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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. Born 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. She has demonstrated her brilliant mind in most of the major cities in the world. In addition to normal arithmetic such as addition, multiplication and division, she calculates square and cube roots as well as algorithms in her head. Given any date in the last century she could tell the day of the week, in a flash. For her fetes Shakuntala Devi has been honored with numberless medals and awards around the world. She has entered the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s fastest human computer. Shakuntala Devi’s extensive performances for the student community have aroused in them a love for numbers. She had inspired countless young people to take a keen interest in Mathematics. The misconception that numbers are dull and boring has been eradicated. She has cured many who had a phobia of numbers. What is the secret of her genius? She says that like any talent, she had to work hard to develop it. In the recent years Shakuntala Devi has focused her dazzling mind on to a more esoteric field - Astrology. The cold logic of her mathematical brain has moved on to the mysterious. Human reasoning has given way to a world of divine revelation. One can imagine the speed and more importantly the precision with which this human computer can resolve complex astrological position of her client. Earlier on her astrological predictions were available only for the royalty, the statesmen, stars and celebrities. Now she has made her services to the common man. Recently she was in Chennai and many people lined up to consult her on business or personal life situations. 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. (For the benefit of our readers, this unique remedy will be made available at Chennai Online shopping channel). While not traveling the world, Shakuntala divides her time between her home in Bangalore and London. By Sam Kumar
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Copyright
2008, Chennai Interactive
Business Services (P) Ltd. |
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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.
