Shakuntala Devi is a mathematical genius renowned as “human computer “. She was born on 4th November 1929 AD, in Bangalore. She is reputed for solving complex mathematical problems effortlessly. She became an international marvel with her capability to solve any mathematical calculation from simple to complex in an exceptionally simple method. She has answers for every complicated problem in mathematics.
Even though she never received a proper primary education, she was a bright girl from the very first. She was a famous Indian writer too. She had penned down books for Children too. She also published her works on mathematics, puzzles and even astrology.
Early Life
Shakuntala Devi was born to a Brahmin Kannadiga family in Karnataka. Her family always struggled to meet the ends, hence she never received any formal education. Her father was a magician who performed on various road shows. Even with a meager amount he earned, he tried his very best to get Shakuntala Devi the basic educational needs. As she was brilliant enough from her very young age, Shakuntala Devi always accompanied her dad for various road shows where she showcased her mathematical brilliance.
Shakuntala Devi – the Birth of A Genius
In her early childhood when she was hardly three years, she started to play cards with her father. In these games, her father noticed that she always won. In the beginning, he suspected it was cheating, but later to his surprise, he noticed that Shakuntala Devi was memorizing the card numbers and its position in the beginning, and then played to win. As he observed her brilliance he started to take her along with him for tours where he illustrated her talent. In a way, she contributed to make a good earning to her father’s income.
Shakuntala Devi’s talent was known to the world and she was getting attention at a younger age. At the age of six, she portrayed her skills in the University of Mysore. Later she performed her mathematical skill in various universities like the Annamalai University, Osmania University, Hyderabad, and Vishakhapatnam.
Shakuntala Devi was married to Paritosh Banerji in mid-1960’s. Paritosh Banerji was an officer serving in India Administrative Force. Later in 1979, the couple was divorced. She passed away on 21st April 2013 because of respiratory illness. She is survived by her daughter Anupama Banerji.
Later Years of Shakuntala Devi
As she gained popularity, Shakuntala Devi acclaimed well as a Mathematician. She later moved to London with her father in the year 1944. She traveled all around the world exhibiting her impeccable talent. She traveled to Mauritius, Hong Kong, United States, Italy, Japan, Sri Lanka and much more.
Leslie Mitchel, host in BBC channel, once invited her to perform her skill live on the channel in 1955. On BBC Leslie gave her a complex problem to solve. Shakuntala Devi provided the solution to the problem, yet Leslie claimed that the answer was incorrect until later he realized that the original answer was wrong. That was when Shakuntala Devi esteemed the title of “Human Computer”.
Shakuntala Devi was invited to various educational institutions in the Southern Methodist University, Dallas she was once asked to find the solution of, the 23rd root of a 201-digit number. She obtained the result in 50 seconds whereas a Univac computer took more than a minute to solve it.
Shakuntala Devi even wrote books on mathematics for children. She was also popular as an astrologer with her strong mathematical knowledge. One of her acclaimed work was The World of Homosexuals that was published in the year 1977. It became the first inclusive study on homosexuality in India.
Social Responsibilities
Even when she became successful and rich, she ensured to channelize her earnings and wealth in the right direction. She set up Shakuntala Devi Education Foundation Public trust to guarantee that children who are living in an underprivileged family get better education. She stood as an epitome of a success of Indians in the field of Mathematics.
Awards and Recognitions
Being a mathematical genius, she was celebrated for her exceptional mathematical skills to devise answers easily. She was honored with the Guinness Book of records on 18th June 1980 when she solved a multiplication problem of two randomly selected 13-digit numbers. She arrived at the result in just 28 seconds.
- 1969 – Titles “Most Distinguished woman of the year” by the University of Philippines
- 1988- Ramanujan Mathematical genius award in Washington DC.
- Google doodle honored her on Google Doodle on her 84th Birthday.
Also See
- About Personalities in Karnataka
- Paul Chinnappa – The Link Between India And The Montessori School System
- Sir M Visvesvaraya – An Excellent Statesman and Eminent Engineer
- Sudha Murthy- An Iconic Women, Philanthropist, and Author
- The Nobel Laureate – Sir C.V. Raman
- The Key Figure in Structural Chemistry – CNR Rao
