Shakuntala Devi (4-11-1929 - 20-4-2013) lacked any formal education but possessed an extraordinary ability to complete the most complex mathematical calculations in double-quick time that she became known as "the human computer".

As India's most remarkable mathematical prodigy, she had astounded friends and family with her numerical prowess since childhood. In June 1980, at Imperial College, London, accurately multiplied two random 13-digit numbers in a few seconds, a feat that earned her a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

Her ability to solve complicated arithmetical problems with apparent ease and astonishing speed had stunned observers since the 1970s. Witty and sharp-minded, she possessed exceptional powers of retention and appeared to harness the power of several mnemonic devices in her brain.