An ascetic monk, Mahan Maharaj, who had only a few thousand rupees in his bank account until he won a prize amount of Rs 65 lakh for his work in geometry, says science is his only religion. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research recently appointed the renowned professor, who was awarded the sought-after Infosys Prize in Mathematics for his outstanding contribution to geometric group theory, complex geometry and low-dimensional topology.

“What fired my imagination in school was geometry since all things you see abstract out to geometry. The subject gives you no scope for hedging and bluffing, the subject is a stern taskmaster,” he said.

The 47-year-old has been a monk since 1998, after he decided to join the monastic order of Ramakrishna Mission while pursuing his PhD in California. As a man of faith and science, Maharaj sees no inconsistency between both ends of the same spectrum.

“In terms of my mathematical life there is absolutely no contradiction,” Maharaj said.

In 2011, he had won another coveted prize in India – the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award.

Speaking of his saffron attire, Maharaj said he wears it to remind himself of his austere lifestyle and it has little to do with religion.

“I follow no organized religion. If you asked me and one put a gun to my head I would probably say science,” he said.

He also said that he has no interest in pursuing a political career.

“We are strictly apolitical.  Science is by nature apolitical,” he said.

Maharaj, who plays around with abstract recurring shapes in his free time, said that he hopes to set up a charitable trust in the long run through which he would teach fundamental science to the underprivileged sections of society.

Photo Credits: LiveMint