MATHEMATICS AND MATHEMATICIANS AT PRAYAG (ALLAHABAD)

Prayag is the ancient Sanskrit name of Allahabad - a city in North India, situated on the confluence of three rivers: the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati - the Goddess of Learning. Sant Tulsidas describes this Prayag as Tirthraj (“King of all Tirthas”) in his classical epic Ram Charit Manas. When the sun crosses the line of Capricorn all the Tirthas, saints and other Rishis visit the Tirthraj Prayag. The University there can be regarded as the second oldest University in the entire Indian sub-continent. The first three Universities (of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras) were established at the same time in 1857 by a decree of the British Government. After three decades, the entire northern jurisdiction of the University of Calcutta was carved out in the name of the University of Allahabad on 23rd September, 1887. The author is privileged to have taught there for more than two decades. Learned teachers of mathematics at this University contributed a lot for its academic growth. Their names and their mathematical texts figure in this reportage. Some of them like Dr. Gorakh Prasad, Prof. B.N. Prasad and Prof. R.S. Mishra became legendary figures for their valuable services towards the subject.