November 4, 2013

ONE QUESTION, SHAKUNTALA DEVI !!

In my school days, I remembered answering a two mark question.
Q:Who is Shakuntala Devi?
A: She is the Human Calculator.

Little I remember about her achievements. A lady born with a gift.

Is it her genes as she was a born genius. She was only three and shocked everyone with her ability to remember numbers in the card game. Her father refused to be a priest to work for a circus as a Lion tamer.

When she was 6 years old her father took her for street shows as she had the talent to crunch numbers. She has quite a life story. 

From the circus to the streets of Bangalore, later migrated to London. Then she returned back to India. From her marriage to an Indian Administrative officer from Kolkata to write a book, "For Straights only" about Homosexuality. It has nothing to do with numbers but to understand Homosexuality for her own marriage. From traveling around the world for her arithmatic skills to find a place in Guiness book of World Records.

She returned to Bangalore in early 1980s post her divorce and lived her last on 21st april 2013. A face full with wrinkles of life.
Today is a pride day as we celebrate her 84th Birth Anniversary.
While google found an innovative way to tribute her a doodle with her picture and its a big pride for all Indians, I wish if I could have ever met her for a travel Query.

Honourable Shakuntala Devi, Can you please calculate how many kilometers I have walked in the 30 countries I have been to :)



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