The city of pearls has been brimming over with maths lovers for more than a week now. The occasion being the International Congress of Mathematics 2010 hosted in the city since August 19. The ICM is held once every 4 years and is the world?s biggest maths event, with a 113-year-old history. It is for the first time the event is being held in India. ICM 2010 has brought together about 3,000 of the finest minds from across 90 countries?49% are from India. This year?s event is also significant for India as it commemorates the centenary of the Indian Mathematical Society?s foundation and the silver jubilee of the Ramanujan Mathematical Society.
For the global maths community, the distinction between pure and applied sciences is blurring due to evolving technological demands. In this vein, all of this year?s awards deal with real-world applications ranging from gas molecules and statistical physics to communications engineering and image processing. But the same isn?t reflected in the Indian maths community. In India?the land of Aryabhata, Bhaskara and Ramanujan?the number of takers for the subject has shrunk over the past few decades. In the history of ICM awards, there have been almost no Indian winners with Madhu Sudan being the lone winner to bag the Nevanlinna Award in 2002. There are no universities producing high calibre mathematicians, and no policy for identifying and grooming maths talent early, reducing India?s chances of winning a Fields Medal?the Nobel equivalent for maths; but unlike the Nobel, winners of the medal can?t be over 40 years of age. Also, fewer students are sticking to basic maths research, with big money being offered for jobs in the applied sciences.
Interestingly, the youngest delegate at ICM 2010 was a 12-year-old Indian child prodigy who presented her paper on integer partitioning. An NRI, Simon Singh was chosen for the maiden Leelavati Award for his outstanding contributions to public reach in maths by an individual. In another recent development, an Indian scientist at HP Labs, California has claimed to solve the famous ?P=NP? problem. These instances reveal that while modern Indian maths is nowhere close to its historical highs, it does have reasonable prospects.
At the school level, we need teachers to be enthusiastic to make the subject attractive to children. Students, both at the school and graduate level, should be encouraged to appreciate the connections between maths and natural world?institutions like Mexico?s La Ciencia en tu Escuela that form linkages between scientists and teachers can be of great help. Students also need to feel that they can have successful careers in maths. Such efforts can help maths become the ?queen of sciences? in India once again.
?jaya.jumrani@expressindia.com