This was possibly one of the simplest and yet complicated gift you could ever gift to someone!
In fact it is the now the best-selling toy in history!
One of the longest train journey is the Bangalore Howrah express! It was close to five days and used to go via cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Orissa and finally Calcutta! Now there is another train which is longer which goes from Kanyakumari to Dibrugarh! Anyway the blog is not about the train!
During one such train journey while we were munching Mom’s Chapati with the Stuffed Karela and a little Baingan Bartha we saw this guy playing a cube like toy and trying to solve the sides!
The RUBIK’S CUBE!
Years later we had the toy and in fact every home had one but most used to be left unsolved! The difference here was that the Guy had solved all the sides!
In the pre internet and social media days ; solving a Rubik’s cube was a rarity!
I had a cube which was left unsolved for decades! I could solve one side pretty easily but could not solve more than that! Then one fine day some seven years back I had this strange itch to solve it!
Now once I get it in my head or in my LIST; the thing to DO is hard to let go!
Luckily I had the help of the net! After many videos and trials I finally solved the cube! It was a moment of thrill and felt like a personal achievement!
Of course to solve it again took another couple of weeks and to solve it without looking at the code took another month!
Yes! You have codes and algorithms to solve it and though seeing a fully solved cube was a rare occurrence those days; now it is not only a NORMAL thing but also an extremely competitive sport!
The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian architecture professor Ernő Rubik. Originally called the “Magic Cube” (Bűvös kocka) and designed to teach 3D geometry, it became an international sensation after being licensed to Ideal Toy Corp in 1980!
Now of course the Rubik’s cube is a phenomenon and you would be surprised to know that the fastest cubes now have magnets and each GOOD cube comes with a set of tools for tightening and making it properly mobile!
Speedcubing” and the Modern EraAs solvers around the world figured out the mathematical solutions (there are 4.3 times 10^{19} possible combinations!
Players began competing to see who could solve it the fastest and the World Cube Association (WCA) has been established to regulate international competitions and maintain records.
Modern “speed cubes” have evolved far past the stiff, noisy mechanics of the 1980s, allowing top competitors to solve the puzzle in under 3 seconds!
The franchise surpassed 500 million units sold worldwide!
So if you can solve the Rubik’s cube now you can be proud of yourself! If you can do it under a minute like me (pre hand fracture days!) then you are good! But do settle down!
Regular Cubers like my son and his brother have amazing solve timings which we cannot even imagine! This when I was the one who literally taught and ‘inspired’ them respectively to cube in the first place!
Now both of them beat me so easily!
Then again even they are rooted to the ground since the world record is an under 3 second solve of 2.76 seconds! Yes! Let that sink in!
Still think it is just a game!?
By the way solving a Rubik’s Cube is now much more than just a party trick; it is an excellent mental workout!
Regularly solving the puzzle improves spatial reasoning, boosts memory, and enhances problem-solving skills. It is also a fantastic way to relieve stress by promoting mindfulness and intense, focused concentration!
Just do not look at the timer or compare with the champs though!
Champ when it comes to music though is Rajesh Roshan!
Now if you want to learn to solve the Rubik’s cube in a simple way you can check out my video!
It will take time to master though so do not lose your sleep over it!
Shubh ratri!
https://youtu.be/PBIxdGcnkuo?si=gnU1UADZPiBMz1hk&sfnsn=wa
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