Abstract: Apart from an astronomical workbook of limited mathematical interest, Madhava has left us no written legacy. It is only very recently that the scholarly world has begun to appreciate -- still somewhat uncertainly --the originality and depth of his mathematical achievements. My lectures are aimed at a re-evaluation of his place in the history of mathematics that takes advantage of fresh readings and interpretations of the writings of some of his intellectual descendants. I plan three lectures. The first will be a general qualitative account of the mathematical background from which Madhava and the school founded emerged, as well as of new discoveries regarding his personal life that help us understand the rejuvenation of the mathematical life of Kerala that he brought about. The second will provide a justification for the claim in my title by working out standard examples of problems posed and solved by him by the method of calculus, together with the necessary theoretical foundations. The third lecture will identify in his work some of the anticipations of an abstract ("modern") approach in the mathematics that supported and accompanied the calculus work.
