Mathematical luminaries of pre-independent India

Abstract

Among all the sciences, Mathematics seems to be the least talked, as the breakthroughs and discoveries in the world of mathematics are implicit and complex to communicate as compared to other sciences. Nevertheless, Mathematics (in an implicit way) plays the foundational role for development of other branch of sciences. As Indian scientists emerged on the global map during the last phase of colonial India, it becomes imperative to look at the development of mathematics during that period. Infact, in the 1920s Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (Nobel Laureate, Physics) got inspired by the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. Such was the impact of Ramanujan, who proved to be a source of immense morale among the demotivated science aspirants in the colonial era. Apart from Ramanujan, there were other mathematical luminaries in different roles (Mathematicians, Administrators and Historians) who worked for the propagation of mathematics and development of mathematical sciences in preindependent India. For example: mathematicians like Ganesh Prasad, K Anand Rau and T Vijayaraghavan made significant contributions in the field of pure mathematics; D R Kaprekar highlighted the field of recreational mathematics, and administrators and visionaries like Asutosh Mukherjee and V Ramaswamy Aiyar worked for the development of mathematical culture through institutions and societies. Credit also goes to historians of mathematics like Prabodh Chandra Sengupta, Bibhutibhushan Datta and Sudhakar Dvivedi who kept the ancient mathematics culture alive through their writings and inspired budding mathematicians to be aware of historical Indian contributions even in the colonial era. The paper is an attempt to highlight such luminaries in different roles. The paper talks about their contributions and their impact during the pre-independence period (especially around the beginning of the 20th century).