Every time you write off Subramanian Swamy, like the mythical phoenix bird, he reinvents himself from the very flames that others think he burnt down with. Teacher, economist, mathematician, politician, rebel, crusader, dog lover, all this and much more, this Tam Braham (Tamil Brahmin) was born into a family of intellectuals, which he himself described as “a long line of fighting Brahmins’. Not one to let go a fight and not one who forgets easily, survivor and loner, Swamy has bounced back to cast an imprint on contemporary history that few individuals in India can lay claim to. Here’s a compilation of facts that most Indians don’t know about this tough guy:

6. Got a Recommendation for Harvard

Having demonstrated his ability for research, Hendrik S Houthakker, the American economist who was the referee for the paper published in Econometrica, recommended Swamy’s admission to Harvard.

7. Completed PhD from Harvard at 24

Backed by a full Rockefeller scholarship, in two and a half years, Swamy at 24 completed his PhD.

At Harvard, having cut his teeth in mathematics in the early 1960s and armed with a doctorate at 24 years of age, by 27 he was a teacher at Harvard.