Saturday 19 September 2009

Asking for directions in Kumbakonam

Sroyon: Excuse me sir, could you please direct me to the house where Srinivasa Ramanujan used to live?
Native: [rapid Tamil, uncomprehending expression]
Sroyon: Ramanujan’s house? Ra-ma-nu-jan.
Native: [rapid Tamil, ambiguous head movements]
Sroyon: What?
Native: [rapid Tamil, points]
Sroyon: Right. Thanks.

3 comments:

Shrabasti Banerjee said...

Heh.

Tommy said...

He may have been responding with a solution (a continued fraction, perhaps) to a more generalized problem, not just the location of one house.

Pratiti said...

It was Namakkal. The goddess. And it DID come in the exam. :)