[rramadass]

History and the meaning behind the name, "Leelavati Prize" (https://www.mathunion.org/imu-awards/leelavati-prize);

1) Leelavati Award - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leelavati_Award

The Leelavati Award is an award for outstanding contribution to public outreach in mathematics. It is named after the 12th-century mathematical treatise "Lilavati" devoted to arithmetic, algebra, and the decimal system written by the Indian mathematician Bhāskara II, also known as Bhaskara Achārya. In the book the author posed, in verse form, a series of problems in (elementary) arithmetic to one Leelavati (perhaps his daughter) and followed them up with hints to solutions. This work appears to have been the main source of learning arithmetic and algebra in medieval India. The work was also translated into Persian and was influential in West Asia

2) Līlāvatī (the work itself) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C4%ABl%C4%81vat%C4%AB

[orsenthil]

I heard it first through the the book Leelavati's daugthers (2019). India's celebration of women in science.

[rramadass]

Excellent, didn't know of the book; thanks for the pointer.

Wikipedia has the details; Lilavati's Daughters: The Women Scientists of India - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilavati%27s_Daughters

From "Indian Academy of Sciences" - https://www.ias.ac.in/Initiatives/Women_in_Science/Lilavatis...

Ebook available from internet archive - https://archive.org/details/A0560IASLeelavathisDaughterFullB...

Everybody should buy a copy for their children, especially young girls.

I still remember the "Rocket Women of India" behind ISRO's Chandrayaan/Mangalyaan missions and how inspiring it was to learn about them. There can be no better role models; extremely intelligent, humble and all-round achievers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZNhtZ8Ufy0&t=1s and https://rocket-women.com/2023/08/the-rocket-women-of-chandra... and https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/women-scientist...

PS: In this context, see also the 2-vol The Mind of an Engineer, a series from Scientists/Researchers/Engineers of India - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46365415