Book excerpt: The author has attempted to codify several useful results embedded in the ancient lore, in a form which is easily accessible to the children learning mathematics. Many of the chapters deal with computations using simple techniques which will shorten the effort involved in the conventional approach. The price one pays, of course, is that one has to learn the tricks, memorize them and use the appropriate one for each problem. While one might think that this takes away the generality of the modern approach, it certainly has the element of charm and intrigue which children [and grown-ups!] will find entertaining. Even working out why many of these approaches lead to correct results is a valuable exercise by itself. Contents Foreword, Preface, Feedback, Introduction, 1. Complement, Subtraction, Multiplication by Specific Numbers, Base Multiplication, Working Base Multiplication, Multiplication, Algebra, Digital Roots, Divisibility, Division I, Division II, Squares, Straight Squaring, Cubes, Square roots of exact squares, Cube roots of exact cubes, Straight Division, Square roots II, Sutras, Glossary, Index.