T. A. Sarasvati Amma Biography 
T. A. Sarasvati Amma was a well-known mathematician and scholar of 20th century. Her full name is Tekkath Amayankottukurussi Kalathil Sarasvati, and her name is also written as T. A. Saraswathi Amma. She was one of the very rare women mathematicians from the state of Kerala in the previous century. Her youngest sister Rajalakshmi was a Malayalam writer, who authored novels, poetry and short stories and also the third recipient of Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for best novel. Rajalakshmi committed suicide at a very young age of 34. Kerala Mathematical Association started a regular ‘Prof. T. A. Sarasvati Amma Memorial Lecture’ in 2002, two years after the death of mathematician.
T. A. Sarasvati Amma was born on 26 December 1918 in Cherpulassery, Palakkad district, Kerala, British India. She was the second daughter to Achutha Menon and Thakkathu Amayankottu Kuttymalu Amma. She graduated in Physics and mathematics from Madras University and obtained an M.A. degree in Sanskrit from Benares Hindu University. After studies she started her career as a college lecturer and worked in different colleges till her retirement. She spent her last years in Ottapalam and passed away in year 2000 on Independence Day.
As a mathematician and researcher she is best remembered for her work, Geometry in Ancient and Medieval India, which is said to establish a firm foundation for the study of Indian geometry. When she authored this book long back, only a few Indian books were available on this topic. The book was a survey of the Sanskrit and Prakrt scientific and quasi-scientific literature of India, beginning from Vedic period. She also published a few research papers on mathematics in the 1950s and 1960s.
Published: January 05, 2020
Updated: January 05, 2020
