5 Mind-Numbing Facts You Need To Know About Shakuntala Devi , The Incredible Math Genius Vidya Balan Would Be Playing Next

Just like Khans and Kumars, Vidya Balan is one such actor whose upcoming films always raise our expectations. After delivering a fan favorite like Mission Mangal, Vidya will next be seen in her first biopic. But this time, it is not just Vidya Balan we are intrigued about the incredible lady that she is playing on the screen.

Shakuntala Devi, also known as the Human-Computer, is the mathematics genius that not only made India proud but also re-instated our belief in pure human excellence. Defying every norm and every expectation, here are some amazing facts about India’s math genius Shakuntala Devi.

A Rocky Start

Despite being born in a family of Brahmin priests in Karnataka, Shakuntala Devi’s father left his family and worked in a circus as a magician and a tight rope walker. He taught young Shakuntala all his skills but her family was so poor that they could not even afford Rs. 2 to send Shakuntala to a proper school.

Early Discovery

Shakuntala was only 3 when her talents for numbers were discovered. Her father was teaching her a card trick and he was surprised to see flair for numbers. Soon her talents became an attraction and a young Shakuntala was roaming around with her father flaunting her unique skills in fairs and beside the roads. By the time she was 6, she was showing her unique skills in Annamalai University, Osmania University, and other prestigious institutions.

Amazing Feats

After her fame spread, she moved to London with her father.  In 1977, Shakuntala was asked the 23^rd root of a 201 digit number at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She gave the answer in 50 seconds before the examiner could even write it down in the notebook. In fact, the US Bureau Of Standards had to write a special code into a UNIVAC 1101 to check her answer.

Guinness Book Of Records

On 18 June 1980, she demonstrated the multiplication of two 13-digit numbers 7,686,369,774,870 × 2,465,099,745,779 picked at random by the Computer Department of Imperial College London. She correctly answered 18,947,668,177,995,426,462,773,730 in 28 seconds. This event was recorded in the 1982 Guinness Book of Records.

Not Only About Maths

While her fame and recognition came from her extraordinary abilities with numbers, she was interested in other subjects as well. Shakuntala Devi had written several books related to numbers and mathematics, but that is not all. In 1977, she wrote The World of Homosexuals which is probably one of the first Indian publications on the taboo topic. She said her interest in the subject came from being married to a homosexual man.  Apart from this trailblazing feat, she has also written numerous cookbooks and even published books related to Astrology.