From Vedic mathematics to Ramanujan, India had excelled in the theory and applications of numbers. This emphasis on numbers has divided people into two categories - those who adore maths and those who are afraid of maths. It is time to emphasis that maths is not just numbers. Luckily there are also people in totally different professions kike journalism who read Bertrand Russel & whitehead on mathematics and philosophy for fun.
This what the professors of Delhi university have done now - to put the studey of mathematics in the right perspective.
Maths is not just juggling of numbers. Great mathematicians were good not only in numvers but could see through the numbers to discover related topics such as statistics, game theory and pababilities. The rating of the ability to manipulate numbers have gone down since the adbent of computers. Even differentiation and integration are mostly numerical which are best handled by computers.
According to Prof. Nandita Narayan of St. Stefan's it is the laogical ability that is rated higher. Of course in the third year, they are offered optional subjects such as linear programming, and operations research which are directly useful for management. We would suggest that statistics could also find immediate applications.
But hold! Here is the surprise. Maths su\tudents get credit for interdisciplinary topics like reading Gandhiji's works, ethics in public domain, individual and society, human rights, environment, language and culture - in fact to transform the image of a mathematician. This is the reason why we are asking sciemce students (including the mathematicians) to read literature, study or enjoy music, culture and history. The art students should know science in depth and enjoy the mathematical writings. After all, commerce, economics and banking come under arts.
Humanisation of education by giving a liberal education for all should be the motto of any university. I hope this example of Delhi University will be followd by others also, whoever is not doing it. Mathematicians, scientists, economists, students of political science should all come together to work synergetically to solve our nation's problems. Defence, agriculture and industry should be our concern. We have to use every brach of science for the peaceful and rightful purpose of developing every means of defence. Defending our country is a peaceful purpose. Mathematicians have a big role to play in this.