Education in India helped me: Abel Prize winner Varadhan

New Delhi, Apr 30 (UNI) Prof Srinivasa S R Varadhan, winner of this year's Abel Prize in Mathematics, has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, stating that the school and college education he received in India had laid the foundation for his success.

''As I receive the award I am very aware that the early education I received in India from high school through college and doctoral studies at ISI, Calcutta, has provided me with the necessary foundation for success.'' the India-born, US-based mathematician said in an e-mail message to acknowledge Dr Singh's congratulations.

The award by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is regarded as an equivalent of a Nobel Prize in the discipline.

''For this, I will always be grateful. I hope that I will continue to maintain my contacts and be helpful for the development of mathematical talent in India,'' Prof Varadhan said.

Dr Singh had, in his letter, hoped that the example set by Prof Varadhan would inspire a new generation of Indians to pursue the study of mathematics, a discipline to which Indians had made significant contribution since times immemorial.

''This is not just a personal honour for you but an honour for all Indians and people of Indian origin the world over. Please accept my sincere greetings and best wishes.'' Prof Varadhan is presently Frank J Gould Professor of Science and Professor of Mathematics Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University. He was a student of Madras University and has a doctoral degree from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. He was awarded the Abel Prize for his work on probability theory and in developing a unified theory of large deviations.

UNI