Starting afresh with the numbers game

March 28, 2009 GULF NEWS

Can you multiply 999999999 x 564837564 in 5 seconds without reaching for a pen
or paper? Or find the square of 45 just as quickly? The figures don't add up to much
if one were to take a crack at the problems the Vedic way.
B. Sai Kiran, a memory and swift maths trainer from the south Indian city of
Hyderabad, reckons just about anyone can master the ancient Indian mathematic
techniques that can quickly change a child's perception of maths forever.
Most of us find mathematics a dreaded subject. But the students who attended a
seminar at Our Own English High School, Sharjah, recently were mesmerised by the
ease with which complex problems were solved in a matter of few seconds. They
kept asking for more and Kiran was too pleased to oblige them.
As the session progressed, a sense of confidence was evident among the hundreds of
children present who seemed to realise that maths could indeed be fun.
Kiran, who also imparts memory-boosting techniques to children, says Vedic Maths is
much simpler and easier to understand. "Using Vedic Maths we can calculate almost
all the problems in a single step, and arrive at results much faster than conventional
methods of calculations," he said.
Kiran, who founded Impact (Institute of Memory Power and Concentration Training),
claims to have trained more than 140,000 students worldwide. "The key is to solve
math problems with pleasure, not with pressure," said Kiran who finds maths "a
game of numbers".
Gulf News met Sai Kiran, for an insight into the unique calculation technique and his
interest in the subject. Excerpts:
Gulf News: How is Vedic Maths different from the conventional method?
SAI KIRAN: Vedic maths is very easy to learn. The emphasis is on using some
secret techniques mentioned in the Vedas to do mental calculations. It is a wonderful
method for a child to learn how to think and reason effectively, creatively and
logically.
Students can come out of the confinement of the "only one best way" approach and
devise their own methods under the Vedic system. It can also help slow learners
latch on to the basic concepts of mathematics.
How did you start off learning Vedic Maths?
I was poor in maths during my school days and used to loath the subject. It was only
after I started working that I met Professor Das, who taught me the amazing Vedic
Maths techniques in 45 days. Later, I quit my clerical job and took up a career as a
Vedic Maths teacher. I also learned another concept called Vedic Memory from Dr
Madugula Nagaphani Sharma. I combined the two techniques and found that the
resultant method helped in optimal use of mind power.
How effective is this with the students?
More than 90 per cent of students feel that Maths is the most difficult subject. Vedic
Maths techniques make things so easy that you can outpace a calculator.
There are basically 10 'sutras' (rules) and 6 'upa sutras' (sub rules). Based on these
16 formulae, we can tackle anything in maths.
What do you feel about the usefulness of these in day-to-day life.
Everything in the world is linked to maths, be it time, space, human beings, objects.
So Vedic Maths is applicable to all such situations where calculations are required.
Generally the calculations are done from right to left, but in Vedic Maths there's no
fixed rule: it can be done both ways.
What would you rate as your achievements in the field?
I have received several awards, the most important one being the best Maths trainer
award presented by the governor of Andhra Pradesh in 2005.
I have trained thousands of students. One of my students, Nischal Narayanam, made
it to the Guinness of Book of World Records in 2006 for his mathematical prowess.
He was one among the four selected by the National Geographic Channel for its My
Brilliant Brain series. Many of my students who were very weak in maths went on to
score 100 per cent marks in the subject after learning Vedic Maths and Super
Memory techniques.
Formulae: Origins of system debated
Dubai: Vedic Mathematics has been popularised by the Indian spiritual master and
Beatles guru Maharshi Yogi. Written in the Vedic Age, but buried under centuries of
neglect, this remarkable system of calculation was deciphered toward the beginning
of the 20th century by Swami Bharati Krishna Thirta, a Sanskrit scholar and
mathematician.
The Vedas, written around 1500-900 BC, are ancient Indian texts containing a record
of human experiences and knowledge.
Thirta claims he found the ancient Indian system of maths based on 16 Sutras, or
formulae, after years of studying the Atharva Veda. However, labeling the
mathematics he presented as 'Vedic' has stirred a controversy among Indian
Mathematicians who question both the Vedic origin of the mathematics and whether
the sutras can be applied to all disciplines of Mathematics.
They point to the lack of evidence of any sutras from the Vedic period consistent with
the system.

However, ancient Indian Vedic civilisations are known for being skilled in geometry,
algebra and computational mathematics complex enough to incorporate things like
irrational numbers.