Short biography of shakuntala devi mathematician aryabhatta university

She took people across the world by storm in the 70s and 80s with her astounding ability to mentally calculate equations involving numbers of the highest order and broke calculation world records. One can find various puzzle books authored by her in bookstores across the nation even today.

Shakuntala devi death

This article seeks to put forth an overview of her life and her contributions to various fields, including writing, although she is remembered mainly as a mathematical prodigy. Devi was born on November 4, , to a traditional Kannada Brahmin family living in Bangalore. Her father, however, unlike the rest of the family who were priests worked in a circus as a tightrope walker, trapeze artist, lion tamer, and stage magician.

Her father discovered her extraordinary abilities one day when she was three years old and they were playing a game of cards together. He noticed that she was able to win by memorizing all the cards. Her father took her on performances on the road where she displayed her talents. She had to drop out of school in class one due to her family not being able to afford the fees, however, this did not hinder her destiny as she was a child prodigy who was able to solve sums without any formal education.

By the time she was six, she was touring different universities such as the University of Mysore, Annamalai University, Osmania University, etc. Thus she was able to capitalize on her talents, and despite being the youngest member of her family and only a child, she became its breadwinner.