The garage, in fact, is an alternative-math tutorial center where students learn to solve problems using an ancient Indian mathematical style called "Vedic math"—a method that puts a karmic spin on modern-day mathematics. If yoga seemed to be the Indian alternative to aerobics, popular math has just found its long-lost Indian cousin.

The methods used in Vedic math are very different from conventional math. Even basic problems like addition and subtraction use different approaches in Vedic math than those of the conventional methods. However, according to "Mathevedics," the greatest advantage of this antiquated system is speed.

Vedic math has its root in the Vedas. For Hindus, Vedas are the Holy Grail—the ultimate testament for the Hindu way of life. These Vedas are full of sutras, which are similar to hymns and chants in praise of the Gods. There are four such Vedas, and one of them, the Atarva Veda, contains 16 sulba sutras, crisp one-line theorems that form the backbone of Vedic mathematics.

It is believed these sulba sutras, which date back to the fifth century B.C., were used as basic principles in ancient architectural designs. There is even proof that before Greeks popularized the Pythagorean theorem—a basic principle in today's math—ancient Indian civilizations used a similar Vedic algorithm to construct sites for their religious rituals.

There are very few experts in Vedic mathematics in the United States. Dr. Arthur Benjamin, the chairman of and professor in the department of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, is familiar with its principles.

"I'm all for introducing new techniques to children that make them realize that there is more than one way to solve a problem. It can be traditional, Vedic or any other method. If they come to appreciate math from different viewpoints, they will realize that there are several ways to solve life problems," says Benjamin.

He also explains that Vedic math is a powerful tool for understanding algebra. "After they learn how to solve a problem the Vedic way, if children can understand why it works, it will strengthen their algebraic skills, because all the 16 sutras used in Vedic math are nothing more than simple algebra."

Benjamin also says that introducing Vedic math to schoolchildren will expose them to the "more pleasant and creative side of math." "At the school level, math can be a drudgery. But at the college level, mathematics is an extremely creative subject. It is as creative as art, poetry or music," Benjamin says.

Though Vedic mathematics is an old system, it is only recently that it has found popularity even in India—and "Mathevedics" is the first center to bring this archaic, Indian style of figuring to American shores.

Parminder Singh, a software engineer, runs the Santa Clara center of Mathevedics. On a cold wintry afternoon, as his students, ranging from elementary school children to high schoolers huddle in their seats, he gives them all mathematical problems to solve.

Within seconds, they are bent over the table, poring over the questions, their hands flying across sheets of paper in a frenzy as they begin to scribble numbers. Left and right. Up and down. And the deluge of digits begins.

Ideally, a 10- or 11-year-old elementary school student at this center can multiply two 7-digit numbers in less than a minute. In fact, almost every child in that class can add, subtract, multiply and divide complex digits in less time than it takes to pull out a calculator or get started on a computer. It's as if the entire room is on a math high. This is one place where regular school math loses its "boring" prefix and becomes a "cool" sport.

Like many Silicon Valley ventures, Mathevedics began in a garage—it began in March last year. It's a family venture by a group of San Jose engineers. The Kumars—a couple of brothers, Santosh and Rakesh, and their wives, Varsha and Vinita—incorporated the fundamentals of Vedic math with present-day school curricula.

Their goal was to improve students' math skills and raise the students' grades a notch or two. Word soon spread about this unique math class, and Mathevedics opened another center in Santa Clara last July.

The Mathevedics organization has developed its own system from the fundamentals of Vedic math. The Kumars say the 16 sutras can be interpreted and improvised upon in different ways, and the organization has applied for a patent for the system it has developed.

"Children can use Vedic mathematics for quick problem solving. It can be extremely useful, especially for high school students preparing for their SATs. Vedic math is all about speed and simplicity," explains Santosh Kumar.

Satyajit Nath heard about Mathevedics last summer and wanted his son, Aditya, to give it a shot. "I heard about these classes, and I thought that it would be a fun way for my son to learn about this ancient mathematical technique from India in a way that none of us can teach him."

Aditya is a ninth-grader at Monta Vista High School. "Initially it was a little difficult for me, because it was completely different from the way we normally solve problems," says Aditya. In fact, he says that he was "very skeptical" about Vedic math in the beginning. "But once they taught us the algebraic roots or the principles behind it, it became very interesting. I was amazed to see these new methods solve the same problems we do at school," he adds.

