If we are done criticizing, burning the effigies, feeling low and venting out our anger on the Indian Cricket team after the World Cup debacle. Here is something to cheer about. It may not mean much to very many people but at least we can feel proud that one of the Indians has contributed so much to the ocean of Mathematics. S.R.S. Varadhan has been awarded the Abel Prize for his contributions to probability theory http://www.frontlineonnet.com/stories/20070420001909700.htm. This is the 5th Abel prize awarded since it was instituted in 2002. This prize is in the honor of the great mathematician, who unfortunately died very young at the age of 27, Niels Henrik Abel.
I feel proud to see an Indian getting this prize. It is in some sense equivalent to Nobel Prize. I feel very connected and am very fascinated by mathematics especially pure mathematics at that. I consider myself fortunate enough to get into mathematics, fortunate because I was not thinking mathematics to be the subject to pursue for my bachelor’s degree. I was looking for some science course like any other above average Indian student who had science stream in the 11th and 12th grade. I chose (rather got) mathematics honors for my bachelor’s degree because I was not getting any science courses, but little did I know at that time that I would be mesmerized by its beauty. I always liked mathematics and did pretty well in it but never thought that I would go on to pursue my degree in it. I was very fortunate to get some great teachers who instilled in me the passion for pure mathematics. I studied Abelian groups and functions while pursuing my degree in mathematics (makes me feel even more connected!!).
Even though I branched out of pure mathematics after my bachelor’s degree, but I remained very close to it. I still keep reading about the beauty that is mathematics. Even though I have not contributed anything to the mathematical world but I feel I am a part of that community. I feel bad sometimes that mathematics does not have a Nobel Prize (Field’s Medal is the closest) whereas it is the backbone for any research in any field. But then I console myself by feeling proud that mathematicians are a different breed and they are a cut above the rest and do not need any formal recognition. Pursuing mathematics is a gift in itself.
