Shakuntala Devi Birth Anniversary: Remembering the first woman mathematician of India and The Human Computer

Shakuntala Devi Birthday: Today marks the birth anniversary of Shakuntala Devi aka The Human Computer. She was a mathematical prodigy who impressed people at the age of three with her mathematical skills. Her achievements touched the lives of millions worldwide. She was also the first woman mathematician of India. 

Shakuntala Devi was born on Nov 4, 1929 in Bangalore, Karnataka. With her father, a trapeze artist and tightrope performer who worked for a circus business, she relocated to London in 1944 when she was 15 years old. In 60s, she came back to India and married Kolkata-born IAS officer Paritosh Bannerji.

She moved to Bangalore in the early 1980s and began giving astrological consultations to individuals, including politicians, celebrities or whosoever approached her.

Achievements- Guinness Book of Records

When Shakuntala Devi was six years old, she demonstrated her mathematical prowess in a public event in Mysore, and two years later, she proved to be a prodigal magician in number games at Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu, according to the Guinness World Records.

She mentally calculated the 23rd root of a 201-digit integer in 1977. When challenged to multiply two 13-digit figures at the Imperial College in London three years later, in June 1980, she responded in 28 seconds.

Shakuntala Devi As An Author

She authored several books on astrology and mathematics, including 'Mathablit', 'Fun with Numbers', 'Astrology for You' and 'Puzzles to Puzzle You'.

She had also established an educational foundation public trust to support research in astronomy, astrology, arithmetic, and philosophy.

Film On Shakuntala Devi 

A biographical film starring Vidya Balan which released on May 8, 2020 piqued people's curiosity about her. When Shakuntala Devi was a little child, her father taught her some card tricks and soon realised she was a natural-born genius.

She passed away at the age of 83 in Bangalore on April 21, 2013.