Academicians back vedic mathematics in school curriculum

Vedic Mathematics has been derived from 16 sutras (mathematical theories) from the fourth or Atharva Veda. The first man to pen a book on Vedic Mathematics was Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha. Later a number of mathematicians and statisticians used his theory for their research.

Kolkata: Some students prefer English literature, while some prefer history. While the third group of students has an avid interest in geography. But in every academic group, there are some students who always suffer due to "fear" of mathematics. For some, this fear factor continues even as they grow old. Naturally because of this fear factor many students, despite having talents, find it difficult to progress much in their career.

Academicians feel that this fear factor should be overcome at a very young age itself, and "Vedic Mathematics" has come as a miracle to eradicate the fear factor and help students succeed in competitive examinations. Hinduism refers to four Veda and it is believed that Vedic Mathematics has been derived from 16 sutras (mathematical theories) from the fourth or Atharva Veda. The first man to pen a book on Vedic Mathematics was Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha. Later a number of mathematicians and statisticians used his theory for their research.

However, for a long time, Vedic Mathematics was not included in the traditional system of teaching. There have been numerous debates on whether Vedic Mathematics should be included as a chapter in the traditional mathematics syllabus. According to educationist Malini Bhagat, though some educational institutions have included Vedic Mathematics in the syllabus, this stream of mathematics is yet to gain popularity.

“I included Vedic Mathematics in the syllabus when I was the principal of a city-based English medium school. Our school was among the first to introduce Vedic Mathematics in the syllabus. This stream was introduced mainly keeping in mind the interest of those students whose base in mathematics was weak or had a fear of the subject. It was included in the syllabus from the third standard to the sixth standard,” Bhagat told ETV Bharat.

She said that the introduction of this subject worked as a miracle. “Those who were afraid of Mathematics started taking interest in the subject. Naturally, with a fearless mind, they could concentrate on other subjects in a more organized way,” Bhagat said. She said that besides basic arithmetic, Vedic Mathematics can also prove to be helpful with geometry, trigonometry and algebra among others.

Famous mathematician Subham Chattopadhyay feels that through Vedic Mathematics, even the most complicated calculations can be solved without using a calculator or computer. “Only thing is that you need to memorise a lot of things and to keep them stored in the memory, you need to practice Vedic Mathematics regularly,” he said.

He admitted that memorising can add some pressure to students but at the same time every mathematical theory is based on some logic. In Vedic Mathematics, more than logic, the necessary thing is to follow a particular line of calculation, he said. He further said that applying theories of Vedic Mathematics is not much necessary for smaller or simpler calculations. “But for bigger and complex complications, this stream is extremely important for quick calculation in order to find the result. So Vedic Mathematics can prove to be extremely fruitful for competitive examinations.