Shakuntala Devi
Scientists

Shakuntala Devi Net Worth

Shakuntala Devi was an Indian mathematical genius and writer who was popularly known as the "human computer". Born into an impoverished family in Bangalore, India, she displayed her skills at an early age and was taken on road shows by her father. Despite not receiving any formal education, she became one of the most brilliant mathematical minds of her time, performing complicated calculations without the aid of any technological device. Her abilities earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records and she wrote books on mathematics, puzzles, and astrology.
Shakuntala Devi is a member of Scientists

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Human Computer
Birth Day November 04, 1929
Birth Place Bangalore, Indian
Age 83 YEARS OLD
Died On 21 April 2013(2013-04-21) (aged 83)\nBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Birth Sign Sagittarius
Other names Human computer
Occupation Social worker

💰 Net worth: $2 Million (2024)

Shakuntala Devi was a remarkable mathematician known as the "Human Computer" in India. Her exceptional ability to solve complex mathematical calculations mentally without any aid or tools earned her global recognition. In 2024, her net worth is estimated to be around $2 million. Despite her extraordinary talent and success, Shakuntala Devi remained humble and dedicated to spreading the importance of mathematics and encouraging the younger generation to embrace their mathematical skills. Her legacy as a pioneer in the field of mental calculations continues to inspire mathematicians and enthusiasts worldwide.

Famous Quotes:

For Garcia-Arroyo the beginning of the debate on homosexuality in the twentieth century is made with Shakuntala Devi's book The World of Homosexuals published in 1977. [...] Shakuntala Devi's (the famous mathematician) [sic] book appeared. This book went almost unnoticed, and did not contribute to queer discourse or movement. [...] The reason for this book not making its mark was because Shakuntala Devi was famous for her mathematical wizardry and nothing of substantial import in the field of homosexuality was expected from her. Another factor for the indifference meted out to the book could perhaps be a calculated silence because the cultural situation in India was inhospitable for an open and elaborate discussion on this issue.

Biography/Timeline

1950

Devi travelled the world demonstrating her arithmetic talents, including a tour of Europe in 1950 and a performance in New York City in 1976. In 1988, she travelled to the US to have her abilities studied by Arthur Jensen, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Jensen tested her performance of several tasks, including the calculation of large numbers. Examples of the problems presented to Devi included calculating the cube root of 61,629,875 and the seventh root of 170,859,375. Jensen reported that Devi provided the solution to the above mentioned problems (395 and 15, respectively) before Jensen could copy them down in his notebook. Jensen published his findings in the academic journal Intelligence in 1990.

1960

She returned to India in the mid-1960s and married Paritosh Banerji, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service from Kolkata. They were divorced in 1979. In 1980, she contested in the Lok Sabha elections as an independent, from Bombay South and from Medak in part of Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana). In Medak she stood against Indira Gandhi, saying she wanted to "defend the people of Medak from being fooled by Mrs. Gandhi"; she stood ninth, with 6514 votes (1.47% of the votes). Devi returned to Bengaluru in the early 1980s.

1977

In 1977, she wrote The World of Homosexuals, the first study of homosexuality in India. In the documentary For Straights Only, she said that her interest in the topic came out of her marriage to a homosexual man and her Desire to look at homosexuality more closely to understand it.

1980

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. Writer Steven Smith said, "the result is so far superior to anything previously reported that it can only be described as unbelievable".

2013

On 4 November 2013, Devi was honoured with a Google Doodle for what would have been her 84th birthday (https://www.google.com/doodles/shakuntala-devis-84th-birthday).

2014

The book, considered "pioneering", features interviews with two young Indian homosexual men, a male couple in Canada seeking legal marriage, a temple priest who explains his views on homosexuality, and a review of the existing literature on homosexuality. It ends with a call for decriminalization of homosexuality, and "full and complete acceptance—not tolerance and sympathy". The book, however, went mostly unnoticed at that time.

Some Shakuntala Devi images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.