Shakuntala Devi

Born in 1939 in Bangalore, Shakuntala manifested an extraordinary love for numbers at a tender age of three. At that young age she had a vision as a mathematical genius and she did make it a reality. While she was six, Shakuntala demonstrated her talents at the University of Mysore to a large gathering of students and professors. That was followed by a never-ending stream of public displays at various universities and colleges around the world. She has out done some of the fastest computers to the amazement of scientists.

It was January 24, 1977. A cold and windy Monday afternoon at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. A beautiful young lady smartly clad in a sari, walks up to the stage. She sits down on a chair smiling at the hundreds of students and professors assembled in the hall. A scholarly professor writes a 201 digit long number on the black board at her side. The number occupies 10 lines and takes four minutes to write. After finishing the number, the professor takes out a stopwatch from his pocket and with a nod at the lady he starts the timer. There is absolute silence in the hall.

The young lady takes one long look at the number and closes her eyes. Seconds tick by. In deep concentration she appears to have gone into a trance. At the fifty-second mark, the lady opens her eyes and slowly pronounces the answer, ‘546372891’. The professor checks it with the result given by the computer. Yes, she is correct. It is the 23rd root of the 201 digit long number. Earlier that day, the fastest computer of the time, Univac 1108, had taken 62 seconds to give the answer. Every member of the audience jumped to their feet and applauded the genius who has beaten the computer.

A multi-talented personality, Shakuntala has written many books on numbers and mathematical puzzles. She is the author of a novel and many short stories for children. Interestingly enough she has published a cookbook for men. Spurred by the huge demand, Shakuntala has formulated a unique herbal tablet that boosts one's memory and mental power.

Manifested with an extraordinary love for numbers at the age of 3, she became an expert in complex mental arithmetic at the age of five. On 18 June 1980, Shakuntala Devi gave the product of two, thirteen digit figures after multiplying them within 28 seconds. Many countries have invited Shakuntala Devi to demonstrate her extraordinary talent. Today, she is acclaimed as an accomplished mathematician.