Eyes wide open with disbelief,I stared at the crudely drawn cartoon gracing my Maths copy. I was yet to come to terms with repercussion of that drawing which my dad had managed to include within his caustic remarks on my maths answer sheet. Yes,I had been going through a lean patch in mathematics in my eighth standard , but what my exasperated Dad , did on seeing my umpteenth mistake was, he drew a cow on my wrong sum, with dung being emanating from its posterior side , and wrote the words "EAT DUNG!" With an arrow mark being pointed towards it! I realised I must have made a mistake in taking up education as my sole job, with maths being a culprit that had the ability to rob me of my sleep. What dad could not understand was how I managed to dig myself into holes, thinking up complex ways to solve problems, when an apparently easier way existed in every case.
The reason for Dad's impunity in treating my mistakes was more than obvious: he was a Doctor, but an incredibly good person at solving Maths problems with what I fathomed was a special set of skills that he possessed . Somehow, large multiplications were never a big deal with him, and he seemed to doubt even the verdicts of the calculator,always preferring to take his mental faculties' help. I was at awe , how he managed to break down humongous multiplications into minute fragments and solved them at will. Little did I realise that what Dad used to apply himself ,but never quite managed to reciprocate to me was Vedic Maths , which he somehow had mastered himself, but without any formal training!
Gaurav Tekriwal did a commendable job by procuring the rightful claim to teach Vedic Maths in India, because I sincerely feel there's a serious lack of basic teaching skills in Indian educational system, more so in the case of Mathematics. Since parents themselves have been a victim of Mathsophobia, they pressurise their kids into practising harder for Maths, even before they get the chance to love the subject on their own accord . Tekriwal's efforts might pave the way for Vedic Maths to be taught in our institutions from very grassroots levels, so that India might just as well soar once again in Maths, like our illustrious forefathers had accomplished!!
This right up is in context to the http://www.franklintempletonindia.com/ partnered TEDxGateway Mumbai event in December 2012.
