Shakuntala Devi (1929-2013) Biography, Family

Quick Info

Profession	Mathematician
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	04/11/1929
Age	83 years (died on 21, Apr, 2013)
Birthplace	Bengaluru
Date of Death	21/04/2013

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Bio/Wiki

Name Earned	Human Computer
Famous For	Her extraordinary skills in arithmetic and mental calculation of complex mathematical problems

Physical Stats & More

Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

School	She attended a convent school for only 3 months when she was 10 years old.
College/University	Did not attend
Educational Qualification	She did not attain any formal education.

Personal Life

Place of Death	Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Death Cause	Respiratory, Heart, and Kidney Problems
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Kannada Brahmin
Food Habit	Vegetarian

Relationships & More

Marital Status

Divorced

Marriage Date

1960

Family

Husband

Paritosh Banerjee (an officer of the Indian Administrative Service from Kolkata; married 1960-1979)

Children

Anupama Banerjee (married to Ajay Abhaya Kumar, with whom she has two daughters
lives in London)

Parents

Father	C V Sundararaja Rao (a circus performer who worked as a trapeze artist, lion tamer, tightrope walker, and magician)
Mother	Name

Career

Awards, Honours, Achievements	Most Distinguished Woman Of The Year by the University of Philippines (1969) Ramanujan Mathematical Genius Award in Washington D.C (1988) Awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award one month prior to her death (2013) Guinness World Record for multiplying two 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds (achieved 18/06/1980 at Imperial College, London; featured in 1982 edition; certificate awarded posthumously on 30/07/2020) Competed against and outperformed an electronic calculator in Washington D.C (July 1952), winning by 6 seconds Beat UNIVAC 1108 computer in calculating the 23rd root of a 201-digit number in 50 seconds (1977 at Southern Methodist University)

Awards, Honours, Achievements

Most Distinguished Woman Of The Year by the University of Philippines (1969)
Ramanujan Mathematical Genius Award in Washington D.C (1988)
Awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award one month prior to her death (2013)
Guinness World Record for multiplying two 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds (achieved 18/06/1980 at Imperial College, London; featured in 1982 edition; certificate awarded posthumously on 30/07/2020)
Competed against and outperformed an electronic calculator in Washington D.C (July 1952), winning by 6 seconds
Beat UNIVAC 1108 computer in calculating the 23rd root of a 201-digit number in 50 seconds (1977 at Southern Methodist University)

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Shakuntala Devi was born in Bengaluru to a financially weak family.
2. Due to her family's financial struggles, she did not receive a formal education.
3. At just 3 years old, her father noticed her quick calculation and number retention abilities.
4. By the age of 5, she was calculating cube roots.
5. She impressed many by multiplying two 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds.
6. Shakuntala authored books on various topics such as mathematics, puzzles, cookbooks, and novels.
7. To help underprivileged children access quality education, she established the Shakuntala Devi Education Foundation Public Trust.
8. Google paid tribute to her with a Google Doodle on her 84th birthday in 2013.
9. A biographical movie based on her life is set to be released in 2020.
10. In 1977, she beat a UNIVAC 1108 computer in calculating cube roots.
11. She demonstrated her abilities at the University of Mysore at age six.
12. She was also known as an astrologer and wrote books like 'Astrology for You'.
13. At just 3 years old, her father discovered her quick calculation and number retention abilities while teaching her a card trick.
14. At age 6, she demonstrated her arithmetic abilities at the University of Mysore without any formal education.
15. Shakuntala Devi authored books on various topics such as mathematics, puzzles, cookbooks, astrology, and novels.
16. A biographical film based on her life was released in 2020.
17. She relocated to London with her father in 1944 to showcase her exceptional mathematical abilities.
18. She toured internationally throughout the 1970s, stunning audiences with her ability to outperform computers of that era.
19. Newspapers called her 'the magician of mathematics', 'the world's most calculating woman', and 'the Houdini of numbers'.

Shakuntala Devi Mathematician Indian Bengaluru