Interplay between Pure and Applied Mathematics
The University was privileged to host Professor Sujatha Ramdorai, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia and one of India’s most celebrated mathematicians, for an engaging talk on the intrinsic characteristics of mathematics. A recipient of the Ramanujan Prize and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, Professor Ramdorai brought both rigour and accessibility to a subject that often intimidates as much as it inspires.
Her address explored mathematics not merely as a technical discipline but as a mode of thinking, one defined by precision, abstraction, and an almost aesthetic sense of elegance. She reflected on the interplay between pure and applied mathematics, arguing that the most practically consequential discoveries have often emerged from purely theoretical curiosity. Drawing on examples from number theory and algebra, she illustrated how mathematical intuition develops through patient engagement rather than rote instruction.
