Share this title
Locks, Mahabharata And Mathematics : An Exploration Of Unexpected Parallels
₹ 499.00 inclusive of all taxes
- Or from your local bookseller.
Warning: Undefined variable $productid in /var/www/html/harper_staging/wp-content/themes/harpercollins/woocommerce/content-single-product.php on line 399
Warning: Undefined variable $productid in /var/www/html/harper_staging/wp-content/themes/harpercollins/woocommerce/content-single-product.php on line 407
About the book
A delightful exercise in lateral thinking There could be no three more disparate things than locks, mathematics and the Mahabharata. However, as Locks Mahabharata Mathematics shows, this is as entertaining a combination as any. Given here is a treasure trove of stories drawn from all three subjects. What could be more beguiling than a book that mixes Draupadi, a lock with five keys, and the quirky world of polynomials? Or Jarasandha who could be split apart but whose two halves could never be kept separate – split locks and symmetries? The Mahabharata is known for its stories. Lesser known are the fascinating combinations of locks which Dr Raghu – an avid collector – throws light upon, or the esoteric world of pure mathematics that he conveys for a lay audience. Divided into ten chapters, Locks Mahabharata Mathematics has stories ranging from that of Draupadi, to Yudhishthira’s gamble, to Shukrayacharya and Kacha. Keeping them company are chancy locks, interacting keys and binary stars. Profusely illustrated with drawings of locks from his personal collection, this is a neatly original book like few others. Recalling books such as The Mind’s I, Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul, The Tipping Point, and Godel, Escher, Bach …, underlying it is a simple principle, one might say: Pure logic is the ruin of the spirit, as Antoine de Saint-Exupery said. These are tales that combine reason with fantasy to elevate the spirit.
Pages: 228
Available in: Paperback
Language: English
V Raghunathan
Raghu is an academic, corporate executive, author, columnistand a hobbyist. He taught finance at IIM, Ahmedabad, for nearlytwo decades before turning a banker as the president of INGVysya Bank in Bengaluru. He is currently the CEO of GMRVaralakshmi Foundation. He is also an adjunct professor at theUniversity of Bocconi, Milan, Italy, and Schulich School ofBusiness, York University, Toronto, Canada.Raghu has probably the largest collection of antique locks inthe country, has played chess at all-India level, and was briefly acartoonist for a national daily. He has been writing extensivelyfor leading newspapers and magazines and currently blogs forthe Times of India. His books include Locks, Mahabharata andMathematics; Ganesha on the Dashboard; Corruption Conundrum;Don’t Sprint the Marathon and Games Indians Play.Visit him online at www.vraghunathan.com.