Mathematician Krishnaswami Alladi speaking at the book release event in Chennai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: M. SRINATH

The autobiography of reputed mathematician Krishnaswami Alladi titled My Mathematical Universe-People, Personalities and The Profession was launched in the city on Saturday.

At the event, organised by the Chennai International Centre, Prof. Krishnaswami, who is with the University of Florida, said India was a powerhouse of mathematics and some top centres include the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the Chennai Mathematical Institute. “The only thing is, when compared to the size of the country and the population, we could use a few more internationally reputed mathematics departments,” he said.

Mr. Krishnaswami spoke in detail about what inspired him to write the autobiography. “My father advised me to maintain an annual diary. I started doing it in 1985, found it immensely useful. Hence, I decided to write my autobiography,” he said, and added that from a young age, he began interacting with some of the world’s leaders in mathematics and physics.

“After I became an academician, these interactions continued as I visited different universities across the world, and I was able to observe these luminaries up close. I could see their human side, and hence, I thought I should record my accounts of them,” he added.