It is a matter of pride that another person with Indian roots has bagged one of the most coveted prizes in the field of mathematics. Manjul Bhargava, one of four winners this quadrennial of the Fields Medal, the equivalent of the Nobel since there is no Swedish prize for this fundamental branch of science, may only be a person of Indian origin but he carries forward a national tradition that Aryabhata established as the most renowned of the mathematician-astronomers of the classical Indian age. The knowledge of zero — among India’s greatest scientific contributions to mankind — was said to have been implicit in Aryabhata’s place-value system although he did not use Brahmi numerals himself but continued the Sanskritic tradition of Vedic times. Bhargava’s interest in Sanskrit, as well as music, makes a nice backdrop to his achievement in the modern era. The Canadian-American is certain to know of another mathematical genius of India, Srinivasan Ramanujan, whose tragically brief life is being celebrated now in a biopic. An Iranian-born woman mathematician, Maryam Mirzakhani, is one of four winners of the prize and the first woman to be so awarded. Such success of individuals of hugely differing backgrounds in the US indicates the vast possibilities when talent meets opportunity. Bhargava may have to thank his mother, herself a well-known mathematician, for bequeathing her genes. But, it makes us wonder why we are unable to create opportunities for the finest talents our country has produced in pure mathematics and science.
