The Eighth Statistics Day was celebrated on 29 June 2014 which also happens to be the 121st Birth Anniversary of Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, architect of the statistical system of independent India at the CR Rao Advanced Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science (CR RAO AIMSCS) jointly with the University of Hyderabad (UoH).
The function was held in the Auditorium of the RAMANUJAN Building of CR RAO AIMSCS in which fourteen school children belonging to Classes IX-XII were felicitated who performed well in the Sixth Statistics Olympiad, an Annual Event organized by the Institute which was conceived by Prof. C R Rao in 2009 and started in the year 2009 for the first time.
Dr C Rangarajan, Chairman, CR Rao AIMSCS was the Chief Guest. Justice M.Jagannadha Rao, Former Supreme Court Judge and Former Chairman of Law Commission, Prof. P V Arunachalam, Former Vice Chancellor of Dravidian University, Prof E Haribabu Pro Vice Chancellor of UoH and Dr. U. Yugandhar, Member, Governing Council of CR Rao AIMSCS were the Guests of Honour.
Jhansi Receiving Prize
After a Welcome by Prof. Allam Appa Rao, Director of the Institute, Prof T .J. Rao, read out the message from Prof. CR Rao and briefly mentioned about the importance of Statistics Day and the Institute’s role in the` Sixth Statistics Olympiad, 2014. This year around 1300 students took the Olympiad Test at Level I (Classes IX and X) and around 200 at Level II (Classes XI and XII) from selected centres of the States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. One Special Award “C.R.Rao and C.Bhargavi Rao Prize” and a merit certificate was given to the toppers at each level shared by two students each, and ten other students were awarded the merit certificates. This year it has gone international with Sri Lanka also participating in the test on the same date and time and the topper in Level II is from Sri Lanka. Both the topper and the Sri Lankan Coordinator for the Olympiad Dr. Nimalshanti Gunaratne were present at the function.
Fonsika Receiving Prize
Dr Rangarajan in his message talked about the credibility, availability and timeliness of Statistical Data with interesting examples. Justice Jagannadha Rao, Prof. Arunachalam, Prof. Haribabu and Dr Yugandhar spoke on the role played by Mahalanobis and C R Rao in the Evolution of Statistics in India.
The function ended with a Vote of Thanks by Prof. TJ Rao.
*Message from Prof C R Rao
The need for knowing the three R’s, reading, writing and arithmetic, is well understood. These do not take us far unless we acquire the fourth R, reasoning under uncertainty, for taking decisions in real life. Statistics is the science and technology of learning from data, and of measuring, controlling and communicating uncertainty; and it thereby provides the navigation essential for controlling the course of scientific and social advance. Statistical knowledge is essential not only to those involved in advancing natural knowledge but also to the layman who has to take numerous decisions under uncertainty in daily life.
I am glad that Dr. Apparao is organizing Statistics Day on 29th of June, the birthday of the doyen of statistics, Professor P.C. Mahalanobis every year to encourage the study of statistics.