The Number Wizard

Kolkata-based Gaurav Tekriwal (42) is a man with a mission. He is hell-bent upon abolishing the fear of mathematics aka maths-phobia which is ubiquitous on school and college campuses across the country. A numbers and calculus wizard is his own right this postgrad of the University of Calcutta and certified chartered financial analyst believes that maths phobia can not only be made history but also substituted by love of this “exact and stimulating science”.

According to Tekriwal this mental and psychological miracle is possible through the study of vedic mathematics. This ancient method enables a learner to make mathematical calculations 10-15 times – over 1500 percent – faster than in normal mathematics. The sutras of this branch of mathematics are easy to understand, easy to apply, easy to remember and develops left and right sides of the brain by increasing visualization and concentration abilities. Most important Vedic maths is fun to learn eliminates math-phobia which millions of students suffer because they’ve been taught this joyful science the wrong way. “Vedic Maths is also lot different from traditional maths. You just have to remember some formulas called "Sutras" and with it you can do your calculations speedily. Vedic Maths helps in creating an interest in Mathematics. It can also be called Magical Maths as the methods seem so easy and simple that it looks like Magic!” informs Tekriwal.

Founder president of the Kolkata based Vedic Maths Forum India. A full-time vedic

maths educator and motivational speaker, Tekriwal decided to be an entrepreneur form the beginning. “When I was preparing for my MBA Entrance Exams I came across Vedic Maths which was a quicker way to lots of calculations in a stipulated time. I was blown away by it's potency in calculations and was spell bound by its sheer simplicity and ease. I shared it with few friends and taught this to them. They too were infected by its speed which brought lots of other friends who wanted to learn it too. I noticed there weren’t any teachers around who were teaching it. One fine day I got an invitation from a school principal to do a workshop in her school. I was shy and did not know how to handle the same. But I did it anyways as I was not doing anything concrete. This workshop got some reviews in the press and it brought some more invitations from schools who wanted to organise workshops. It was at this point I decided to become an entrepreneur rather than become a MBA. I then took steps in the direction to become good in the field. I learnt from the masters the current Shankaracharya of Puri and Shakuntala Devi. Made a Website and authored a book and a DVD set. This started selling and then one thing led to another. After a couple of years I decided to set up a full fledged institution and teach vedic maths professionally. This gave birth to Vedic Maths Forum India. Later, I realised that there was tremendous scope of this abroad where Math literacy rate is low. In these countries where Math literacy ratio is low, students are looking for alternative solutions to Maths. Vedic Maths fits in this category perfectly,” enunciated Tekriwal, who has authored a ten-hour, five DVDs set of High Speed Vedic Maths audio-visual programme. Since 2006, Tekriwal has been conducting seminars and workshops all over India to re-kindle students’ and professional interest in mathematics and developing their mathematical skills. Thus far 7,000 students have participated in his workshops and tutorial classes. The Vedic Math Forum India has already spread wings outside India and has operational bases in seven countries now. Of late Tekriwal’s brain child been entrusted by the South African government to teach High Speed Vedic Math Methods across 9000 schools in South Africa.