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Home , Fields Medal, Grigori Perelman

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The man who refused the may also refuse a million dollars

The Fields Medal is awarded by the years old. Perelman is also said to be a essence, whether all three-dimensional International Mathematical Union to rec- talented violinist. Currently Perelman is blobs that are not twisted and have no ognize outstanding mathematical achi- unemployed and leads an isolated life in- holes in them are homeomorphic to a evements for existing work and for the teracting only with his mother whom he three-dimensional sphere. It took more promise of future achievements. It is lives with. than a hundred years to prove that yes, often referred to as the of After completing his doctoral educa- they are.’ A seven million dollar prize and carries a monetary tion in the , Perelman spent fund was set up by the Clay Institute to award of US$ 15,000. Only mathemati- a few years in the United States of Amer- reward those who solve the problems cians below the age of 40 are eligible for ica. and David Gruber in- with a million dollars allocated for each this award and it is awarded every four terviewed Perelman and in their article, of the problems. Incidentally, the conjec- years on the occasion of the International published in the New Yorker in 2006, ture was proven for dimensions greater Congress of (ICM). At a they report that Perelman’s colleagues than three (Generalized Poincaré Conjec- time, the medal is awarded to between and friends have attested to his living ture) earlier on in the 20th century. For two and four mathematicians. Awarded very simply during his time in the United proving the in dimensions first in the year 1936, it has been States. Apparently, his apartment was greater than four, the awarded periodically since 1950. Forty very sparsely furnished and he lived on a was awarded the Fields eight mathematicians have received this diet of Russian bread, cheese and milk. Medal in 1961. In 1986 Michael Freed- very prestigious medal so far. One peculiarity often commented on man received the same honour for prov- For the first time in the history of the were his long fingernails which he did ing the conjecture in four dimensions. medal, at the 2006 ICM at , the not see the need to cut. In 1995, he ’s proof of the con- medal was turned down by one of the turned down job offers from several very jecture was ready in 2002 and he went awardees. Russian mathematician Grig- prestigious American schools and re- about the job of letting his results be ori Perelman, one of the four awardees of turned to live and work in at the known in a most unusual manner. Most 2006, declined to accept the Fields Steklov Institute. alleges researchers with new and exciting results Medal. Why he did so is largely a mys- that Perelman was unhappy that none of would rush to have them published in tery. He is reputed to have said at the the job offers in the United States were well-known peer-reviewed journals time, ‘It was completely irrelevant for tenured positions – they were merely ten- thereby ensuring due credit to them- me. . . Everybody understood that if the ure-track. At the Steklov Institute he selves. However Perelman, obviously proof is correct, then no other recogni- could work without teaching responsi- very confident of himself and the quality tion is needed’. (Perelman was referring bilities or publishing requirements. of his work – never did publish his re- to the proof of the Poincaré Conjecture Gessen reports that ‘he showed up infre- sults. All he did was to submit his proof which he worked on). Always a reclusive quently and generally kept to himself for to the open arXiv server and person, being offered the Fields Medal almost seven years’. e-mail the abstract of his paper to several seems to have motivated Perelman to Perelman’s most famous achievement other mathematicians working in the further withdraw from the world of in the world of mathematics has been same field. He followed this up by lec- mathematics. solving of one of the most complex prob- turing on his proof at the most presti- Perelman was born to Jewish Russian lems of the century – the Poincaré Con- gious universities in the United States in parents on 13 in St Petersburg, jecture. First posed in 1904 by Henri 2003 but since then has communicated Russia. His father was an electrical engi- Poincaré, the conjecture had been the less and less with the outside world. neer and his mother taught mathematics preoccupation of many brilliant mathe- Three different groups of experts at a technical institute. His unauthorized maticians over the last century. The working independently studied Perel- biographer Masha Gessen reports that it problem was one of the seven complex man’s results for more than two years was apparent very early that Perelman mathematical problems identified by the and declared them to be accurate in was a prodigy. As a high school student privately funded Clay Mathematics Insti- 2006. In December 2006, the journal Sci- at the age of 16, he won first place at the tute as the Millennium Prize Problems in ence hailed his results as the ‘Break- International Mathematical Olympiad in 2000. through of the year’. By not publishing Budapest in 1982 with a perfect score. Gessen explains the century old prob- his results in a peer-reviewed journal, His extraordinary capabilities were rec- lem thus in an interview: ‘Much of topo- Perelman originally did not qualify for ognized and nurtured well within the So- logy is concerned with things that are the Clay Prize. However, on 18 March viet system. Even as a school student essentially the same as other things, even this year, the Clay Institute took the de- Grigori was a loner and although not un- if at particular moments in time they cision to award him the prize as his proof friendly, always preferred his work over happen to look different. For example, if has successfully undergone review by his human company. His other passion is you have a blob that can be reshaped into fellow mathematicians. The press release that of opera. Love of opera was incul- a sphere, then the sphere and the blob are issued by the Clay Institute concludes cated in him by his mother who first took essentially similar, or homeomorphic, as with these words: ‘Perelman’s proof of him to a performance when he was six topologists say. Poincaré asked, in the Poincaré and geometrization conjec-

