AN ACQUIRED LOVE – SUDOKU - BLOGCHATTER HALF MARATHON 2023
As a child, one of my pet peeves was Mathematics – a subject
that turned into a mystifying jumble of numbers, shapes, fractions and problems
(pun very much intended!) While I had always loved subjects like English, History
and Biology, I did not warm up to numbers for a long time. When I was in the
ninth, my Army parents were posted in an obscure little station with not too
many good schools. At that time, I was transported to a Convent school in Shoranur, Kerala, in a town where my grandfather was known as a revered and renowned
educationist, having founded a Boys’ High School through which many illustrious
students had passed out.
Busy things
Leaving my parents and my sisters was a wrench, but what
had to be done, had to be done. However, I found the silver lining in my new
life – my grandparents and the entire family doted on me, and I was treated
like a little princess. I soon got into the swing of things.
However, the Mathematics bug needed to be sorted out. To
make matters worse, since I had joined school in the ninth standard, I needed
to study certain key portions from the eighth as well. That was when I met the
strictest tuition master I had ever met, who petrified me from the word go. Under
his eagle eye, I began to learn the world of numbers, looking at it with a new
eye. I practised my sums diligently, and began enjoying the subject as the mystical/
mysterious elements were ironed out by my master.
I also did have an extremely sweet Physics master who
would come after nine in the night as he was the headmaster of the boys’
school, along with his son who was in the same class as me. Together we would
yawn, all three of us, only to be given a knock on the head which would wake
two of us up at least. Those classes, though nocturnal, did help me through the
syllabus.
At the end of two years, when I passed out of the tenth,
I was overjoyed to see that of all my subjects, I had scored highest in
Mathematics and Physics, even more than my beloved English.
I broke two hearts when I announced that I was going to
study Humanities, or the Third Group, as it was then called. Both my masters
protested to my grandfather, who, much to his credit, thanked them for all
their diligence, but refused to help change my mind.
I still recall that day when my Mathematics master came
over and said, “Why would you want to take up Arts? You can do Medicine or
Engineering… you have the marks.” He went away immensely disappointed, though
somewhat convinced as I used all my powers of eloquence to show him how much I
loved the Arts subjects, and also that I wanted to become a writer.
That was the last year I did anything with Mathematics.
Till I discovered the magic of Sudoku!
Sudoku meandered into my life like a gentle breeze that
tickled my hair as I was going through my daily newspaper. For the first time,
I stared at the big square with all the little squares and the numbers running
through from 1 to 9. It was an ‘Easy’ puzzle and when I started filling in the
squares, I found that I was slowly getting the hang of it.
From then on, I tried all the puzzles in the newspapers, getting more adept as days went by. I moved on to the ‘Medium’ and the ‘Hard’ puzzles, thrilled every time I got them right. The ‘Evil’ ones quite defeated me at the beginning, but I persevered till I finally got it right. The day I finished my first Evil Sudoku, I was ecstatic.
I downloaded Sudoku
on my mobile phone as well. From then on, I never looked back. Every time I had
some time to kill, I would do a puzzle. It got to the stage when I would do
this rather than read, which was a huge thing because I cannot recall a time
when I did not read.
Numerous articles talk about the significance of games
that stimulate the mind, and ensure that the brain cells remain healthy.
Solving word puzzles, crosswords, mental Maths, board games like Chess and Scrabble
and of course, Sudoku… most of these keep the mind ticking. As they say, a
healthy mind in a healthy body!
When I delved further into the benefits of Sudoku, I did
find reasons enough to continue playing. First, it improves concentration and memory,
and cuts short the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It stimulates the
mind and helps in decision working, as it follows a sequence that enhances logical
and spatial thinking.
It keeps stress
and anxiety away, which is one major reason to carry on, given that most
diseases are caused by stress alone.
Of course, it also helps in teaching patience because there
are times when the blasted numbers do not fall into the right slots, which
turns the entire sequence topsy-turvy. However, the excitement of finishing a
game keeps one happy and relaxed.
I have seen that playing Sudoku while on a train journey
or on long flights can keep boredom away. It can also ward away unwanted questions
from inquisitive fellow travellers whom you want to keep away as well.
Life is like a Sudoku; you just have to place some things
at the right place at the right time, and then everything else will fall at its
right place.
That says it all, doesn’t it?
This post is a part of the Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023.
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