Shakuntala Devi was an Indian writer, mental calculator, astrologer, and social worker who is considered a human genius. She worked tirelessly to simplify mathematics and was also included in the 1982 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records.
Shakuntala Devi Quick Info
Height
5 ft 2 in
Weight
60 kg
Date of Birth
November 4, 1929
Zodiac Sign
Scorpio
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Shakuntala Devi was an Indian writer, mental calculator, astrologer, and social worker who is considered a human genius. She worked tirelessly to simplify mathematics and was also included in the 1982 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records.
Born Name
Shakuntala Devi
Nick Name
Human Computer
Shakuntala Devi smiling for a picture (HetveeSPatel / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0)
Age
She was born on November 4, 1929.
Died
Shakuntala Devi passed away at the age of 83 on April 21, 2013, in Bangalore, Karnataka, India after suffering from complications of the heart and kidneys.
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Born Place
Bangalore, Princely State of Mysore, British India (Later: Karnataka, India)
Nationality
Occupation
Writer, Mental Calculator, Social Worker, Astrologer
Paritosh Banerji (1965-1979) – She was married to Paritosh Banerji, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service from Kolkata, and the duo was blessed with a daughter named Anupama Banerji. However, the couple divorced in 1979 due to personal issues. It was later revealed that he was a homos*xual.
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
Shakuntala Devi was of Kannada Brahmin descent.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Shakuntala Devi as seen in a picture (TNSEChandrasekarTpr / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
A mathematic genius
Pierced ears
Usually sported short hair
Shakuntala Devi Facts
She was 3 years old when her father realized her abilities to memorize numbers while he was teaching her a card trick.
Shakuntala Devi showcased her arithmetic abilities at the University of Mysore when she was 6. Also, she did that without having received any formal education.
Along with her father, she shifted to London, England, in the year 1944 and later returned to India in the mid-1960s.
She wrote a number of books on mathematics, puzzles, and astrology.
Shakuntala Devi’s book titled The world of Homos*xuals is considered the pioneer in the study of homosexuality in India, a work that also treats the topic in a positive light. However, she also had to face criticism for it.
In her book, Figuring: The Joy of Numbers, she explained the various methods used by her to do mental calculations.
She also contested in the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate, from Mumbai South and from Medak in part of Telangana, in 1980.
The short documentary, For Straights Only, was released in 2001 and there Shakuntala Devi revealed that her interest in homos*xuality originated from her marriage to a homos*xual man and her desire to take a closer look at the topic.
She was honored with a Google Doodle on what would have been her 84th birthday on November 4, 2013.
In May 2019, it was announced that a film based on Shakuntala Devi’s life would be released in summer 2020. The biographical film stars Vidya Balan (as Shakuntala Devi), Jisshu Sengupta, Sanya Malhotra, and Amit Sadh and was planned to be released theatrically on May 8, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided that the film would be streamed worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on July 31, 2020.
Featured Image by HetveeSPatel / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0
