Srinivasa Raghava: Patterns, Primes, and the Ramanujan Influence | ICTP Global Science Portal<br>Skip to content<br>Srinivasa Raghava: Patterns, Primes, and the Ramanujan Influence

Published on March 24, 2026

SHARING AN INTERVIEW FROM INVARIANTMATH:

By Abdulhafeez Abdulsalam

Almost a decade ago, I found myself drawn to mathematics on Facebook. While many used the platform for casual updates, some of us were exchanging problems and ideas. It was there that I first encountered the work of Srinivasa Raghava.

Around eight years ago, I began seeing his posts regularly. They stood out immediately. Elegant integrals, unexpected closed forms, and Ramanujan-style expressions that invited experimentation. I started studying many of the problems he shared, and gradually found myself attempting them. Through this process, I was drawn deeper into special functions and experimental mathematics.

His original problems and strikingly unique results drew the interest of mathematicians such as world-renowned number theorist Ken Ono and George Andrews, the world's leading expert on the theory of integer partitions and a foremost authority on q-series and special functions. Both engaged with his ideas and expressed appreciation for the Ramanujan-style creativity behind his work

One example that caught my attention was the following family of integrals he proposed. The pattern was simple, yet the structure suggested something deeper.

Seeing this, I was naturally led to search for a generalization, which produced the following form.

His posts were not limited to integrals. In the area of infinite series, he also shared elegant expressions that combined structure with surprise. For instance,

Isn't it quite remarkable how this expression sums to 2345? I was also able to prove this identity. Encounters like these made me increasingly curious about the ideas behind his discoveries.

Today, Srinivasa Raghava joins us to discuss intuition, experimentation, Ramanujan’s influence, and the creative process behind his mathematics.

1. Could you introduce yourself to friends of InvariantMath, and tell us how your journey into mathematics began?

Hi, I'm Srinivasa Raghava from India. I'm a mathematics researcher and chess coach. I completed my master's and PhD in Chennai, India. My work is mostly inspired by the great mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. I am also interested in graph theory and cryptography. Currently, I am working on the Riemann Hypothesis.

2. Your work is often inspired by Srinivasa Ramanujan, with whom you even share a name. What aspects of his mathematical thinking influence you the most?

Mathematics has been my greatest passion since childhood. I have always been fascinated by the hidden properties of numbers and the surprising connections they reveal. Since both my parents are teachers, I naturally developed a clear way of explaining ideas to my friends.

When I was about eight years old, one of my teachers introduced me to Srinivasa Ramanujan. His story deeply inspired me, even though I could not understand his work at the time. I began solving challenging problems from magazines and won several awards.

As a teenager, I borrowed An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers by Hardy and Wright from the local library. There I first encountered integer partitions and the Rogers–Ramanujan identities. They opened a mysterious new world to me. Although I did not fully understand them, I tried to explore them in my own way.

That experience changed my life. I decided to pursue mathematical research, with the dream of discovering beautiful theorems like Ramanujan’s. Interestingly, we come from the same community, and “Srinivasa” is a very common name where I am from.

3. You received early recognition from George Andrews for your Ramanujan-inspired mathematical creativity. I was fortunate to receive similar encouragement recently. How did this shape your direction in mathematics?

After I discovered some interesting results, I showed them to my teachers and college professors. They appreciated my work, but said it was too complex and advised me to focus on my regular studies instead of research. I felt quite disappointed.

Then one of my teachers suggested that I send my findings to mathematicians abroad. I did not know any names, so I searched online and discovered two leading experts on Ramanujan, Prof. Bruce Berndt and Prof. George Andrews.

I carefully wrote my results, scanned them, and emailed copies. Both professors responded with wonderful appreciation and encouragement. They were very kind and supportive. Prof. George Andrews even wrote a letter in support of my mathematical work.

Prof. Bruce Berndt invited me to the Number Theory Fest at the University of Illinois in Chicago. I was still a teenager from a middle class family, and when I applied for a US visa, it was rejected four times. That was very disheartening.

Later, I met Prof. Krishna Alladi in Chennai. He was impressed by my work and invited me to an...