About National Mathematics Day
National Mathematics Day is observed in India on 22 December, the birth anniversary of the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who was born in Erode in 1887 and died at 32 after producing nearly 3,900 results. Schools and universities mark it with lectures, quizzes and puzzles, and in 2026 it falls on Tuesday, 22 December 2026.
Why is National Mathematics Day celebrated on 22 December?
National Mathematics Day is celebrated on 22 December because Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on that day in 1887. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the day on 26 December 2011 at the University of Madras, at the start of the celebrations for Ramanujan's 125th birth anniversary. He also declared 2012 the National Mathematics Year. It is not a public holiday.
To count the anniversary, subtract 1887 from the year.
Who was Srinivasa Ramanujan?
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a largely self-taught mathematician from Tamil Nadu who, in a life of 32 years, produced nearly 3,900 results, many of them still studied today. He was born in Erode and grew up in Kumbakonam, in a small traditional house on Sarangapani Sannidhi Street.
At school he found a copy of G. S. Carr's "Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics", a dense list of thousands of formulas with little explanation. It shaped his style for life: he wrote down results, often without proofs. He won a scholarship to the Government College in Kumbakonam in 1904 but lost it, and later failed his First Arts examination at Pachaiyappa's College in Madras. He was strong in mathematics and weak in everything else he was examined on.
- 22 Dec 1887Born in Erode
The family moves to Kumbakonam when he is a year old.
- 1911First paper
Publishes a 17-page paper on Bernoulli numbers in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society.
- 1 Mar 1912A clerk's job
Joins the Madras Port Trust as an accounts clerk, doing mathematics in his spare time.
- Jan 1913Letter to Hardy
Writes to G. H. Hardy in Cambridge with pages of theorems. Hardy later said some of them "defeated me completely".
- 17 Mar 1914Sails for England
Travels to Cambridge to work with Hardy and J. E. Littlewood.
- Mar 1916Cambridge degree
Receives a Bachelor of Arts by Research.
- 2 May 1918Fellow of the Royal Society
Elected at 30; in October he becomes the first Indian Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.
- 1919Returns to India
Comes home seriously ill.
- 26 Apr 1920Dies aged 32
His notebooks keep mathematicians busy for decades.
In 1976 the American mathematician George Andrews rediscovered a bundle of Ramanujan's last writings, now called the "lost notebook". It is still yielding new results.
What is the story of 1729?
The number 1729 is famous because of a hospital visit. Hardy went to see Ramanujan when he was ill at Putney in London, and mentioned his taxi's number, which he thought uninteresting. Ramanujan replied at once that it was very interesting: the smallest number that can be written as the sum of two cubes in two different ways.
I had ridden in taxi cab No. 1729 and remarked that the number seemed to me rather a dull one.
The two ways are 1³ + 12³ and 9³ + 10³. Numbers like this are now called taxicab numbers, and 1729 is the Hardy–Ramanujan number. It is a good puzzle for a school assembly: give students the number and ask them to find the two pairs.
What did Ramanujan discover?
Ramanujan's work is advanced, but some of it can be explained in a sentence. These are the results most often mentioned on National Mathematics Day.
| Result | What it is, in plain words |
|---|---|
| Partitions | With Hardy, a formula that estimates how many ways a whole number can be split into sums; 4 can be written as 4, 3+1, 2+2, 2+1+1 and 1+1+1+1, which is 5 ways |
| Series for pi | Infinite sums that close in on the value of pi extremely fast |
| Mock theta functions | Functions from his final years that mathematicians took decades to fully understand |
| Ramanujan conjecture | A prediction about certain number patterns, proved in 1973 |
| Taxicab numbers | Numbers that are the sum of two cubes in more than one way, beginning with 1729 |
His name lives on in the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize, an award of 10,000 US dollars given each year to a young mathematician. In 2017 a Ramanujan Math Park opened at Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh.
How can schools and families mark National Mathematics Day?
National Mathematics Day works best when children do some mathematics that feels like play. Schools and universities across India hold lectures, quizzes, puzzle contests and exhibitions on the day, and some invite a local mathematician or engineer to talk.
Do
- Tell Ramanujan's story, including the failed exams; children who struggle need to hear that too.
- Use puzzles: the 1729 challenge, counting partitions of small numbers, or number patterns in a calendar.
- Thank the maths teacher who made it click for you.
Avoid
- Don't turn the day into another test; a speed quiz can make anxious children dread maths more.
- Don't present Ramanujan as a "genius who needed no education"; he worked relentlessly and learned from books, teachers and collaborators.
For other days about science and learning, see National Science Day, Teachers' Day and Engineers' Day.
What to write on National Mathematics Day
A good message for this day is short and a little playful. Name the person's own relationship with maths: the teacher who explained it, the student who is trying, the friend who loves puzzles.
Happy National Mathematics Day. You made numbers make sense when nobody else could. Thank you, from a former back-bencher.
Happy National Mathematics Day. Ramanujan failed exams too and kept going. Keep practising; it adds up.
Happy National Mathematics Day. Here's one for you: 1729. You know what to do.
Happy National Mathematics Day to the person whose spreadsheets never lie. Thanks for checking all of ours.
Happy Maths Day. Every mathematician was confused once. Ask one more question today; that's how it starts.
Happy National Mathematics Day, Amma. All those evenings on the times tables were worth it.
How to wish someone on National Mathematics Day
A National Mathematics Day wish suits teachers, students, and anyone who works with numbers: engineers, statisticians, coders, accountants. The best ones use Ramanujan's story of curiosity and persistence, or a small joke only a maths person would enjoy, like 1729. For children who find maths hard, keep it encouraging; the day should make maths feel possible, not frightening.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is National Mathematics Day in 2026 and 2027?
National Mathematics Day is on 22 Dec every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is National Mathematics Day in 2026?
National Mathematics Day 2026 falls on Tuesday, 22 December 2026.
Who declared 22 December as National Mathematics Day?
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared 22 December National Mathematics Day on 26 December 2011, at an event at the University of Madras marking Ramanujan's 125th birth anniversary. He also declared 2012 the National Mathematics Year.
Why is 1729 called the Ramanujan number?
When G. H. Hardy visited an ill Ramanujan and called his taxi number, 1729, dull, Ramanujan replied that it was the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways: 1³ + 12³ and 9³ + 10³. It is now called the Hardy–Ramanujan number.
What was Ramanujan famous for?
Srinivasa Ramanujan is famous for nearly 3,900 results, including work on partitions of numbers, fast series for pi and mock theta functions. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1918 at the age of 30.
Where was Srinivasa Ramanujan born?
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on 22 December 1887 in Erode, Tamil Nadu. His family moved to Kumbakonam when he was a year old, and he went to school there, at the Town High School.
How old was Ramanujan when he died?
Srinivasa Ramanujan died on 26 April 1920, aged 32, about a year after returning to India from Cambridge in poor health.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .