The Hindu Business Line : `Vedic maths not just key to square roots'

A threat is being faced by this branch of mathematics from within the country, from a section of its practitioners who are setting up schools offering speedy courses, which bring them quick money.

KOLKATA, June 15

EVERYONE remembers the phenomenon called Shakuntala Devi who could mentally do complex calculations in a jiffy as it were, like finding the square of 999!

But not everyone knows that the lady who earned the sobriquet of a human calculator was actually using a series of ancient `sutras' derived from Indian scriptures. Reinvented in the early sixties by Shankaracharya of Puri and coined as Vedic Mathematics in more recent times, the precise science is gaining acceptance abroad, even as it struggles to find a foothold in its land of origin.

Convinced about its potential as a means of making quick calculations as well as its future application possibilities, a band of enthusiasts have come together under the umbrella of the World Academy of Vedic Mathematics, to work towards getting a patent for this ancient form of mathematics.

"At a time when there is talk of the need to patent the Gayatri mantra - we are definitely looking at the issue and steps have already been initiated in this direction," R.P. Jain, Vice-President of the academy told Business Line during an interview.

But a threat is being faced by this branch of mathematics from within the country, from a section of its practitioners who are setting up schools offering speedy courses which bring them quick money. "This is doing immense harm to the cause of Vedic maths and its propagation — it is so much more than a ready mix solution for finding the square of 45 without reaching out for the calculator," he rued.

Although according to Jain, schools in the UK, Netherlands, Germany and Italy have introduced Vedic mathematics as an optional subject, Indian schools are yet to follow suit.

The academy has been holding workshops and classes, and one such was held here recently. However, it is a telling comment on the status of acceptance of this form of mathematics that only one teacher had himself enrolled for the workshop.

Although the likes of L.M. Singhvi, former Indian ambassador, and at least one CDAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) scientist are votaries of this ancient school of working out sums, there is dissent within the scientific community.

They point out that the "tricks'' of Vedic maths - used to perform elementary arithmetical and algebraic calculations - have very little to do with "either the Vedas or with maths''.

Jain says that beyond its utility as a computational tool, Vedic maths has research value. He says that the Supreme Court, in its ruling on the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (given on September 12, 2002), has said that this could be introduced at the school-level as an optional subject.

Accordingly, the academy is jointly working with the NCERT to introduce it in schools, as it looks for a regulatory framework to stop the rapid proliferation of institutes teaching this discipline. The century-old publishing house Motilal Banarasidass has so far brought out 10 books on Vedic mathematics and the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata, is keen on a workshop on Vedic Maths, according to Jain.

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