By Madhushree Chatterjee, IANS 

IMAGINE if you could solve your entire 3-hour exam paper for mathematics in school, in 20 minutes flat?

It doesn't take Einstein's IQ. The secret of speedy mathematics is an ancient Indian method - Vedic Math. 

It was invented in India, but Vedic mathematics is more popular abroad, says expert Pradeep Kumar who has authored more than 75 books on the subject.

He believes it could banish the fear that creeps into the minds of millions of children at the mention of math.

The world of Vedic maths, says Kumar, is mental - doing away with finger counting, carrying over digits, manual calculations and electronic computations.

Kumar, a mechanical engineer and an alumnus from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Bangalore, heads the institute, Magical Methods in Delhi.  His institute works with several schools in the Gulf and Southeast Asian countries to promote Vedic math.

"On an average, I conduct 30 workshops in schools across Asia, Europe and Canada every year. At this moment, I have three projects with schools in Honk Kong, Singapore and Bangkok," Kumar said.

He has 57 centres and more than 100 trained Vedic math teachers on his rolls.

Photographs: Stock Xchange

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