SHAKUNTALA DEVI (HUMAN-COMPUTER)

 FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

  

  

 

  

 

SHAKUNTALA DEVI

(4 November 1929 – 21 April 2013

 

(A HUMAN-COMPUTER AND BRAINY CALCULATOR)

 

No one knew that Shakuntala Devi, when born on 4.11.1929, in Bangalore in the then Kingdom of Mysore of the erstwhile British India, now Karnataka’s capital, was a math ace and icon in the offing.

 

A child prodigy, whiz-kid, and wunderkind, she later became a genius and legendary mathematical superstar that shone brightly on the sky of arithmetical and intellectual brilliance. Yes, the math star that stunned the world with her wizardry in numbers disappeared on 21.4.2013 leaving behind a rich legacy of math-related works even now cherished throughout the world. 

 

Her father CV Sundararaja Rao could identify and discover the abilities with numbers that her daughter had with ease even when she was just 3 years old while casually playing cards with her. Never could he win her, as she was a master of the probability theory and herself being the magic of numbers!  

 

While her father was a mediocre stage magician, Shakuntala converted the whole of mathematics into a wonderland of numbers/digits. He was bewildered that her young daughter could always win him and others with her sleight of hand and hocus-pocus.

 

A household name in India, Shakuntala Devi - ingrained, embedded, and etched in as she was with frenzy and ecstasy for math calculations - made the most complex mathematical calculations that stunned people. Her innate intuitive inclination with intense natural flair and fervour for mathematics was impressive and matchless. She had the killer instinct needed to claw her way to the top of the mathematical ladder.

 

Her incredible feats were - once she calculated the 23^rd root of a 201-digit number mentally in less than a minute, and when given a date in the last century, she could instantly calculate which day it fell on. These are only the tip of the iceberg of her performances and achievements, and there were many instances of her magical prowess in mathematical calculations.

 

She displayed her math skills in public performances, initially mostly at Universities, much to the delight of her youth audience. 

 

Vested with her inborn penchant for numbers, their depths, niceties and complexities, calculation formulae, puzzle/riddle-solving abilities, etc., she plunged the world into saying an ecstatic ‘wow’ at her events on innumerable occasions. Many of her math brainteaser performances enthralled her audiences and took them into exciting, electrifying, and exhilarating bouts of joy. 

 

She wrote books on math and her techniques - ‘Puzzles to Puzzle you,”, “Super Memory: It Can Be Yours’, and ‘Mathability: Awaken the Math Genius in Your Child”, etc.

 

Devi strove to simplify math for students and help them get over their math phobia.

 

In 1980, she correctly multiplied two 13-digit numbers in just 28 seconds at Imperial College, London. The master-stroke earned her a place in the 1982 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. It was even more remarkable because it included the time it took for Devi to recite the 26-digit solution.

 

She holds the Guinness World Record for ‘Fastest Human Computation.’

 

Her Major Works:

• 'Puzzles to Puzzle You' is considered one of Shakuntala Devi's best works for aspiring and budding mathematicians. Critics have rated this book as one of the best reads for people who want to excel in the field of mathematics and master the secrets of the subject. A book meant for starters, this publication sold over 6000 copies in the first week of its release itself and continues to be an inspiration for many.

 

• Interestingly and fascinatingly, she authored a crime-thriller novel 'Perfect Murder' - a tale of a successful lawyer-turned-killer. This is regarded as a fine work of fiction. In this book, she applied her mathematical strength to a pursuit of astrology also. Translated in a few regional languages, 'Perfect Murder' put her in the spotlight for her literary abilities too.

 

Awards and Achievements:

• Earned encomiums and accolades from many elite and renowned institutions including the Computer Department of Imperial College, London.
• Won the 'Distinguished Woman of the Year Award' in 1969, from the University of Philippines along with a gold medal.
• In 1988, she was honored with the 'Ramanujan Mathematical Genius Award' in Washington D.C., conferred on her by the then Indian Ambassador to the U.S.
• Her name was listed in the 1995 Guinness Book of World Records edition for her outstanding mathematical accomplishments where she beat the world's fastest computer at multiplying two thirteen-digit numbers.
• A month before her passing away, she was honored with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' in Mumbai, in 2013.

 

The arithmetical master was called a ‘human-computer’, ‘mental calculator’, etc., which sobriquets she was not pleased with and not even inclined to accept or acknowledge. The math whiz who had a number of achievements devised facilitative techniques to master mathematics with ease which have not been implemented so far. It will be a befitting tribute to her if steps are taken to implement them.

 

Her departure is an irredeemable and irremediable loss to the world of numbers. However, the well-heeled legacy of her life and works will continue to motivate and inspire the present as well as future generations in the field of mathematics.

 

         

R.SAMPATH

22/4/2013