At Mathevedics, instructors insist that students solve their problems using both traditional and Vedic methods. "At school they still have to use regular math, as their teachers will not be familiar with this method. We don't want them to forget conventional math," says Vinita Kumar. "Vedic math is an extra tool in their hands that gives them an edge when it comes to speed during tests and a good way to check the accuracy of their answers."

In fact, after he got the hang of the Vedic method, Aditya did become creative with it. "One day Aditya showed us how to solve a multiplication problem in a way that's different from what we teach our kids," says Aditya's Vedic math instructor, Parminder Singh. "But what was really interesting about it was, he also showed us an algebraic proof as to why his procedure works."

Mathevedics students learn Vedic concepts at three levels—0, 1 and 2—depending on the grade they are in or on their skill levels. The cost per month varies between $40 and $60, depending on the level.

"Children are amazed and excited that they can finish a problem much more quickly than by using the conventional methods at school. So when they come to class, their interest levels are very high," says Varsha Kumar.

Diveesh Singh, a third-grader at West Valley Elementary School in Sunnyvale, has always been interested in math, says his mother, Seema Singh. "He is constantly after us to give him math problems. So when I heard about this program, I decided to enroll him in it," she says.

"I learned how to do multiplication in a shorter way and I liked learning it," says Diveesh in a lilting voice in a telephone interview. "It is helping me in the 'time tests' in my regular school."

Time tests require students to complete 100 problems within a very short time. "I finished my tests in five minutes, and I was the first," Diveesh says. Looking at his math performance at school, Diveesh's teacher has asked him to take the GATE test for gifted students.

Mathevedics instructor Parminder Singh explains that the Vedic methods are not just for the academically brilliant students. "This is a whole new method that any child can learn. It's just going to make them faster and more accurate and give them a deeper understanding of how math works."

Rohit Bhat,12, a seventh-grader at Kennedy Middle School, took classes at Mathevedics last summer. He uses Vedic methods to check his answers during school tests and has even taught his close friend how to use it.

The center explains that Vedic math has the potential to simplify complex algebra, trigonometry and even calculus. Divya Sundar, a ninth-grader at Chaboya Middle School in San Jose, finds algebra far easier these days.

A problem such as (Ax² + Bx + C) (Dx²+Ex+ F) no longer fazes her. It does not matter how huge the coefficients and constants are. Nor does the complexity of the powers of the variables matter too much. Divya says that the pyramid approach of the Vedic math is much quicker and far safer than grouping and adding the traditional way.

But Vedic math is not a lesson in speed merely for students. "We have many parents who have shown interest in learning Vedic math. So this summer we are planning to hold short, intensive workshops for anybody who's interested. Age does not matter," says Parminder Singh. Mathevedics has centers in San Jose, Santa Clara, and Fremont and in Colorado.

For more information about Mathevedics, go to http://www.mathevedics.com or call 408.528.0489 (San Jose) or 408.246.4362 (Santa Clara).

This example works for the following numbers. Anyone interested in learning more, contact Mathevedics.

SUTRA

Nikhalam Navatascaramam Dasatah­for short this is called the "Nikhilam" sutra.

English translation

All from 9 and Last from 10

Stage 1

The rule is that all the digits of a given number are to be subtracted from 9, but the last number on the right is to be subtracted from 10. This gives us the deficiency.

Using the example of 98 x 95

Here the deficiency of 98 is 02 [(9-9 = 0) and (10-8 = 2)]

and the deficiency of 95 is 05 [(9-9 = 0) and (10-5 = 5)].

(This is as good as subtracting the two numbers from their closest base of 10, which is 100.)

Stage 2

The multiplication using this sutra means multiplying these deficiencies to get one part of the answer, and then cross subtract one of the deficiencies from the original number to get the other part.

In the above example

Multiply the two deficiencies 2 and 5 = 10 ( forms the last part of the answer).

Now cross subtract one deficiency from the other number:
98-5 = 93 or 95-2 = 93.

93 is the first part of the answer.

So the final answer is 9,310.