Shakuntala Devi birth anniversary: remembering the life and times of the “Human Computer”

Shakuntala Devi, India’s foremost female mathematician, was renowned for her superfast mental calculations. Also called “The Human Computer”, her achievements are often used as an example to highlight women in the STEM fields. In 1977, she famously found the 23rd root for a 201-digit number in 50 seconds. A few years later, in 1980, Shakuntala Devi was named in the Guinness Book of Records for the “Fastest Human Computation”. But mathematics was not her only love. She had diverse interests that defined a colourful and intriguing life.