Rangarathnam Gopu was born and brought up in Madras. He followed up a BE in Computer Engineering with an MS in Computer Science from Texas A&M University. He then worked in the US as a software engineer, mostly at Microsoft in Seattle.
Upon returning to India, his interests turned to history and heritage, including the history of science and technology. He lectures on these and other topics at various fora. His articles on several topics have been published in national magazines, including The Week, the New Indian Express, and Swarajya.
He has conducted heritage tours of Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram, Orissa, Ajanta, Ellora, Tanjavur, Badami, Hampi and the Madras Egmore Museum for several groups, including schools and colleges. He served as a cultural consultant for the Routes and Roots exhibition at the 2023 G-20 summit.
In 2016, Ramu Endowments, which conducted the South Indian Heritage Series lectures, presented him with the Vedavalli Memorial Heritage Award for his services to Culture.
He is one of the co-founders of the Varahamihira Science Forum, which conducts monthly public lectures and workshops on science.
He teaches courses in Indian Astronomy and Mathematics, and in Inventions and Discoveries. He conducts courses on Indian Astronomy and Mathematics, and on Pallava Grantham script for the general public.
He participated in debates and delivered papers and lectures at CSIR’s 2023 and 2024 Communication and Dissemination of Traditional Knowledge (CDTK) seminars as part of the Prime Minister’s SVASTIK initiative. His articles on Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, and the Shulba Sutras were published in the SVASTIK journal. His posters on these aspects of Indian Astronomy and Mathematics have been shared on social media by CSIR-NIScPR.
