Radha Charan Gupta | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gupta in 2023 | |
| Born | (1935-08-14)14 August 1935 |
| Died | 5 September 2024(2024-09-05) (aged 89) Jhansi,Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Education | |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | History of mathematics |
| Institutions | Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra |
| Thesis | Trigonometry in Ancient and Medieval India (1971) |
| Doctoral advisor | T. A. Sarasvati Amma |
Radha Charan Gupta (14 August 1935 – 5 September 2024) was an Indianhistorian of mathematics, specialising in the history ofIndian mathematics.
Gupta was born on 14 August 1935 inJhansi, in what is nowUttar Pradesh. He attended secondary school in Jhansi, but there were few opportunities locally to pursue higher education, so he continued his education at theUniversity of Lucknow with a merit scholarship. He married Savitri Devi in 1953, urged by his family to marry young so thedowry received could help pay his sister's dowry. He completed his bachelor's degree in 1955 and his master's degree in 1957.[1]
To support his family, Gupta took a teaching job instead of immediately continuing doctoral studies.[1] He was a lecturer atLucknow Christian College from 1957 to 1958. In 1958 he joinedBirla Institute of Technology (BIT) inRanchi.[2]
In 1963 he readDatta andSingh'sHistory of Hindu Mathematics, became interested in thehistory of mathematics, and got to know the mathematical historianT. A. Sarasvati Amma. She later supervised his Ph.D. atRanchi University, which he finished in 1971 with the dissertationTrigonometry in Ancient and Medieval India.[3]
Starting in 1979, he was in charge of BIT's Research Center for the History of Science.[2] In 1982 he was awarded a full professorship at BIT, where he continued teaching until mandatory retirement in 1995.[3] After retiring, Gupta continued his research in mathematical history.[4]
Gupta died in Jhansi on 5 September 2024, at the age of 89.[5]
In 1969 Gupta addressed[6]interpolation inIndian mathematics. He wrote onGovindasvamin and his interpolation ofsine tables. Furthermore, he contributed an article on the work ofParamesvara: "Paramesvara's rule for thecircumradius of acyclic quadrilateral".[7]
In 2019, a collection of Gupta's papers was published as a book:
Gupta was one of the founders of theIndian Society for History of Mathematics, and in 1979 was the founding editor of its journal,Gaṇita Bhāratī, which he edited for over 25 years.[8]
In 1991 he was elected a Fellow of theNational Academy of Sciences, India, and in 1994 he became President of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of India.[3] He became a corresponding member of theInternational Academy of the History of Science in February 1995.[9]
In 2009 he was awarded theKenneth O. May Prize alongside the British mathematicianIvor Grattan-Guinness.[10] He was the first Indian to receive this prize.[11]
In 2023, he was awarded thePadma Shri by theGovernment of India for his contributions in the field of literature and education.[12]
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