Stressing on the importance of understanding Mathematics, as the language of science and its advancement, President Pratibha Patil on Thursday inaugurated the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM 2010) here.
She urged the people to promote mathematics amongst the younger generation because its study inculcates the habit of rational thought and promotes scientific temper.
Held under the aegis of the International Mathematical Union once in every four years, the event is being hosted in Hyderabad for the first time. About 3,000 delegates from 86 countries are attending the nine-day conference, which is being held for the third time in Asia since its inception in 1897.
Mathematicians from all over the world have gathered at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) to discuss developments in this discipline.
Quoting a Sanskrit verse, Patil said "India's engagement with mathematics goes back to some 3,000 years."
She noted that India has been at the forefront in contributing to innovations in arithmetic, algebra and geometry at different periods.