India has taken a major step in advancing higher mathematics with the launch of its first privately funded mathematics research institute, the Lodha Mathematical Sciences Institute (LMSI). Supported by the Lodha Foundation with an endowment of Rs 20,000 crore, the institute will focus entirely on post-doctoral research and will be free of cost.
Fields Medal winner Manjul Bhargava, who is on the scientific advisory council of LMSI, said India needs to “fall in love with mathematics again” — not as a burden of formulae, but as an act of exploration. “Classrooms must become experimental and playful, with teachers trained to spark curiosity,” Bhargava said at the launch. He will lead sessions on arithmetic statistics and its new developments at the institute.
Maharashtra cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha described the initiative as a contribution to the nation, not just an institution, highlighting India’s historic role in global mathematics. Abhishek Lodha, CEO and MD of Lodha Developers, said the institute was founded on the belief that strong nations thrive on original thinking and innovation.
Founding director V Kumar Murthy, who earlier headed Toronto’s Fields Institute, called mathematics the “hidden scaffolding of modern life,” underpinning finance, engineering, and technology. Economist Nachiket Mor, also on the advisory panel, stressed the importance of developing mathematical models suited to India’s unique economic realities, which often differ from those in the West.
The institute’s first step will focus on building a strong base of teachers. Ten senior number theorists have already been appointed to guide research. Murthy said he plans to travel across the country to connect with mathematicians, identify emerging talent, and nurture them through LMSI’s network.
Looking ahead, the institute will host the first Indian Congress of Mathematicians in December 2026, bringing together leading mathematicians of Indian origin from around the world.
