1. Born-4 November 1929
Died -21 April 2013
Very few people around theworld achieved whatthis wonder-woman did. A
mathematicalprodigy,alsoknownas the'humancomputer', ShakuntalaDevi
was knownfor her complex problem-solving skillswithouttheaidof any
mechanical device. During her earlyyears,sheshottofameby mentally
calculatingone of thetoughestmathematicalmultiplications10seconds before the
fastestandthemostefficient computer of thetime. Her problem-solving prowess
came tothelimelightwithher performances at various institutionswhereshe
answered complex mathematicalquestions withgreatease. Shesoon roseto
prominence for her adept calculations andher confident demeanor. According to
manysources, thisfamous prodigy met Albert Einsteinand even hewas taken
aback by this acclaimed genius' skills.Shewas abletoanswerallof his challenging
mathematicalproblems,prompting himtocallher a "MathematicalWizard".
Apart from being an unparalleledmathematician,Devi was alsoanastrologer,
activistand a prolificwriter, whoseworks went on toinspiremillions of people.
Some of her best-knownworks are 'Figuring: theJoy of Numbers', 'Astrology
for You', 'Perfect Murder' and 'TheWorld of Homosexuals'.Scrollfurtherfor
more information on this intriguing personality.
FamilyBackground & EarlyYears
ShakuntalaDevi was born on November 4, 1929 in Bengaluru toanorthodox,
BrahminKannadigafamily. Herfatherrefused tobecome a priest and instead,
wanted toentertain others as atight-rope walker.Hethus became a circus artist

2. and 3-year-old Shakuntalaused toaccompany himtothecircus and often come
back mesmerized withher father's performances. It was hewhoeventually
introduced her totheworld of mathematics andtaughther interestingcard tricks
thatinitiatedher lovefor numbers. News of her abilitytosolvedifficult
mathematicalproblems soonspread likewildfireand sheenthralledaudiences with
her wit and card-tricks, whileher fatherentertained them withrope-walking. By
theageof 6,shehadher firstmajorshowattheUniversityof Mysorewhere she
displayedhermathematicalprowess bysolvingarithmeticalproblems,mental
mathquestions andfinding out complex squareroots and cube roots withina few
seconds.After a few more similarperformances in a number of other institutes,
shefound success atAnnamalaiUniversityat theageof 8,when shewas finally
acknowledged as a 'childprodigy'.
Recognition& Fame
ShakuntalaDevi went for tours around theworld through the50s and performed
in a number of institutions,theaters andeven appeared on television. On
September 27, 1973, sheappeared on theBBC show,'Nationwide'withthe
popular Bob Wellings,whowas stunned when shemanaged give theright
answers toallthemathematicalquestions thathebombarded her with.Gradually,
her skillsandher fan-followinggrew substantially.In1977, shereceived a
standingovationfrom an audience of erudite mathematicians,whenshegavethe
answerof the23rd root of a 201-digit number in 50seconds. Themostpowerful
computer at thetime, took exactly 62seconds.
Unlikemany otherchild prodigies, her mathematicalskillsdidnot wanein her

3. teenage and adultyears.Backhome, word spreadthatayoung girl captivated
audiences withher adept mathematicalskillsandDevi soonbecame extremely
famous in India as well.Thereafter, shewas invited totheImperial College,
London, on June 18, 1980, where sheanswered a challenging problem in justa
few seconds leaving theaudience baffled.Thefameof this 16-year-oldwhiz-kid
grew manifoldwhen shebeat one of theworld's fastestcomputers by 10 seconds,
whilemultiplyingtwo13-digit numbers in 28 seconds.
MajorWorks
 'Puzzles toPuzzleYou' is considered one of ShakuntalaDevi's best works for
aspiringand budding mathematicians.Critics haverated this book as one of the
best reads for people whowantto excel in thefield of mathematics andmasterthe
secrets of thesubject. A book meant for starters,thispublicationsoldover 6,000
copies in its firstweek and continues tobe aninspirationfor many.
 'Perfect Murder', authored by this mathematicalwizard,is thetaleof a successful
lawyer-turned-killerand is regarded as a finework of fiction. Translatedina few
regional languages,'Perfect Murder' put her in thespotlightforher literary
abilities as well.
 'TheWorld of Homosexuals',publishedin 1977, went almostunnoticed in the
beginning due to its boldcontent and thecountry's inhospitableoutlook tosuch a
controversial issue.However, withtheonset of a new cultural wave, thebook soon
began togathersomeattentionand was included in the'Top100 books by Indian
authors'in2005.
Awards & Achievements

4.  ShakuntalaDevi won the'DistinguishedWoman of theYear Award' in 1969,
from theUniversityof Philippines alongwitha gold medal.
 In 1988,shewas honored withthe'RamanujanMathematicalGenius Award'
in WashingtonD.C.,conferred toher by the-thenIndianAmbassadortoUS.
 Her namewas listedin the'1995 Guinness Book of World Records' edition for
her outstandingmathematicalfeatwhereshebeat theworld's fastestcomputer at
multiplyingtwothirteendigit numbers.
 A month before her death,shewas honored withthe'LifetimeAchievement
Award'in Mumbai, in 2013.
PersonalLife & Legacy
ShakuntalaDevi married ParitoshBanerjee, anIAS officer from Kolkata,in
themid-1960s.Thecouple however, separatedin 1979 and shereturned to
Bangalorewithher daughter during the80s.Shesoonbegan offering
astrologicaladvicetocountless people, including celebrities and politicians.
Towards theend of her life, Devi grew frailand was admittedtovarious hospitals
of Bangalore, countless times.Shewas admittedtoBangaloreHospitalonApril
3 aftershecomplained of respiratoryproblems. Her healthsoonbegan to
deteriorate afterher kidneys failedand shebreathed her lastonApril 21, 2013.
Sheis survived by her daughter, son-in-law and twogrand-children. Sheset up
'EducationalFoundationPublicTrust'to promote mathematical,astrological
and philosophicalstudiesinBangalore.
Trivia

5.  This famous Indianmathematicianand 'ChildProdigy'never attended schoolin
her younger days,but grew up to become one of thegreatest mathematiciansand
authored a number of books on mathematics.
 In Rome, a calculatingmachine found one of her answers tobe wrong. However,
afterre-checking theanswer, thesolutiongiven by thecomputer was proven
wrong and hers was establishedas right!
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