India And The World Of Mathematics?

Despite a general lack of public awareness about mathematics, there is in this country a feeling that we are very good at mathematics and there is a certain pride in its past achievements. We have no doubt major past contributions to mathematics to our credit. The romantic story of Srinivasa Ramanujan no doubt contributes (very justifiably) to this belief. But there are other dubious claims on behalf of Vedic mathematics which are also taken quite seriously and contribute to this confidence in our mathematical proficiency. Some idea of the Indian impact on the world of mathematics may be gleaned from the fact that since 1958, in every International Congress of Mathematicians, except in 1986, there has been at least one invited talk by an Indian mathematician working in India.That is the ‘feel good’ side of Indian mathematics, but the peaks do not tell the whole story. The general level of mathematics outside a handful of institutions of higher learning is abysmally low. Much of what is passed off as research in our institutions of higher learning is of shamefully poor quality; nor does one find scholarship of note.