In the middle of a pond, there is a lotus flower blooming. The flower stands one foot above the water's surface. Suddenly, a gust of wind blows, moving the flower three feet away and causing it to touch the water. Determine the depth of the pond.
— From "Leelaboti"

I have come across numerous problems like this in my childhood arithmetic books. At the end of these problems, the name “Leelaboti” would be written. What is the story behind this? Who is Leelaboti? What is her connection with these complex mathematical problems?

Here’s what I learned: Leelaboti was the name of the only daughter of Bhāskara Ācārya, the renowned mathematician of the 7th century. It is said that Leelaboti’s horoscope predicted widowhood, and as a result, her marriage was called off at the last moment by the groom’s family. Heartbroken, when Leelaboti was crying, Bhāskara Ācārya said to her, “My dear, I may not be able to change your fate, but I will make sure that the world remembers you for ages to come.”

Thus, he named his famous book on mathematics after her, "Leelavati."

The story moved me so much that one night, I even dreamt of Leelaboti. Her name stuck in my mind. For a long time, I wanted to write a novel about the girl I saw in my dream and call it "Leelaboti."

Interestingly, my story about Leelaboti is different. In my novel, Leelaboti’s father is not named Bhāskara Ācārya but Siddiqur Rahman. He is an ordinary man, not a mathematician.