The executive organising committee of the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) has decided to name a one-time international prize of Rs.10 lakh for popularising mathematics after Leelavati , the immortal mathematical treatise by the Indian mathematician, Bhaskaracharya.
The prize, to be given for outstanding contribution to public outreach on mathematics by an individual, would be awarded at the closing ceremony of the meeting of the ICM at Hyderabad in August.
Press Officer for the conference, G. Madhavan, said, the committee was making efforts towards making the prize a regular feature in future sessions of the ICM. The issue would be discussed at the next general assembly of the conference, which was likely to be held in Korea. This is stated to be the first-ever international prize for popularisation of mathematics.
The ICM meets once in four years and is the biggest and most prestigious meeting of mathematicians. It would be for the first time in its century-old history that a meeting of the congress is being held in India.
A 12th century treatise, Leelavati , is one of the basic mathematical texts that is acclaimed by mathematicians across the world. In the book, devoted to arithmetic and algebra, the legendary Bhaskaracharya posed a series of problems in elementary arithmetic as challenges to one Leelavati and follows them with indications of solutions.
The work was a main source of learning the then state-of-the-art arithmetic and algebra in medieval India. Historical research shows that the work had immense influence in the Middle-East and that a Mughal Emperor even commissioned a Persian translation. The translation was rendered by Abul Fazal, a vizier of Akbar, who also authored the Akbarnama , the official history of Akbar's regime in three volumes and a Persian translation of Bible.
According to one legend, which is traced to early Persian translations of the work, Leelavati was none other than the daughter of Bhaskaracharya and that he named the book after her as the book itself arose out of his efforts to distract and console her with mathematics.
As per the legend, Leelavati was distraught and Bhaskaracharya sought to console her with mathematics, after a planned wedding for her had to be cancelled as the auspicious time fixed for the marriage was missed, thanks to her playing with a device for measuring time.
