About Shakuntala Devi: Shakuntala Devi was an Indian writer and mental calculator, popularly known as the "human computer". A child prodigy, her talents eventually earned her a place in the 1982 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records.
Students shy away from Maths, but in reality Maths is the best friend of man.
I don't even possess a car. I ride in auto-rickshaws because I like to be a part of the masses. I don't want to single myself out as someone up and above.
I haven't had any formal education. Through the grace of god, I am gifted in mathematics and the English language.
Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It's about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life.
I have written a book called 'In the Wonderland of Numbers.' It's about a young girl, Neha, who is very poor in mathematics, but in a series of illusory experiences, she becomes a great mathematician.
Numbers have life; they're not just symbols on paper.
You develop a sympathy for all human beings when you travel a lot.
I was performing at a New Jersey high school, and I asked a class of 2,000 students, 'How many of you love mathematics?' and only one hand went up. And that was the hand of the maths teacher!
Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.
I grew up in a semi-slum area in Gavipuram, Guttahalli.
I cannot transfer my abilities to anyone, but I can think of quicker ways with which to help people develop numerical aptitude.
Without mathematics, there's nothing you can do. Everything around you is mathematics. Everything around you is numbers.
If you do not use a muscle or any part of the body, it tends to become atrophic. So is the case with the brain. The more you use it, the better it becomes.
Why do children dread mathematics? Because of the wrong approach. Because it is looked at as a subject.
I have been running maths clubs for children completely free. In my building in Bangalore, I conduct maths clubs for several months, and every child who attended the club was poor in mathematics and is now showing brilliant results.
I relax completely when I'm at rest. I don't think of numbers; I don't think of work.
