By IRNA,
New Delhi : India on Thursday stressed the need for promotion of mathematics among the young generation.
“The need for understanding mathematics was necessary in all walks of life, be it engineers, scientists or those working in the industry, finance or social sciences”, said President Pratinbha Devisingh Patil, inaugurating the nine-day International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre at the capital city of Andra Pradesh, on Thursday.
“Since Independence, India recognised the importance of science as a vehicle for human progress. Mathematics, the language of science and its advancement, is an integral part of India’s science policy,” she added.
Economics and social sciences, once impervious to maths, are coming increasingly under its influence, pti reported.
There is an aesthetic component to its pursuit and it inculcates the habit of rational thought.
Its role in other human endeavours apart, we also recognise the profound cultural dimension that the study of mathematics has,” Patil said.
Noting that India’s engagement with mathematics dated back to some three thousand years, the President said the country had a rich mathematical heritage and has been accorded a primary position among intellectual pursuits.
“Like the crest of the peacock and the jewel of the serpent, Mathematics stands at the helm of all sciences,” Pratibha said, quoting a Sanskrit verse.
She recalled the contributions of Aryabhatta and Brahmagupta to the development of Algebra and Astronomy and also that of Bhaskaracharya.
“However, until the last century, the West seems to have been unaware of Madhava, a mathematician of the 15th century who anticipated the essentials of Calculus. It is only in recent years that the work of ‘Kerala School’ has attracted considerable attention from historians of mathematics,” Pratibha Patil pointed out.
Revival of mathematical activity in India was triggered by the advent of the extraordinary figure of Srinivasa Ramanujan in the 20th century, she said, adding Ramanujan’s achievements were a source of inspiration for succeeding generations.
She wished success for the initiatives of International Mathematical Union aimed at promotion of mathematics in developing countries. The President gave away awards to eminent mathematicians on the occasion.
The four Fields Medals were presented to Elon Lindenstrauss ( Israel ), Ngo Bao Chau (Vietnam), Stanislav Smirnov (Russia) and Cedric Villani (France).
The Rolf Nevanlinna Prize was presented to Daniel Spielman of Yale University while the Gauss Prize was given away to Yves Meyer of France .
The newly-instituted Chern Prize for lifelong achievements in mathematics was presented to Canadian Louis Nirenberg of New York University.
Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan, Chief Minister K Rosaiah, International Mathematical Union president L Lovasz, organizing committee chairman M S Raghunathan, secretary Rajat Tandon and others were present on the occasion.
Over 3,000 delegates from about 75 countries are attending the ICM being held under the auspices of International Mathematical Union (IMU).
The ICM, conducted once every four years, is being held in Asia for the third time after the ones in Japan (Kyoto) in 1990 and China (Beijing) in 2002.
While numerous technical sessions have been scheduled during the nine-day event, panel discussions will also be held on topics like ‘Mathematics Education and Popularization of Mathematics’ and ‘Mathematics in Science and Technology.’
A panel discussion on how to take mathematics to high schools has also been scheduled during the event.
The London Mathematical Society is organizing a discussion on 25th August on ‘Mechanisms for strengthening mathematics in developing countries’ as part of the ICM.
About 20 eminent mathematicians from India will address sessions while another 170 speakers from other countries have been invited to deliver talks, Rangarajan added.
The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics.
It meets once every four years, hosted by the IMU.
The Fields Medals, the Nevanlinna Prize, the Gauss Prize, and the Chern Medal are awarded during the congress’ opening ceremony.
Each congress is memorialized by a printed learned Proceedings recording academic papers based on invited talks intended to be relevant to current topics of general interest.
The first International Congress of Mathematicians was held in Zurich in August 1897.