Singh was born on 2nd April 1942 at Basantpur in Bhojpur district of Bihar. His father Lal Bahadur Singh used to work in the state police department. The young Vashishtha had his primary education in the village school. Thereafter, he went to Netarhat School in class VI. He got the highest marks in the matriculation (Xth) examination conducted by Bihar School Examination Board in 1962. (My Take: I am not sure if the year of his birth and passing the matriculation exams are true, but if they are then clearly Vashishtha took 20 years to pass Class Xth!)
Having completed his school examination, Vashishtha took admission in Patna Science College. Dr P Nagendra, then principal of Patna Science College, realized the hidden talent in young Vashishtha and arranged an interview between Vashishtha and the great American scholar Prof Kelly, who was on a visit to Patna.
After the meeting, Prof Kelly expressed his desire to teach Vashishtha in America under his guidance. Thus, in 1963, Vashishtha went to California, US, as a research scholar.
Vashishtha returned to India in 1971 and was appointed a professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. After spending eight months at IIT Kanpur, he joined Tata Institute of Fundamental Research as a professor. In 1973, Vashishtha was appointed a Professor at Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta.
Vashishtha was married to Vandana Rani of Khalpura, Saran, in 1973. Soon after the marriage, Vandana Rani is reported to have told her husband, “You may be a worthy person, but you are not worthy of me”. These cruel words of his wife broke the heart of a brilliant scientist…Really???
December 27, 2006 at 3:14 am
Indian society is obsessed with marriage. Why a mathematician alone, any spiritual soul can be shattered if forced into marriage that is demonstrative, competetive and institutionalses sex gratification. There is a distinct difference between a Ramanujan and Vashishtha Narayan. It is in the spirituality and practice of religion. Ramanujan was devout, in modern times with the demise of social values it probably so happened that Vashishtha babu did not get that food for his soul and was forced to looke at love differently. It is this that broke his heart, is my guess.
December 21, 2008 at 9:29 am
Well, if he did his 10th grade in 1962 that means he did his XIIth, bachelors and masters all in just 7 years. I think there is something missing in your data.