This Maths genius, topped BSc, MSc, worked at IIT, NASA, challenged Einstein’s theory, suddenly disappeared for years due to…, his name was…

Some individuals possess such brilliant minds at a young age that they naturally become the focus of media attention. Their extraordinary talent and achievements inspire countless others who aspire to follow in their footsteps. This man, who hailed from Bihar, challenged Einstein’s theory, the E=mc2 theory. Furthermore, he even topped BSc, MSc and worked at IIT and NASA. However, he went missing for years due to…, but who is this person? Well, the individual was Vashishtha Narayan Singh.

Popularly known as a math genius, Vashishtha Narayan Singh was born in 1942 in the village of Basantpur, Bihar, into the family of a police constable. Narayan Singh finished his schooling at Netarhat School in Jharkhand. To pursue higher studies, he went to Patna Science College.

Despite such remarkable achievements, things took a heartbreaking turn when he was diagnosed with a severe mental illness — schizophrenia. One popular tale about him claims that he was once summoned by NASA to perform complex calculations when the agency’s computers malfunctioned. Another widely shared story suggests that he contributed to a project during the Apollo missions, playing a role in NASA’s historic effort to send a man to the moon.

Prof. John L. Kelly recognized his extraordinary talent and extended an invitation for him to join the University of California, Berkeley. Vashishtha Narayan spent nearly nine years in the U.S., during which he made significant academic contributions. Upon returning to India, he taught at some of the country’s premier institutions, including IIT Kanpur, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata. However, soon after his marriage, he was tragically diagnosed with a mental illness, marking a difficult turn in his life journey.

In 1967, Vashishtha Narayan Singh was appointed as the Director of Mathematics at Columbia University. Just two years later, in 1969, he authored a groundbreaking paper titled “The Peace of Space Theory”, in which he boldly challenged Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. His work was so remarkable that he earned his PhD based on this theory. Recognizing his brilliance, the University of California, Berkeley, honored him with the title “Genius of Geniuses.” Singh returned to India in 1971 and, the following year, joined IIT Kanpur as a professor of mathematics, continuing to inspire students with his extraordinary intellect.

Vashishtha Narayan Singh’s condition led to the end of his marriage in 1976, and his academic fame faded. By the mid-1980s, Singh was institutionalized. Going by the several media reports, after undergoing treatment, Vashishtha Narayan Singh mysteriously disappeared during a train journey. Years later, he was found living as a destitute in his home village.

Singh was taken to NIMHANS, a mental health institution in Bengaluru. Bollywood actor BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha played an important role in securing his treatment at IHBAS in Delhi. Despite his battle with mental illness, Singh’s brilliance gradually faded from the public domain.

In his later years, he returned to academia and joined BNMU Madhepura. However, the genius who was unable to fully fulfill his immense potential passed away at the age of 72 on November 14, 2019. His remarkable contributions to mathematics were posthumously recognized with the Padma Shri award.

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