Hon’ble President of India, Mrs. Prathibha Devi Singh Patil
His Excellancy, the Governor of Andhra Pradesh
Prof. Lovasz, President of the I.M.U
Prof. Raghunathan, Chairman of the Organizing Committee
other dignitaries on the dais and delegates to the International Congress of Mathematicians,

I am happy to be here at the inauguration of this important mathematical event.  I extend a warm welcome to all the delegates to Hyderabad.  It is a cosmopolitan city steeped in history and has a composite culture drawing from diverse traditions.  It is a striking contrast between the old and the new.

Hyderabad hosts many educational and research institutions.  The University of Hyderabad is among the top universities in the country.  It has been rated as number 1 in India by Scopus based on the impact factor of its publications.  There are eleven other universities in the city. Osmania being the oldest among all universities here with a history of over a hundred years.  The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, the National Geophysical Research Institute and the Centre for DNA Finger Printing and Diagnostics are among the leading institutes for scientific research in the country.  The city offers stiff competition to Bangalore as a national hub for the I.T. industry.  This conference is located in an area of the city,  which is popularly known as Cyberabad.

In Andhra Pradesh, we  always have a great regard for mathematicians.  There is a famous Telugu proverb which says:“లెక్కలున్న వారు నిజమైన మొనగాడు". Meaning one who is good at calculations is a great man.

Amaravati in our State was an ancient seat of learning particularly famous for Buddhist studies.  The study of logic was very much a part of Buddhist philosophical studies and connected intimately  with foundational issues in mathematics.  In recent years, many mathematicians from Andhra Pradesh have distinguished themselves.  Prof. C.R. Rao ranks among the leading international figures in Statistics.  Prof. Meenakshi Sundaram’s contributions to the study  of the Heat Equation are well known to the mathematical community.  Prof. K.Chandra Sekharan was the architect of the School of Mathematics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.  Prof. K.G.Ramanathan who helped Chandrasekharan build that School taught at Osmania  University.  We also have Master Nischal Narayanam, a child prodigy from Hyderabad a double Guinness World Record holder and designer and developer of a unique Mathematics Laboratory.   We are indeed proud       of the contributions of these outstanding mathematicians from Andhra Pradesh.

We recognize the importance of mathematics as a discipline as well as a tool in science and technology and in many other practical  matters.  The Congress will focus public attention on mathematics even if your deliberations are beyond ordinary people.  Raising awareness of mathematics among people is important and the  Congress will do that.  I find that the organizers have arranged two talks aimed at high School and College students in the City.  I am happy to see this initiative in the midst of a busy programme concerned with high level research.

We are happy that Hyderabad was chosen to host the Congress by the Indian Organizers and their bid was accepted by the International Mathematical Union.  My Government has always encouraged the promotion of top level academic interaction between scientists.  We have given unstinted support to the Congress. I wish the delegates a very fruitful conference.  I urge you to take this opportunity to explore the diverse touristic attractions that the State of Andhra Pradesh in general and this great city in particular have to offer.  You will not be disappointed.

I wish this Congress a great success and I also wish all the Delegates a pleasant stay at Hyderabad.