Just Like That | Exploring India’s mathematical legacy in ancient civilisations” is an opinion column by Pavan K. Varma in the Hindustan Times. The column explores the connection between ancient Indian scholars like Aryabhata and Brahmagupta and modern aptitude for logic and mathematics. 

The column discusses the origins of mathematics in ancient India, including the concept of zero and the decimal system. It also includes notable Indian mathematicians and their contributions, such as Aryabhata and Brahmagupta. 

The column also compares and contrasts the mathematical achievements of China and India. For example, it discusses the use of counting rods and the development of the decimal system in ancient China

The Sanskrit word for mathematics is ganita, which means “reckoning”. 

The oldest known mathematical texts in existence are the Sulba Sutras of Baudhayana, Apastamba, and Katyayana. These texts are estimated to have been composed around 800 BC. The Pingala’s Chanda Sastra, which laid foundations for combination techniques in mathematics, dates from the 3rd century BCE. 

In ancient India, mathematics was first developed as a Vedanga, or a limb of the Vedas, an art that served a religious purpose such as the construction of sacrificial altars. The earliest surviving Sanskrit references to mathematical subjects are some number words in the Vedas, ancient sacred texts that were passed down by recitation and memorization.

Aryabhata, also known as Aryabhata I or Aryabhata the Elder, is considered the earliest Indian mathematician whose work is available to modern scholars. He was born in 476 CE at Kusumapura. His major works include Aryabhaṭiya and Arya-Siddhanta. He worked on the “place value system” using letters to signify numbers and stating qualities.  He also determined the value of π correct to four decimal places. 

Other famous Indian mathematicians include: 

• Varahamihira: An Indian philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician who was born in 505 A.D.. His main work is the book Pancha Siddhantika. 
• Bhāskara: Made major contributions to algebra, arithmetic, geometry, and trigonometry. 
• Madhava of Sangamagrama: A classical Indian mathematician. 
• Nilakantha Somayaji: A classical Indian mathematician.

Ancient Indian mathematicians made many contributions to mathematics, including: 

• Decimal system: The decimal system uses nine digits and the symbol zero to represent all the integral numbers. The Arabs carried this system to Africa and Europe. 
• Zero: The concept of zero as a number. 
• Trigonometry: The modern definitions of sine and cosine were developed in India. 
• Negative numbers: The study of negative numbers. 
• Algebra: Contributions to the study of algebra. 
• Arithmetic: Contributions to the study of arithmetic. 

Other contributions include: 

• The notation system 
• Acute angle, obtuse angle, and right angles in practical geometry 
• The concept of the cipher (zero) 
• The most popular numerals 91–2–3–4…) 
• Concepts of Pi, Fibonacci sequence, and Pythagorean Theorem

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