CURRENT , VOL. 98, NO. 10, 25 MAY 2010 1279 NEWS tures is a major mathematical advance. sar and David Gruber mentioned above. person, I cannot stay a pet and say noth- His ideas and methods have already He told them repeatedly that he had ing. That is why I had to quit’. found new applications in analysis and given up mathematics and expressed dis- ; surely the future will bring illusionment with the field of mathemat- 1. Destiny, Interview by Sylvia many more’. (http://www.guardian.co. ics and mathematicians, ‘It is not people Nasar and David Gruber published in New uk/world/2010/mar/23/grigory-perelman- who break ethical standards who are re- Yorker, August 2006. rejects-1m-dollars) garded as aliens. It is people like me who 2. Excerpts from Perfect Rigor: A Genius and the Mathematical Breakthrough of the Perelman does not answer his phone or are isolated’. He also appears to have felt Century, Masha Gessen. responds to e-mail. He has been infor- that by accepting the Fields Medal he 3. Interview with Masha Gessen; www. med of the Clay Prize but has indicated would be conforming to standards he failuremag.com no interest in collecting the prize so far disapproved of. ‘As long as I was not and has refused all requests for inter- conspicuous, I had a choice’, Perelman views. Apparently he told the one repor- explained. ‘Either to make some ugly Rosalind Ezhil K. (S. Ramaseshan Fel- ter who managed to reach him on his thing’ (a fuss about the math commu- low), 122, 3rd Main, Dollars Colony, mobile phone ‘You are disturbing me. I nity’s lack of integrity) ‘or, if I didn’t do RMV 2nd Stage, 1st Block, Bangalore am picking mushrooms’. His one and this kind of thing, to be treated as a pet. 560 094, India. only interview was the one to Sylvia Na- Now, when I become a very conspicuous e-mail: [email protected]

MEETING REPORT

Barter system, biodiversity and livelihoods of tribal communities: cultural diversity and conservation in eastern Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh*

Arunachal Pradesh, being the largest to 2007 three workshops were conducted rural appraisal (PRA) tool – called focus state in eastern Himalayan region, has at Lumla (near Bhutan border) and other discussion (FGD) to learn the ways unique biodiversity and diverse cultural nearby villages of Tawang. From 2004 to and means by which they collect, grade, resources. The state is the homeland of 2008, four workshops were organized process and assign the values to the bio- five ecosystems and 26 major tribes. The among Galo tribe dominating villages of resources used during barter system. livelihood security of tribal communities Koyu. From 2004 to 2009, nine village It was concluded that barter system is is determined by terrestrial and aquatic workshops were held in Adi dominating practised by a large number of tribal indigenous bioresources. Economy of villages, viz. Sille-Oyan, Boleng, Pangin, communities in remote villages with the tribals living in far-flung areas is subsis- Mebo, Damro and Maryang (East Siang objective to exchange bioresources and tence in nature and is governed by barter district); Yingkiong (West Kameng dis- related knowledge about biodiversity- system. The barter system has been play- trict); Dambuk and Roing (Lower Dibang based food products, ethnomedicines, ing a considerable role among tribal Valley). Three workshops were held with handicrafts, etc. In barter system women communities for generations to secure Memba tribe of Tuting (West Siang dis- have a special role to play in collecting, livelihoods and sustain bioresources in trict); Mishmi tribe of Teju (Lohit dis- grading and making packages of biore- remote villages and harsh ecosystems. trict) and Galo and Adi tribes of Along sources to be used as medicines, food Looking at the importance of barter sys- (West Kameng district). items, cultural items, etc. These resources tem, a series of location-specific village The objective of organizing workshops are primarily collected from forests, home cum regional workshops have been organ- was to understand the role of barter sys- gardens, aquatic resources and Jhum- ized. Altogether 28 village workshops tem in exchange of bioresources among lands. These could be both plants as well were organized during the period from various tribes and its mechanism in influ- as animals (mithun (Bos frontailis), fishes, March 2003 to March 2009. From 2003 encing learning process on biodiversity prawn, shrimps, insects, rat, squirrel, to 2007, workshops were held among conservation and subsistence livelihood hunted meats of mammals by male folk, Monpa tribal dominating villages, viz. of tribal communities. In each location, etc.). While accomplishing these prac- Bomdila, Dirang, Namsu, Lish, Chhung, groups of women and respective institu- tices, women form institutions based on Yang, Rama-camp, NagaGG and Them- tion(s) involved in barter system were the kin and relationship to reduce drudg- bang (West Kameng). Further, from 2005 invited to participate in the workshop. ery, manage time and minimize the la- Customary chiefs and their subordinate bour cost. Barter system forms network *The report on this series of workshop was members of villages were special invit- of social learning on foods and ethno- supported by National Innovation Foundation, ees. The key members and women, who medicines in the mountainous terrain. Ahmedabad and Central Agricultural Univer- participate in barter system of each tribe, During the barter, the homogeneity of sity, Imphal. were consulted through the participatory one tribe with another is the deciding

1280 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 98, NO. 10, 25 MAY 2010