JOIN USWhy Shakuntala’s siblings gave up on maths
Human computer’ Shakuntala Devi grew up in south Bengaluru and was one of eight siblings, all gifted in numbers. The family turned averse to mathematics after she suddenly left home, one of them told ‘Showtime’.
Shakuntala’s father C V Sundararaja Rao, is credited with inventing a unique solar calendar. He was popular for his extraordinary ability with numbers and he also used them for astrological predictions. “My father passed on his mathematical genius to all his children and every one of them imbibed his memory and was a wizard with numbers. Shakuntala topped them all,” recalls 70-year-old Vasanthalakshmi, Shakuntala Devi’s youngest sister, to Showtime.
Vasanthalakshmi is the youngest sister of Shakuntala Devi and now lives in Hyderabad with her son. She has watched the just-released film ‘Shakuntala Devi,’ starring Vidya Balan, and has noticed that it makes no mention of her sisters.
“I don’t feel bad because I have no memories of Shakuntala. I was a 20-day baby when she left home at the age of 15. The rest is history. The stories I’ve heard are those told to me by my parents and sisters,” says Vasanthalakshmi, who was just as good with numbers. “Like Shakuntala, I have also given mathematical demonstrations at Central College, Mysore University and other places. I won a lot of appreciation as well,” she recalls.
Sudden exit and void
The other sisters didn’t follow in Shakuntala Devi’s footsteps after she left home.
“Shakuntala’s sudden exit left a void in our lives. My mother believed that too much of maths is what destroyed the family. Shakuntala went to Delhi and we heard that she had shot somebody. She was still a minor then. Our father’s acquaintance Mrudala Sara Bai bailed her out and took her away to England. It was after this incident that our mother asked all of us to make a promise that we would never take up maths. We made that promise and never returned to the world of numbers,” she recalls. After Vasanthalakshmi completed her education, she joined the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company and worked in the maintenance department. “I later got married and had a son. Because of Shakuntala’s story, none took up maths, although they had the ability. Even my grandchildren are not interested in getting into the subject,” she says.
Her theatre days
While maths remained her first love, Shakuntala Devi enjoyed performing in plays.
Thanks to her ability to emote well, she bagged prominent roles in plays, says Gowridattu, principal of Abhinaya Taranga Theatre School in Hanumanthanagar.
Shakuntala used to train under Gowri’s father, A S Murthy, who used to do theatre. On All India Radio, he had a talk show, which was widely popular.
Shankuntala Devi would perform in the plays of Chitra troupe, formed by her father says Gowri.
“She was very close to my father. Seeing her ability and extraordinary memory power, I secretly nurtured a love of numbers and wanted to be like her,” recalls Gowri.
“Shakuntala and my father would appear on shows together in schools and colleges. She would perform and my father would narrate. However, she moved out as we grew up and we lost touch. We later saw her shows on TV,” she says.