Hariprasad - I Would Say That My Goal Is To Promote Cubing As Much As Possible (Cuber)

 

I have seen cubing has a huge advantage over several other hobbies. But once you start having fun with it, your brain will develop huge amount of cognitive power and you will start recognizing the pattern. You will start observing how the whole puzzle works and then you will start incorporating in different puzzles and also in your life because your problem solving power changes quite drastically. It makes your brain sharper and brings a different perspective and gradually your memory management also improves with cubing . It is a very creative hobby to have it and helps in a holistic development.

1. Tell us more about yourself and your background.

My name is Hariprasad and I am currently working as a research associate in department of mechanical engineering at Amirta University , Kerala . I am also doing my PH.D in the field of fluid engineering . I am based from Kerala . I started cubing in the year 2010. 

I got my first cube somewhere between 1996 and 2000 but I was not working with it and after sometime I started working on it and my first solve was on 2nd Oct 2010 and it has been a decade since I have been cubing and since first solve I have been very driven . 

I have been teaching cubing as well. In 2011 , I wanted to go for a World Cube Association competition (WCA) , back then there were no competition in Kerala so I had to apply for a competition in Chennai and go and participate there but I got slightly late  and I wasn’t allowed to participate.

I was kind of rejected but at the same time I made a lot of friends there , Since there were no competition in Kerala I contacted delegate from World Cube Association and then I decided to organize a competition in Kerala itself. 

I was a student at Amrita University back then, so I was the first person to organize a WCA recognized competition in Kerala  in 2012 and it was also the first competition that I participated in as well . In that competition I taught 50-100 students how to solve rubik’s cube . 

Ever since then I have been organizing competition as well as participating in WCA competitions. Till then I was not into this cube art , I used to be into drawing and painting but later I wanted to club this cubing and art. 

Moreover, I am not the first person to do this , I have people doing this and I was very inspired to make Cube art , it was recently in 2020 when I bought a bunch of cubes and decided to make a portrait. I made the very first Rubik’s cube portrait in Kerala.

 2. Tell us about some of your projects you have done and how much time does it take to create a portrait using Rubik’s cube ?

The very first portrait I made was of 'Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī' also known as Amma using 600 cubes. After few days I made the very first 3-D Rubik’s portrait made in India in honour of Mahatma Gandhi. It was made on 2^nd October 2020.

 I usually take 600 cubes to make a portrait but 3-D one took me 547 cubes and tooked about 10-12 hours in general to make it and it would take around 10 hours more to solve it back. 

Effectively I will spend around 20 hours making the whole thing . Design would take about 4-6 hour’s . I have also collaborated with reputed actors from down south and made their portrait’s using cubes .

 3. What do you enjoy more making Rubik’s cube portrait or teaching Rubik’s cube to children ?

I would say that my goal is to promote cubing as much as possible. I have seen cubing has a huge advantage over several other hobbies. It is moreover like a chess. Initially learning cubing is not a big deal like you know it is formula based and everything you don’t have to spend more time in just learning to solve because you can do a systematic approach and solve it .  

But once you start having fun with it, your brain will develop huge amount of cognitive power and you will start recognizing the pattern. You will start observing how the whole puzzle works and then you will start incorporating in different puzzles and also in your life because your problem solving power changes quite drastically.

 It makes your brain sharper and brings a different perspective and gradually your memory management also improves with cubing . It is a very creative hobby to have it and helps in a holistic development. So that’s why my aim is to promote cubing among children.

4. What can be done to promote cubing in India ?

 Well what I think is , If I get some sponsor I would buy a bunch of cubes more because I have  600 cubes in hand right now .I am actually looking for a good sponsor who can provide few thousand cubes. 

If I had 2000-3000 cubes I could make huge portrait and display it and it will be great promotion for them as well as a great thing for my art which will indeed attract more people into cubing . 

So showing more of cube and cube art is the key for promotion. I can make huge portrait anywhere may it be India or abroad but the only thing that is stopping me is the lack of cubes which can come from financial backing.

5. Who has been your role model ?

The great cuber whom I have seen is Feliks Zemdegs. I have never met him but I really want to meet him. He is the creator of the cube Erno Rubik. I would really like to meet him some day and he been my role model when it comes to cubing and also my good friend Bargav Narsingham who has been a great friend and also a great cuber. 

We have participated in a lot of competitions and he is a National and Asian record holder. Other than that, in life my role model has been my “Amma” who always had been my guiding light.

6. What has been your greatest achievement ?

My greatest achievement so far would be teaching kids . I have made portraits which are great but I really really like teaching kids . I have taught at least 300+ people from all age groups.

Hari Prasad

Instagram id - @_hariology_

You tube Channel - Hariology

Interviewed by - Adit Koul