Radha Charan Gupta (14 August 1935 – 5 September 2024) was an Indian historian of mathematics, specialising in the history of

Indian mathematics Indian mathematics emerged in the Indian subcontinent from 1200 BCE until the end of the 18th century. In the classical period of Indian mathematics (400 CE to 1200 CE), important contributions were made by scholars like Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, ...

Life and career

Gupta was born on 14 August 1935 in

Jhansi Jhansi ( ) is a historic city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme ...

, in what is now

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. He attended secondary school in Jhansi, but there were few opportunities locally to pursue higher education, so he continued his education at the University of Lucknow with a merit scholarship. He married Savitri Devi in 1953, urged by his family to marry young so the

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

received could help pay his sister's dowry. He completed his bachelor's degree in 1955 and his master's degree in 1957. To support his family, Gupta took a teaching job instead of immediately continuing doctoral studies. He was a lecturer at Lucknow Christian College from 1957 to 1958. In 1958 he joined Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) in Ranchi. In 1963 he read Datta and Singh's '' History of Hindu Mathematics'', became interested in the

history of mathematics The history of mathematics deals with the origin of discoveries in mathematics and the History of mathematical notation, mathematical methods and notation of the past. Before the modern age and the worldwide spread of knowledge, written examples ...

, and got to know the mathematical historian T. A. Sarasvati Amma. She later supervised his Ph.D. at Ranchi University, which he finished in 1971 with the dissertation ''Trigonometry in Ancient and Medieval India''.Awarding of the K.O. May Prize
from International Mathematical Union Starting in 1979, he was in charge of BIT's Research Center for the History of Science. Republished in In 1982 he was awarded a full professorship at BIT, where he continued teaching until mandatory retirement in 1995. After retiring, Gupta continued his research in mathematical history. Republished in Gupta died in Jhansi on 5 September 2024, at the age of 89.

Works

In 1969 Gupta addressed

interpolation In the mathematics, mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one ...

. He wrote on Govindasvamin and his interpolation of sine tables. Furthermore, he contributed an article on the work of

Paramesvara Vatasseri Parameshvara Nambudiri ( 1380–1460) was a major Indian mathematician and astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama. He was also an astrologer. Parameshvara was a proponent of ob ...

: "Paramesvara's rule for the circumradius of a

cyclic quadrilateral In geometry, a cyclic quadrilateral or inscribed quadrilateral is a quadrilateral (four-sided polygon) whose vertex (geometry), vertices all lie on a single circle, making the sides Chord (geometry), chords of the circle. This circle is called ...

". In 2019, a collection of Gupta's papers was published as a book: *

Awards and other professional activities

Gupta was one of the founders of the Indian Society for History of Mathematics, and in 1979 was the founding editor of its journal, '' Gaṇita Bhāratī'', which he edited for over 25 years. In 1991 he was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, and in 1994 he became President of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of India. He became a corresponding member of the

International Academy of the History of Science The International Academy of the History of Science () is a membership organization for historians of science. The Academy was founded on 17 August 1928 at the Congress of Historical Science by Aldo Mieli, Abel Rey, George Sarton, Henry E. Sig ...

in February 1995. In 2009 he was awarded the Kenneth O. May Prize alongside the British mathematician

Ivor Grattan-Guinness Ivor Owen Grattan-Guinness (23 June 1941 – 12 December 2014) was a historian of mathematics and logic. Life Grattan-Guinness was born in Bakewell, England; his father was a mathematics teacher and educational administrator. He gained his ...

. He was the first Indian to receive this prize. In 2023, he was awarded the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

for his contributions in the field of literature and education.

Life and career

Works

Awards and other professional activities

References

Further reading