Shakuntala Devi was an Indian writer, astrologer, and arithmetic expert, commonly known as the “human-computer.” She was born on November 4, 1929, in a small slum in present-day Bangalore, India. Her father joined a circus and worked as a trapeze artist, lion tamer, tightrope walker, and magician, while her mother was a housewife. When Shakuntala was 5 years old, her family and community discovered the curious and naive child’s mastermind abilities at computation and arithmetics. They were shocked to know that a girl in their community had such abilities. Soon after this discovery, Shakuntala’s father left his circus job, and began to take Shakuntala to math shows around the city; his bag in one hand, and little Shakuntala’s hand in the other.
People were stunned at Shakuntala’s abilities. She has no formal education and was not able to explain how she could compute answers to the most complex problems in history. Shakuntala at the age of 6, began to display her talents at multiple universities, beginning with the University of Mysore. After years and years of attending competitions and shows, Shakuntala and her father moved to London, providing a bigger opportunity that would open Shakuntala the doors to her dreams. Along the way, she became an auto-didact, teaching herself English and other languages; a woman who loved her saris, wine, and dancing to Fred Astaire songs. It was a struggle having to learn English in a foreign country that determined one’s success. However, people grew to love Shakuntala with her colorful saris, pretty pigtails, and eccentric personality. As Shakuntala succeeded in showcasing her talents at multiple stages in London and all over the world, she was able to hold a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for finding the product of two thirteen digit numbers! She was praised as the authentic heroine of India and was said that she could outperform the fastest computers of her time! Shakuntala was able to solve questions like the cube root of a twenty three-digit number, and finding the twenty-third root of a two hundred and ten-digit number. Her talents allowed her to be known all over the world and changed her social status as well. Shakuntala very quickly went from a life of poverty in Bangalore to becoming an independent and self-sufficient woman traveling the world.
However, in acknowledgment of her talents, Shakuntala Devi was commonly referred to as the “human computer,” which she did not like. Shakuntala believed that the human mind should not be compared with a computer, being that she was someone who could process numbers and information, but feelings and emotions as well. It disappointed her a lot of the times when people failed to acknowledge her as a human and not as an object that could compute numbers. In addition to this, Shakuntala Devi also advocated for homosexuals and seemed to have a soft spot for members of the LGBTQ+ community. At the time, it was considered taboo to talk about homosexuality, but Shakuntala eventually led on to write a book about homosexuals and their struggles in society. Shakuntala was actually married to a homosexual man, which was what sparked her interest in trying to understand the topic better.
Shakuntala, later on, had a beautiful baby daughter, Anupama Banerjee, whom she loved very much and brought with her everywhere. Shakuntala strived to give the best life possible to her daughter, and allow her daughter to become independent and have her own ambitions. But, being a mother was hard for Shakuntala. She always had to travel around the world, forcing her to stay at different hotels every few days, and raising a baby in that environment was a challenge. However, this did not stop her. Shakuntala was determined to become the best mother possible, as well as the best mathematician as well. Those around her told Shakuntala that being a mother would change her life, and she would possibly have to quit pursuing mathematics, but Shakuntala did not listen. As a result, Shakuntala was able to prove those who questioned her abilities to be a mother and an independent woman wrong.
Shakuntala Devi’s wonderful legacy is one to remember, cherish, and live by. Her life and her impact continue to inspire other women to not let the obstacles of life stop you from attaining your goals, as well as to not conform to society’s gender roles, but to be your own boss.
Meet the Author:
Hello! My name is Nandana Surendran, and I am the founder and president of Illuminating Voices! I wanted to take some time and write about the icon, Shakuntala Devi, because she is truly an inspirational role model for me, and I believe that she teaches important values of self-respect and determination.
“Nobody challenges me, I challenge myself.” - Shakuntala Devi
Sources:
https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/shakuntala-devi-biography-1594814291-1
https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/prime-woman-why-shakuntala-devi-was-a-woman-who-wanted-it-all-6532985/
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/shakuntala-devi-quotes
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