PATNA: World famous mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh, who came to be known as India's Einstein, passed away in Patna on Thursday. Born in Bihar, he was suffering from a prolonged illness from the last 35 years.
Singh who was recently brought back home from Patna Medical College and Hospital had to be admitted back due to an unexpected emergency. A number of politicians including Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had visited him at the hospital.
Singh's family members were forced to wait for an ambulance outside Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), with his body on a stretcher for 45 minutes and were provided with one only after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that he would be cremated with state honours.
Vashishtha, who was suffering from schizophrenia, was born in a poor family in Basanatpur village of Bhojpur district on April 2 in 1942. He finished his PhD on 'reproducing kernels and operation with a cycle vector' from University of California, Berkely in 1969. Singh who has also worked in NASA, IIT-Kanpur was fond of books, pens and diaries. After he returned from the US, he brought back 10 boxes of books.
Social activist Pankaj Chauhan who had been visiting the mathematician regularly said, "Recently when I met him, I took a set of pens and diaries. On seeing these, he started writing a formula on my palm. He was so fond of writing diaries, everyone who visited him took one for him."
"I also brought a flute for him but it was too late to give it to him."
Bollywood's famous filmmaker Prakash Jha had recently announced to make a movie on his life.
(With inputs from IANS)