Shakuntala Devi

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Covers

Records

Shakuntala Devi's achievements are extraordinary by any measure. She earned a Guinness World Record for mental calculation that stood for decades, and her 1977 book on homosexuality was a pioneering work in India, decades ahead of its time. She received multiple honorary doctorates and the Karnataka Ratna, the highest civilian honor of her state. Her legacy continues to inspire mathematicians, women in STEM, and LGBTQ+ advocates. The 2020 biographical film brought her story to a global audience, and the Shakuntala Devi Foundation promotes education and awareness.

AwardsShakuntala Devi received several honors for her mathematical achievements and literary contributions. She was awarded the Ramanujan Award for Mathematical Excellence in 1977 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Government of Karnataka in 2006. She received honorary doctorates from the University of Mysore (2010) and the University of Calcutta (2011). Posthumously, she was awarded the Karnataka Ratna, the highest civilian award of the state, in 2014.

Honours & Distinctions

Karnataka Ratna

Government of Karnataka·2014

Highest civilian award of Karnataka, awarded posthumously.

Honorary Doctorate (D.Sc.)

University of Mysore·2010

Doctor of Science for contributions to mathematics.

Honorary Doctorate (D.Litt.)

University of Calcutta·2011

Doctor of Literature for contributions to literature and social studies.

Google Doodle

Google·2019

Doodle on her 90th birth anniversary, featured in multiple countries.

Commemorative Postage Stamp

Indian Postal Service·2014

Stamp issued in her honor.

Shakuntala Devi Block

Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata·2015

Building named after her at the institute.

Rankings & Lists

#45

100 Most Influential Indians of All Time

India Today·2015

#20

50 Most Influential Indian Women

The Times of India·2012

#62

100 Women Who Changed the World

BBC History Magazine·2018

Magazine Covers

The Illustrated Weekly of India

1977-05-15

The Human Computer

India Today

1982-08-31

The Woman Who Outran Computers

The Asian Age

1990-03-01

Mathematical Genius

Femina

1995-11-15

India's Most Remarkable Women

Records & Feats

Fastest human computation of two 13-digit numbers

World Record·1980

Multiplied 7,686,369,774,870 by 2,465,099,745,779 in 28 seconds at Imperial College London on June 18, 1980.

First academic study of homosexuality in India

Historic First·1977

Published The World of Homosexuals in 1977, the first book to study homosexuality from a positive perspective in India.

Outperformed a UNIVAC 1101 computer

Career Milestone·1977

In 1977 at Southern Methodist University, solved a complex problem faster than the UNIVAC 1101 mainframe computer.