Glimpses of India's mathematical heritage

The talk will aim at giving an overview of the mathematical developments in various traditions down the centuries, including in the Sulbasutras, Jaina works, the Siddhanta tradition pioneered by Aryabhata, and the Kerala school of mathematics. The overall mathematical contents and various highlights will be discussed, focussing also on the sources, language, and other cultural aspects.

About the Speaker:
Prof. Dani had a long and fruitful career at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, from August 1969 until June 2012, when he retired as Distinguished Professor. Subsequently he was affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay for five years, and since July 2017 has been with the UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Mumbai, and is currently the Chair of the School of Mathematical Sciences of the Centre. 

He has made extensive research contributions in many areas of mathematics, including Ergodic theory, Dynamics, Number theory, and Measures on groups, and has also written many articles on history of mathematics in India, of ancient as well as recent times.

The awards received by him include the Mathematical Sciences Prize of TWAS (the World Academy of Sciences), the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, and the Srinivasa Ramanujan Medal of the Indian National Science Academy. He is a Fellow of TWAS and all the three national academies of science in India: INSA (Delhi), IASc (Bengaluru) and NASc (Allahabad). He is an Honorary Fellow of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and an Honorary Member of the Marathi Vidnyan Parishad. 
He was a Member of the National Board of Higher Mathematics from 1996 to 2015, and its Chairman during 2006-2011. He was also President of the Com- mission for Development and Exchange, of the International Mathematical Union, during 2007-10, President of the Indian Mathematical Society during 2014-15, and has served on Governing and Advisory Bodies of several institutions.

He was President of the Indian Society for History of Mathematics (ISHM) during 2008-19, and was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Commission for History of Mathematics (ICHM), during 2015-18. He was the first President of the Mathematics Teachers’ Association, India, during 2017-20.
He has been on the Editorial Boards of several international journals and was the Editor of the Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences (Mathematical Sciences) during 1987-2000. He is currently the Editor of Ganita Bharati, the Bulletin of the Indian Society for History of Mathematics.