National Mathematics Day 2026

National Mathematics Day is observed on 22 December, the birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan, whose short life produced extraordinary work in number theory, infinite series, continued fractions and other areas of mathematics.

National Mathematics Day is observed on 22 December, the birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan, whose short life produced extraordinary work in number theory, infinite series, continued fractions and other areas of mathematics. Born in 1887 in Erode and largely self-taught in advanced mathematics, Ramanujan filled notebooks with original results before his work reached British mathematician G. H. Hardy. He later worked at Cambridge, where his insights led to major collaborations and recognition, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He died in 1920 at only thirty-two, but many of his formulas continued to inspire later research. India declared 22 December National Mathematics Day in 2012, during the 125th anniversary of his birth. The day uses Ramanujan's story to make mathematics visible beyond examinations—as a field of creativity, pattern, proof and discovery.

Ramanujan's partnership with Hardy also shows why intuition and rigorous proof work together in mathematics. His notebooks contained remarkable identities and conjectures, some proved only long after his death. Educational programmes can invite students to investigate patterns, explain reasoning and appreciate the contribution of teachers and collaborators; the goal is curiosity, not the myth that only rare geniuses can enjoy mathematics.

Celebrates Ramanujan's mathematical discoveries and encourages curiosity, reasoning and creative problem-solving.

Schools and colleges organise mathematical puzzles, lectures, exhibitions, competitions and discussions of Ramanujan's work; these are educational activities, not rites.

Observed throughout India, particularly in schools, universities and scientific institutions, on 22 December.