How a 9 by 9 grid changed my life!

HOW A 9 BY 9 GRID CHANGED MY LIFE

Marriage at 20 catapulted me from flippant tomboyish student to responsible badibahu of a joint family and a huge loving extended family (er, responsible is my own adjective, am not sure how true it is but it just sounds better:)). 

I willingly embraced my new life and led the next three decades on the rollercoaster of life, content in my cocoon. The  only cerebral activity I had was occasionally solving crossword and number puzzles in the newspaper.

In September 2018 I saw the advertisement for a  Times of India Sudoku contest  being held in Kolkata in collaboration with Logic Masters India.  I decided to go just to have fun. I met a few similar aged people, and we were discussing how tough it is to focus at this age, and that participating itself was  commendable.

Round 1 was a simple round with 4 sudoku puzzles where we had to complete 2 or 3 to qualify for the next round. When my fellow participants asked me how many I  had finished and  I said "all 4", they looked at me with such disdain as if to say "You are a disgrace to 50+ :). 

Round 2 which was a speed round followed. People were rushing to finish, one boy standing at the stage,so he could be first to submit, while I  sat back and solved my puzzles one by one,  writing answers neatly (thanks to my convent education), making sure they were correct. In between I heard someone asking for an eraser, and I dug out one from my bag and handed it over. So yes,  it  was the speed of a relaxed senior citizen, not of a competitor. I finally submitted my paper  20 minutes in advance, relieved that I had completed it which was my only goal. I knew many had submitted before me. 

At result-time, we were told that the fastest 2 experienced and 2 inexperienced would be sent to Delhi for the Nationals and that though many had completed early, some had made mistakes. I waited only to know if my answers were correct.  And then I suddenly heard " And now the top 4!  In 4th place is Anuradha Ganesh"!. I still remember that OMG  moment. I was in shock.It was most unexpected! Being old and stressfree had helped. Since I was not in a hurry, I had not made errors :) 

As I walked up to the stage to pick up my certificate, I felt a myriad of emotions. After years of being referred to as someone's wife, mother, daughter,  I was suddenly in the limelight for something I had achieved.And I had not even struggled for it!  I was all tearyeyed-filmi style and squirming under this sudden public glare.

All through this, I was updating my family on whatsapp. It was funny!  From initially sending me pep-talks, indulging me by saying they were proud that I was even participating, the chats suddenly went into capital letters in shock and disbelief! When my son who is careful not to swear in my presence, let out a newgen swear, albeit mild,  I knew I had both shocked and impressed him :).

Once my photo got published in the newspaper, I became a mini-celebrity in the family.  I got mentions on my childrens' facebook posts ( my daughter said she felt like the proud parent of a kid who has got into IIT without coaching :))  and by my husband  on the family and friends whatsapp groups! My neighbours suddenly started to wish me on my walks ,  wondering how this old,  boring not-so-social aunty was in the newspaper. It was surreal. 

The following week I was off on an all-expenses-paid holiday in Bennett University in Noida. 

The Nationals was a different story. I was now amidst serious enthusiastic competitors who spoke a different language. I learnt new terms! Some were obvious!What we all know as sudoku, the 81 squares , is 'classic' sudoku. There are innumerable variations which are called 'variants'. The numbers which are given are called, ofcourse 'givens'! When I saw people discussing R2C4 and R8C5,I was wondering what code language they spoke! It turns out that each cell is given a number for easy reference. So the cell in the second row and fourth column is called R2C4 and so on. 

Some terms amused me.  When you 'crack' a puzzle, you get it right. But when  you 'break' a puzzle, you have made a mistake. (Now I know why I make so many mistakes while solving Sudoku. I was always called the butterfingers as a kid - the one who kept dropping and breaking things :)).

People were discussing strategies like xy wing and swordfish which sounded intriguing! I took hours breaking my head trying to understand them before I got my Aha moment :). Its a different story that the Aha was temporary because I did not know how and where to apply it.  I got to see variants which I had no clue about. While the smart ones solved in a few minutes, it took me that long to figure out what the rules were :).

Needless to say I was somewhere at the bottom of the table. But I did not mind at all because I considered myself lucky and blessed to have reached this stage ,and was thrilled, just being there and  enjoying the whole experience. Also exciting was  the fact that I was put up in a hostel. My father, sister, husband, son and daughter had all lived in hostels. Now finally at 50+, I had my own hostel stories to share :). 

Life has now changed. There is a spring in my step as I look forward to learning and solving. I enjoy being a student again.  Most importantly I have got introduced to this lovely set of people of varying ages on the LMI group. All dedicated to sudoku and puzzles. All of them ready to help out with the most inane of doubts. Never flinching! Never ridiculing!. For me this is like being in  class again and watching my classmates discussing studies , tips, strategies, puzzles, timings and gentle ribbing. 

After being amongst the class toppers in my teens, it is a new experience being a backbencher :). Infact I would compare myself to the 'Kaccha Limbu' of a group of kids playing. The pesky but enthusiastic  one who hardly knows how to play, often has no clue of what is being discussed,  but insists on being included in the game, and is tolerated  by the rest :).  I had actually started to save the names of my group members with the suffix 'Sudoku' to identify them. Suddenly I realized that "We are family" since we share a common surname :).

I do have some critics. Some say "What is the big deal about  filling in numbers". Excuse me! It's not that simple. You have variants with figures, arrows , and thermometers without numbers where you have to figure out what goes where! If you say anything more, I can send you a few to solve :).

Some ask me what I gain out of it. Cmon! Some watch movies and tv serials!. Some love shopping. In my case,  I enjoy challenging my mind! And this is no less than a potboiler. It is a thriller when I am going to solve a fresh sudoku. Its a mystery when I am trying to figure out how to solve it. It’s a "and they lived happily ever after" moment when I get it right. Its a tragedy when I fill in the numbers and then find I have made a mistake (aargh!!). And it is a comedy when I look at the timings of the others versus mine. I cannot help it. I am old-school. We were told that we always had to score high! So while others take 3 or 4 minutes, I take about 30 minutes or sometimes much more. Aren't my marks better :).

On a serious note, the day my aunt whom I am supposed to resemble was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I knew that Sudoku was not just fun. I needed that brain workout to prevent dementia.

Further during trying times over which I have no control ,instead of moping, whining,getting depressed and making everyone around me miserable, I now pick up my sudoku puzzles and keep calm :).( Atleast I would prefer to think so :)).

I  would say solving sudoku is like learning lessons in positive living. Every problem has a solution. Often the solution is right there but you just need to look for it. Some people succeed  early. Some take time. 

The advantage of age is that I am actually enjoying the journey, not worrying where I am headed. I am not competing with anyone, often not even with myself. Isn’t that the secret to happiness in life! Woah!I sound like a Baba giving gyan :).

Why I am suddenly sharing all this with my family and friends,is that today,  the 9th day of the 9th month has been declared World Sudoku Day. It is a chance to say I am so thankful to everyone at the LMI  group, TOI,  and all my wellwishers who have supported me and helped me enjoy this beautiful game of life :D. My message to all my friends is: Take life easy! Challenge yourself! Laugh at yourself! Enjoy yourself! Keep yourself physically healthy with some activity! And keep yourself mentally healthy  with Sudoku! If you would like to challenge yourself and join the tribe, do reach out to me! Happy Sudoku Day!

P.S. My elder sis has been bullying, sorry,  I meant suggesting to me all these years to write :). I never bothered since I didn’t know what to write, or was just plain lazy. I finally found a topic close to my heart! Vasanthi, this one is for u :). Now that you have seen how long my monologue goes, I trust you will never again make the mistake of asking me to write:).