NEW YORK, May 12 — External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar inaugurated a special exhibition titled “From Shunya to Ananta (Zero to Infinity) — The Indian Civilisation’s Contribution to Mathematics” at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The exhibition, organised by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, highlights India’s historical contributions to the field of mathematics and aims to document the role of Indian civilisation in shaping mathematical thought.
Addressing the gathering during the inauguration ceremony, Jaishankar said the exhibition serves as a reminder that mathematics is a universal language whose evolution and dissemination have benefited humanity globally.
“This exhibition is a reminder that mathematics is a universal language and its spread has served and continues to serve a global good,” he said.
Referring to the role of the United Nations as a platform for global cooperation, Jaishankar noted that the exhibition’s message aligns with broader international efforts to encourage collaboration and inclusivity in science and technology.
He also highlighted the AI Impact Summit held earlier this year in New Delhi, saying the event reinforced the idea that access to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence should not be restricted to a select few.
“We can already perceive where and how digital public infrastructure has delivered good governance and social benefits. The recent AI Impact Summit in India has also sent a strong message that creativity and innovation cannot be limited to a few,” he said.
Jaishankar toured the exhibition alongside his wife, Kyoko Jaishankar; Harish Parvathaneni; and renowned mathematician Manjul Bhargava, who received the Padma Bhushan in 2015.
Bhargava had previously spoken about India’s foundational role in mathematics during a similar exhibition held in New Delhi last year. He highlighted India’s contributions, including the development of the number system, the concept of zero, quadratic equations, negative numbers, and early formulations involving Pi, sine, and cosine.
“Lots of fundamental discoveries of mathematics happened in India, which have influenced global mathematics. The idea of zero came from yoga — to achieve ‘shunyata’. So the ideas of mathematics came from social science, philosophy,” Bhargava had told ANI. (ANI)
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