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D.D. Kosambi

(1907 1966)

M. R. Rajagopalan

(Secretary Gandhigram Tr!t" Gandhigram)

#amodar #harmananda $o!am%i &a! one o' the greate!t !cholar re!earcher! o' ndia. n 'act"he &a! a er!atile geni! haing ma!tery in di''erent !%ject! !ch a! mathematic!" !tati!tic!"

nmi!matic!" *i!tory and San!+rit literatre. n each o' the!e !%ject! he ha! &ritten in!ight'l

and 'ir!t rate article! and they &ere p%li!hed in pre!tigio! international jornal!. Thogh amathematician %y pro'e!!ion hi! &or+ on ancient hi!tory and cltre %roght him name and 'ame

internationally.

$o!am%i &a! %orn on ,1!t -ly 1907 in Goa &hile it &a! nder ortge!e rle. *i! 'ather

/charya #harmananda &a! +no&n to %e a clo!e a!!ociate o' Mahatma Gandhi and had a honora%le

place in the 'reedom moement.

#amodar had part o' hi! !chool and nier!ity edcation in the S/. *e !tarted &ith *ar&ard

Grammar School in 191. Thir!t 'or +no&ledge and &illingne!! to go to any length to ac2ire it

&ere t&o mo!t ala%le irte! inherited %y #amodar 'rom hi! 'ather. Thi! &a! accompanied %y a!harp intellect too.

#amodar &a! not a per!on &ho &old %e ea!ily !ati!'ied. *e read e3ten!iely and !tdied theliteratre o' many langage! and ac2ired a good command oer them. (/c2iring command oer

many langage! that proed ery !e'l to him in hi! later re!earch &or+ %egan &hile he &a!

!tdying in thi! !chool).

*e later joined the 4am%ridge *igh and 5atin !chool in 190. The climate in 4am%ridge &a!

charged &ith !cience and technology. *e cold di!cern ho& the progre!! in the!e t&o 'ield!ena%led /merica to adance in leap! and %ond!. lenty o' literatre in !cience and technology

&a! aaila%le. 3cellent %oo+! &ere !tac+ed in %e!t o' li%rarie!" &aiting to %e read. 8hat more

cold he e3pect ndo&ed &ith a crio!ity and an incredi%le !peed in reading copled &ith aphotographic memory he read oracio!ly coering a! many 'ield! o' +no&ledge a! po!!i%le.#iagram!" chart!" ill!tration! o' late!t deelopment in !cience &ere rendered in !imple 'orm" ea!y

to nder!tand. n hi! o&n &ord!" :nnmera%le otline! made it ea!y to learn !omething a%ot

eery %ranch o' !cience.; *e made the %e!t po!!i%le !e o' them all.

*i! pr!it o' +no&ledge peraded all the 'ield! o' li'e. *i! progre!! in !port! and %ody

%ilding &a! a! remar+a%le a! that in intellectal achieement!. *e i!ited the gymna!imreglarly and did a lot o' &eight < li'ting and other e3erci!e!. S&imming" jogging" tre++ing and ice

!+ating dring &inter! &ere hi! additional pr!it!. *e &a! a mem%er o' the 4am%ridge =ranch o'

/merican =oy Scot!. *i! enth!ia!tic participation &on him a nm%er o' medal!" e!pecially the

:agle; a coeted a&ard in Scot!. /! hi! yonger !i!ter Manorama relate!" he had all the!e

medal! !titched on the !leee o' the Scot 4oat. *i! !leee &a! oer'lo&ing &ith them &hen heretrned to ndia.

*e &a! admitted to the *arard nier!ity &ithot haing to pa!! the entrance e3amination

%eca!e o' hi! ran+ in !chool 'inal e3amination 19,. *e al!o !ecred a !cholar!hip.

>ne o' hi! 'riend! ha! o%!ered that there &a! a !ingle pictre on the &all! o' hi! room and that

&a! o' Mahatma Gandhi. The rac+! &ere 'll o' %oo+! in Gree+" German" ?rench and talian

langage! apart 'rom tho!e o' ngli!h. /part 'rom %oo+! o' a !erio! natre" he &a! al!o 'ond o'my!tery %oo+! and he 're2ently &ent to cinema theatre!.

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*i! edcation in *arard p to hi! gradation &a! 2ite ni2e. *e &a! not intere!ted in

'rther edcation. n!tead he %egan teaching mathematic! and pr!ed hi! o&n independentre!earch. *e did not con'ine him!el' to the !tdy o' only a 'e& !%ject! &ith an eye on po!t