 So I'm here with a professor Neda Seeman who was one of the early heads of the section at ICDP and we thought we had a short chat and Maybe you could start by telling us a bit how how you got interested in mathematics I was your your career early on and so on how how you arrived at this point Okay, I got interested in mathematics already when I was I think 13-14 Already school I was studying the schools about seven kilometers from my place And there's a small library in that small town. Did you did you walk to I know we went by bullock hot with what bullock hot What is that? No, that's one bullock Dress a card like it's almost like a horse I see and so you were a bunch of your kids Four gates, and we had to manage everything ourselves. Oh, really? And the cooktors, that's it So so I was from a small village from a family of agriculture So in that there is a small library Well, for some reason there was someone who was text books I don't know why they had to say a small town usually Books so I read them and I sort of got interested and then I said I will do the search You thought of course having any idea what it is, but so really quite quite a statement for so So well and my family So I was sort of spoiling the walls by drawing pictures and so on Just many diagrams So and therefore they all But the family and I think my first break was I studied a place called Lila College And this is the college run by Jesus this is a high school level No, no, no, no college means that university university under graduate taught in colleges like the British system And then the real break was There was a person who was teaching mathematics. He's a French dissuade and he was a student of a In touch with people like Larry and some of our classmates and apparently even gave a lecture on shoes and It's you really introduced as to some kind of decent mathematics And you know the you may be surprised that's probably the first time so-called modern as it was taught in India So that was And you always also instead teaching in the way of a he and the whole In such a way that concept for emphasize not only computations and so on So what's the very sort of French style and so I already Of course, yes, too. I wonder how you managed to introduce this Anyway, I did see who asked me and also said something was my classmate. I say we're the same class so to Go to Tata Institute a few words about sure. Yes So this was I'm not talking about let's say Around 52 Then this was a place which was started by hopey. Baba was a physicist and The important thing was it was a soon after independence. Therefore Nehru was giving support for these people for science in particular to Baba and There the mathematics second Baba was of course a theoretical basis Because of that interest in some other mathematics, so you want to start a mathematics and he got He talked to I think Helman Weiler and And they suggested one young man K. Chandrasekhar was in 30s It's as it's a while at the time To start mathematics in in that answer. He was in his 30s But he had a very big contact with very French mathematicians as well as Because he was in Princeton for three years And also there I think you have mischievous How mathematics was organized in Germany before the war and also this is time in the US And try to But in one of the main things he was He she writes a university in fifties and France was the sort of center He invited most of the French people to come and teach not to teach work He was himself in some sense was brought in the British system So for example at that time Schwartz came Three times something they will come and stay for two months and do lectures and the job of the student Is to write the notes write the notes of the course because I think that these available this note Yes, yes, I can I wrote on a complex Manifold you didn't And it was amazing. I mean You know, you have for Schwartz and so on from a distance, but then every day you write your notes You go show them and then they tell you something. So there's nice or something Tell your piece and you can also questions once he said something you can also be fooled by I said what is This one this one classes were in English And then Schwartz went and persuaded I think talking to To send The name so they all came and give system and you will see mothers after one or two years of the course There will be some high level paper by the students How does the material of the course So Very fertile ground very fertile and the point is these people got involved directly with those Fantastic people and then somehow absorbed So interesting that somehow you mentioned France US Germany and England as part of a sort of Yes, but England was not so much I was also say Germany for some legal district three times And every time gave us courses and there is some very important work also came out of lectures by So it was So that was the well-planned and also there was also people were also Well, let's say that they can have you mean in somebody does work. You don't wait for years for normal kind of promotion and so on so forth That was very well done. You can correct my can be some You know, so that is it how it was So I'm not so the students were given complete freedom to do what they want I mean provided they knew the people are serious and doing some work They're not force because two of them were there one was a number three is Zegel student the other one was more and Analysis more or less the British type But they never insisted that we should do anything and then the committee They left you free So of course that the Institute became a powerhouse in mathematics is there still is So that's how I mean that kind of also it was also lucky that very good students And there was freedom to do and also the main thing is the contact with And so that you are also aware of what was going on And to some extent also while we're at contact with the big people You're also a little away so that we can Need not be too much in place. They were there for a few months, and then they would let me You know sometimes you may not be able to take on your own or whatever it is So it was it was a nice balance So that's how it was and So coming to a closer to ICDP. How how was the Bit of the early history of the section Okay, so I think I mean to start it here 86 or something 86 I believe something like that. So around that time See, they already there are some schools In mathematics, I think But just you know Then I think around that time he asked me that I could come here at that time I could come Sorry, we said can you come for six months? I said perhaps I could but if you want to start something this can't So I think afterwards he I think he asked for the years To start this but he was was not here In Then I also used to come I think maybe 90 or 91 I can get the school and Salam invited me for his famous lunch, you know, he used to have lunch in the cafeteria When everybody has to go So He said Say I mean I must have said you know my children are now studying or something and then He said can you come And then that's all So that's his starting point and already I think He's self But I