By Nicholas Muiruri
Professor Mahan Maharaj recently won one of mathematics most coveted prizes, the Infosys Prize in Mathematics. The award recognized Professor Mahan’s contributions in geometry. Before the winning, which comes with a monetary token, the professor boasted of a modest sum of rupees in his bank account. People in India hold Professor Maharaj in high esteem.
The award also comes in the wake of his appointment by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The Institute is an influential organization based in Mumbai, India. The prize acknowledges his work in complex geometry, low-dimensional topology, and geometric group theory.
While accepting the award, the professor said that geometry ignited his imagination. He added that everything we see around had a structural basis. He said that geometry was not an easy subject. Geometry had no room for playing tricks or conditions that would allow anyone not to follow its rules.
Maharaj, now 47, joined the Ramakrishna Mission, which is a monastic order, in 1998 thereby becoming a monk. This was also the same year he was pursuing his Ph.D. at a Californian university.
Professor Maharaj balances science and faith and does not see any difference between the two. According to him, neither science nor religion superseded the other. He also added that his life as a mathematician did not go against his faith.
The Infosys Prize is an addition to another prestigious award that Mahan holds. Professor Mahan won another top Indian science prize, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, in 2011.
The professor prefers adorning saffron attire. He says of his clothes that they have no relation to religion, adding that his clothing serves as a constant reminder of his quest to lead a simple life.
Professor Maharaj said that he did not support any organized religion, going further to state that if someone were to take a gun and put it to his head, the tutor said he would most likely lean more towards supporting science.
Professor Mahan states that he also does not harbor political interests. Ascetic monks, Mahan Maharaj said, do not take part in politics. Besides, science, he said, he’s not connected to any political party.
During his free time, Professor Mahan’s prefers to pass time by playing with shapes that only exist in people’s minds (the abstract). He said he had thought of putting up a charitable trust in which the funds would go towards teaching science to those who do not have the same opportunities in life.
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