Collector at Gooty in 1906, Ramaswamy Aiyer organised an Association called the ''Analytic Club'' to secure facilities for study and research in mathematics. Initially, there were three members in the Club. On 4 April 1907, he announced in the Madras Dailies the formation of the

, with 20 members.

was chosen as the headquarters of the Society, and Ramaswamy Aiyer acted as its Secretary till 1910. As Secretary, he started the Society's Journal and established its library. Ramaswamy Aiyer left the Society's Committee in 1910, but continued to actively participate in its activities. He was appointed President of the Society in 1926, and held that position until 1930.

Patronage of Srinivasa Ramanujan

When Ramaswami Aiyer was Deputy Collector in

Tirukoilur Tirukoilur also spelt as ''Tirukkoyilur'' or ''Tirukovilur'' is a city and the headquarters of Tirukoilur taluk in Kallakurichi District, Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located on the southern bank of Thenpennai River and famous for Ulagala ...

in 1910, Srinivasa Ramanujan sought his patronage and asked to be appointed as a clerk in his office. Ramanujan's only recommendation was his mathematical

notebooks A notebook is a small book often used for writing. Notebook or The Notebook may also refer to: Computing *Laptop, a type of personal computer * Google Notebook, a discontinued online application * Notebook interface, a type of programming envir ...

, which are preserved in the

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

Library. On examining the contents of the notebooks, Ramaswami Aiyer was struck by the extraordinary results recorded in them, and recommended Ramanujan to his mathematical friends in Madras. He also helped to publish Ramanujan's early work in the ''Journal of Indian Mathematical Society''.Kanigel, Robert. ''The Man Who Knew Infinity: a Life of the Genius Ramanujan''. New York:

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan R ...

, 1991. pp. 86. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiyer 19th-century Indian mathematicians Presidency College, Chennai alumni 1871 births 1936 deaths Presidents of the Indian Mathematical Society 20th-century Indian mathematicians Mathematicians in British India