must say he gave all the support I I also said, okay I I want complete freedom to learn this thing and the some kind of support more That's what he gave for the other sections And he said I will and he did So we just left it at that we never Talked what position nothing I didn't even know what that's what here. So after one month I get a telegram. He's one way. I'll be extremely honored Be sure and say if you can come here and take full charge of mathematics That's how it started first So then As he said he was always as much as possible Whatever support he can support it. You know, of course there he had himself problems. He means not to him Center itself as often down some financial problems But anyway, we were not particularly affected by that. I mean not because we were by the machine We are not sort of you reduce less than the others There was no And then I think I think I would say one of the best access in this place was China I think you should ask for example But a certain stage now if At least offer doesn't people who are sort of very many people and also powerful people China They're all postdocs. Yeah, they were all persons And also it was food immediately. I mean even now See apparently they gave every year some special awards, which is very substantial and for four or five years the people who are Postdocs, everyone went back got it. I say And I think one of the reasons I mean was see these people are very of course very intelligent and so on Very well trained also in one form But it's not only for Chinese for many people who come here at that time now But they did not know what to do with that knowledge, you know what I mean you have to go to problems which are Which are packed the attention of people or something like that So a couple of things with that one is If we don't have here anybody To send them forward to that someone you're up For example, this is a you was here. Yes And I think I first sent him to you can host or somebody like that For two months and three months Or if I can myself That was I think Once they are shown the way immediately The other thing I would say is one more thing was some of you can especially of we can French Yeah, it's French And what happened there was many of them Once they were quite well trained and done some work, but they were sort of lost once they went back to Africa But what I did was once I had a small meeting here So it's also technical well invited some of these people from Africa these people plus the their platform who are working in France and Had a meeting here could be also taught mathematics, but the main thing was To have a program you must they can meet in Africa also inviting people from so different people also I think you some support But for a five years it was working. I don't know what happened afterwards. That's the other year from therefore countries They will meet they will be there. Yeah, and the French people would go I think the French also That was okay But then we don't know what and there's one more thing I want to say. I don't know whether The problem is about school sometimes people said okay people come here one school and they go away then what happens then And also, you know that in the many of several countries the number of people working on this is very large. Yes So and I Purchased some very good people They prepared they were prepared to run three years successively I mean one year after School analysis which will start a particular level at the end of the first school then a small exam People who are reasonably good Call for the next school after one year. Of course others also And yeah, so at the end of three years, hopefully Some new set of offer doesn't be efficient people you will form It was fairly successful, but probably not as much as one expected But the amazing thing was we these three top-class analysts were prepared to commit themselves for three years To do these courses these courses. These were here And of course, you also know the number of Colleges So overall you would you would say the ICTP was a very influential Institution in terms of what it did for I think After this Well, I know one case of a now is assignments associate Alicia Dickens time that Told me that he she basically learned all the algebraic geometry. She knows the ICTP in a very long school So certainly has a big effect in a lot of people. Yeah, and in fact China I met somebody I was about to So that guy, you know, he's a great thing You wanted to come and talk to me so you come to me after five o'clock in the evening because I may have something So you will come Somewhere on books Very good, so well I don't know if you had something else to add Okay, and also schools, yes I mean He really got him more in this But he also said you know certain things Just we done better Really Must be quite a thrill to have this level of mathematicians here Some form other involved Also the other one completely different one It's time to get friends I did Succeed in getting friends from India and China. I'll say Well at the moment as you know, we we gave funds for the Ramanujan price from from India For people who come to India the understanding was The India will In fact the person in charge the DST secretary at that time Cheney and signed In fact, there's maybe a photograph somewhere and he said okay. This is now 10, but we can give you more or something Which he meant the trouble is if you go on changing Right these are political No, no, it's a scientist sort of but if you go somebody else comes I don't anyway, so But it was working for a few years, but afterwards. I think you have any time to get the money the I'm trying also the same thing happened in Argentina we found there was Some agreement, but it was not working Then we'll try to contact So I mean see I thought these countries should at least support a few Actually When I had with the National Board for mathematics, there's something India Well, we tried We have we have a few agreements with with Chile for example, San Juan's but at the moment are sort of small in scope I mean it'd be certainly interesting to have more more contacts of this sort more agreements So anyway, I think as far as I was personally concerned. I thought it was one of the Sort of food for three years of mine of your own career That's very nice to hear. Well, we certainly are very happy of your contribution. I'm sure a lot of people are as well So thank you very much for talking to us And also you'll see we still talking you must have seen this What's called? Fundamental geometry explained or something It's a party bestseller now. Oh, yeah, uh-huh very good. See this probably I mean gothendex Fondman the geometry as you break which was This bullbaki talks And that's how I learned because otherwise we read all these other books is not possible. It's a summary of many of these ideas Then after 25 years or 30 years We thought we should sort of Because things have happened And also because all French And you see that some of the top people were involved in that later like climb and use And that's that's all what all the young people Very good. So, okay. Thank you very much