Known by most Gujarati generations that have grown up in the decades of 60s, 70s and 80s, Father Valles is a Spaniard by birth, but claims to be more Gujarati than Spaniard.
“Many people in Gujarat know me as a writer, but very few know me as a man of mathematics. I have visited Ahmedabad many times but for mathematics, this is my first visit," said popular and celebrated littérateur, Father Carlos Valles, while attending the inauguration ceremony of 'Gujarat University Department of Mathematics Alumni Association' (GUDMAA) on Sunday.
Known by most Gujarati generations that have grown up in the decades of 60s, 70s and 80s, Father Valles is a Spaniard by birth, but claims to be more Gujarati than Spaniard. Many teachers and former professors of mathematics were present at the first meeting of GUDMAA.
In his speech, Father Valles recalled his association with Gujarat as a mathematics teacher. He said, "At that time what was known as 'Modern Mathematics' was beginning to be taught in India with its baggage of sets, groups, rings, fields, vector spaces, matrix algebra et al."
He added, "Along with the mathematicians of the state - professors PC Vaidya and AR Rao - I introduced the subject at GU. I was coining, as I went along, new terms for new concepts. The 'set' was Gan, as Ganesha is the god (ish) of the clan (gan), which comes from the Gujarati word, Ganvesh that refers to school uniform; and 'ring', of course, was fittingly and tellingly Mandal. I was fortunate to work and teach the new concept of mathematics to teachers, who had more experience than me but I had something new to share with them. It is the beauty of mathematics that it has clarity, precision, which is necessary for a good life."
GU vice-chancellor (V-C) Dr Parimal Trivedi said that Teachers should attract students to mathematics with innovative teaching methods to arrest the dwindling numbers. "Retired teachers should infuse their knowledge of the subject with their understanding and experience to give a new path to teaching the subject in an easy and interesting manner,'' he said.
Shashiranjan Yadav, V-C of Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachchh University, expressed his concerns over the present condition of mathematics in the country. “While India is about to take a big leap in all other areas, we need to see where we stand as far as maths and science are concerned."
Referring to a report, Yadav said that in 2009 India had produced the maximum - 6.9 lakh - maths and science graduates in the world. He also talked about the paradox. "The number of science students is increasing but the quality of students is not the same. Bright students are opting for the courses like engineering, which would provide them with jobs."
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