Solving Freedom

‘Trick, trick, click, trick, trick, click …’ sounds came from the room where my brother was yet again playing with his cube. After getting the ‘cube-germ’ from his best friend at the summer camp, he managed to completely solve the 3 by 3 cube in just 5 days. Now, he aimed to become a speed cuber.

As I entered the room, he shouted excitedly, “Yay! Solved it in 48 seconds; my best record ever!” And then he began again without even taking a break. I sat on my bed and watched my brother order the colored puzzle. The cube formed patterns but they skimmed too quickly in front of my eyes that I never really saw them properly. Seeing him complete the cube yet again, I came to the conclusion that I will learn the cube to find out the stories it has to share.

 

My brother readily became my teacher. It’s not everyday that you get to boss your elder sibling. My cube lessons took place in the afternoon when the warm sun told me to go have a nap but my brother pulled me to learn to solve the cube.

Little by little, I started to learn the cube. That’s when I realized that cubing was quite linked to our freedom struggle.

 

In the first lesson, my brother shuffled the cube in front of my eyes. How an organized thing is easily sent into disarray.

India was at its peak when invaders started landing on it. We had everything from natural resources to exquisite jewels, from rich mythology to strong rulers, from the first university in the world to great philosophers. Each invasion took off our glory.

Finally, the British came and they put a seal on our disorganization, something we had to struggle for a long time to achieve freedom from.

I stared at the shuffled cube and was filled with doubt but I had promised my brother and can’t let him down. So, he  began to teach me the first step of basic cubing:- ‘The Daisy Step’

It took two sessions to master it completely but I was able to finally learn it. Still my cube looked far from being solved but it was a start.

 

Start of the dissent in the people of India. The British rulers were harsh and their rigid rules and heavy taxation caused widespread dissent. Near the year 1857, Doctrine of Lapse had caused several members of the nobility to lose their titles, Nana Sahib and Rani Lakshmi Bai were preparing for the battle. The farmers were angered by the heavy taxation and monitoring of land, The sepoy mutiny unleashed the Revolt of 1857. Throughout central India, the fire of independence had been kindled.

 

I lashed on the cube completing the second step, 'The White Cross'. My brother grunted a compliment, took the cube from my hand and shuffled it for me to solve again.

 

The British too suppressed this revolt strongly. 

 

I was staring intently at the cube. “How should I bring this piece here?”, I asked my brother. He rolled his eyes and said, “Instead of cramming steps, if you use your brain you will solve it.”

Really my teacher had a tongue as fast as his hands.

So, within 4 more more sessions I learned to make the first layer of the cube . Now it looked like I was getting somewhere.

 

In 1903, the British proclaimed an order for the partition of Bengal. The swadeshi movement began by Lal Bal Pal. The Bengalis tied Rakhis on each other's wrists as a symbol of brotherhood and retaliated against this order. The path towards freedom was highlighted again.

 

The second layer was tough and I got confused when to do the right hand algorithm and when to go for the left one. But with my brother’s encouragement I sailed through the second layer successfully.  

The Nationalists speeches filled people with vigor. Youth started to step up to make the nation free. The First World War recruited many Indians as soldiers for the British army but the Freedom Struggle was not hindered.  Under the leadership of Annie Beasant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak ‘The Home Rule Movement’ began. This aimed at gaining the right for self rule in the local legislature. Though this revolt slowed down, the spark of independence had started to spread.

 

I had to wait to learn the third layer until my brother’s new cube arrived (Till now we were sharing the same one). My brother said, “Third layer is complicated; it can only be taught side by side, both of us holding our own cube.” Finally, his cube came and I started the third layer.

 

Mahatma Gandhi came to India in 1915 and his first step was to revolt against the Rowlett act. A nationwide hartal(revolt) began yet the British smacked back in 1919. What followed will remain the darkest day in Indian history.

 

I stared hard at the third layer because of which I had managed to destroy my previous two layers. I was frustrated and deeply saddened. It took some part of the next session for my brother to convince me that I was finally there, before I attempted it again.

 

The Non- Cooperation Movement 1920 was spread in many parts and was stronger than ever. People started to adopt swadeshi principles, hand spinning and weaving became popular and marches were organized. This became the first mass movement and hence, a big step towards freedom.

 

I successfully completed ‘The Yellow Cross’. Now my cube looked so close to being solved completely. But it was just the beginning of tough times.

 

The people were getting restless and they demanded ‘Poorna Swaraj’. Mahatma Gandhi attended the Round Table Conference but Lord Irvin declined his demands. So, coming back to India he launched the Salt Satyagraha or the Civil Disobedience Movement. The movement led to multiple arrests of great leaders. But the struggle continued.

I managed to align the edges in the third layer. Now all left were four disorganized corners.

In 1942, The Quit India Movement was launched. The ‘Do or Die’ Movement. Anti- British sentiments were at their peak. Men, women, children all flocked streets and braved the Lathi Charges to revolt for their Independence.  

The Second World War again recruited many Indians and prominent nationalists were put in prison. 

Azad Hind Fauz under Subhas Chandra Bose roused the fire again and India continued to struggle. 

Post the World War final three winter uprisings by the public, forced the Britishers to finally give in. 

India was finally Independent on 15 August 1947.

With a final click my cube was solved. I shouted and whooped and could feel that my happiness was tiny compared to those on that August night. 

My brother's words jarred me out of my celebration, “The cube isn’t solved yet.” And he shuffled it. 

On 15th august 1947 we were independent but not developed. The British left us more with a broken nation where riots are more punctual than electricity at homes. 75 years, yet we struggle to be developed.

It was difficult to solve the cube. Even after doing it once. I was clumsy and confused a lot of steps and ended up in making more chaos. 

Chaos. How is it really caused in the country? The leaders cause it, the law, the police… But we too have a share. In the end even one car parked wrong on the road can cause a traffic jam {an ultimate example of chaos}.

I did solve the cube and now I must say I have at least learnt all the steps but it still takes me 5 minutes to do it completely. I too am now working on my speed. I know it will require a lot of work. In the end for me to turn into a speed cuber only I have to work hard.

But for India to be developed it requires the effort of each of its 138 crore citizens to do their duty. 

Let’s pledge to solve this new puzzle and achieve glory that was dreamed by all those nationalists.

Jai hind!