It is often said that ignorance is bliss. It can particularly be so if you do not know what you do not know. Only when awareness of what you lack or miss begins to sink in, can it be damaging to your psyche.
Literature students will perhaps be able to trace the axiom to Thomas Gray’s immortal words, "Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise," from his poem, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, written as early as in 1742.
Being a “Mental”: There have also been times when I have wondered if being a “mental” (I am using this only as a synonym for “lunatic” and not in any pejorative sense) can be even better as you can be totally oblivious to happenings around you. I don’t think, however, I am mentally prepared to embrace insanity. But am I nuts already?
This, nonetheless, brings me to the topic of the day – mental mathematics. I had all along assumed that Abacus was the most popular system for mental calculation. But a couple of days ago, during a discussion at work with my boss, as an aside, he raised the issue of Vedic mathematics.
Vedhala-kumar: Honestly, I had not heard much about it. How can I be ignorant of it, particularly when I have a part of the first word (Vedic) in my name (Vethakumar)?
Now I am reminded of an incident in school when one of my favourite teachers, rather jokingly, referred to me as Vethala-kumar (for the benefit of non-Indian readers, vedalam refers to the devil and veda to the scripture).
Chess and Maths: I have never been good in maths despite being a chess enthusiast, having played the game at the tournament level. There may be no big link between the two, but chess is a game that involves intense mental calculation, with the players visualising strategies in the mind and executing them on the board to lethal effect.
The digression aside, Vedic mathematics traces its roots to the Vedas, the Hindu scriptures written thousands of years ago. Based on 16 Vedic sutras (or aphorisms), it is perhaps the oldest form of mental mathematics that uses simple rules and formulae to solve complex problems mentally.
Online Teaching: With such a rich and ancient mathematical tradition, it is no wonder that Indians are now teaching the subject online to students around the world, including to those in the U.S. and the U.K.
Now I know that there are a few other interesting methods to master rapid calculation besides Abacus. It even stretches beyond Vedic Mathematics and includes the Trachtenberg system, named after a Russian engineer who invented it
More information on Vedic Mathematics can be had from http://www.vedicmaths.org. Interestingly, this is a site managed by British mathematicians. There are scores of other sites as well, including http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/aa062901a.htm
–G Joslin Vethakumar
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Vedic Mathematics is really interesting and one does not have to be good at Math for it. Some of its simpler aspects can be used for daily calculations like calculating the cost of your grocery… (Vegetable vendors in Chennai already seem to be adept at it… at times i am amazed at how quickly they calculate 600 gms of X + 750 gms of Y + 350gms of Z). There is lot of hype being generated about Vedic Mathematics in India and most of the students who appear for the Common Aptitude Test (CAT) for admissions to the premier management institutions (IIMs) of India join coaching classes to learn it. These tricks are very helpful when you have to solve complex problems in less than a minute :). Interesting post, am already searching for stuff related to it.
Thanks, Sudhamshu, for throwing greater light on the topic. Judging by the way Vedic Mathematics is being employed by even small vendors, it does appear to me that it is more than just a short cut to competitive success.
interesting, actually it is the first time for me to hear about vedic maths. gonna check it out with the website, thanks~!
Thanks, it will be an enriching experience.