One of the fascinating things about the Rubik’s cube is that it keeps you on your toes. This popular toy has garnered quite a fandom among puzzle enthusiasts. So much so that it is a competitive sport. In fact, there are many who experiment with the Rubik’s Cube in ways that have never been done before. Advaidh Manazhy, a native of Kochi’s Kakkanad, is well-known for his mosaic art made using Rubik’s Cubes. It’s so stunning that it will amaze the average Rubik’s Cube enthusiast.
15-year-old Advaidh, who is in class ten, not only knows how to solve 1147 cubes in 100 minutes, but also can make mosaic art with them. He holds five records in total, including the URF Asian Record, Arabian World Record, Two Best of India Records and India Book of Record.
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Advaidh Manazhy shared, “My interest in solving Rubik’s cubes started at the age of 7. My brother Vishnu Mahesh taught me how to solve a cube and even gifted me my first cube. As time passed, my interest in Rubik’s cubes turned out to be more like a passion. I wanted to be able to solve cubes within seconds. I kept on practising and exploring different methods. I would always walk around with a cube in my hand.”
He further added, “Today, I can solve different types of Rubik’s cubes with great speed. I like drawing animated faces and with a few cubes in hand, I used to replicate them. Very soon, I was blessed enough to get hold of a few hundred cubes with which, I first portrayed my parents’ wedding photo. My little sister Avantika has always been my best companion and she is my helping hand. We spent around six hours creating a mosaic out of that wedding picture. That is the first-ever Face Mosaic/Portrait I have created.”
Advaidh’s joint, extended family has always been very supportive of his passion. Since he’s just completing high school, his parents make it a point to not pressurise him. Rather, they help him manage his time so that he can pursue his passion on the side. Moreover, his friends, teachers, and the management at Bhavans Adarsha Vidyalaya have only encouraged him to do more of these pieces of artwork.
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Adviadh’s favourite piece of work is the mosaic he created for Sir. Erno Rubiks. Sir. Erno Rubiks, a Hungarian sculptor, is the inventor of the magic cube, known to us as the Rubik’s Cube. “I created this Mosaic art of Sir. Erno Rubik on his Birthday as a loving tribute”, shared this Kochi native. One day, he hopes to create a Rubik’s mosaic art of all Indian Presidents and hand over the portraits to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“I was invited to create the Logo of “Lokame Tharavadu – The world is one family”, a large-scale contemporary art exhibition organised by the Government of Kerala and Kochi Biennale Foundation, at Alappuzha on 01.09.2021. It was an unforgettable experience for me. I created the Mosaic in reverse. It was a lifelong cherishing experience for a 15-year-old boy like me. I could meet and spend some good time with the world-renowned artist, curator, Director and the President of Kochi Biennale Foundation Sir. Bose Krishnamachari. The entire creation was done in presence of the Media, great Artists and audiences from around the world. I got to see and experience a unique space where I could see artistry mesmerising our senses. It’s an experience that I would cherish as a young artist throughout my life,” he excitedly shared.
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While his passion lies in creating mosaic art using cubes, Advaidh wants to become a Zoologist and specialise in Herpetology. He wants a career in wildlife conservation, especially studying reptiles. However, there’s no stopping this amazing artist from finding new ways of experimenting with his skills. “I never get bored spending hours solving and creating different mosaics out of cubes. It kind of makes me feel happy when I see a smiling face or a meaningful art made out of these cubes. It’s truly a beautiful feeling and a different kind of satisfaction,” Advaidh shared on making his passion a life-long project.
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A Rubik’s Cube has a limitless number of possible solutions. Every time a person tries to solve it, an urge to turn a complicated design into perfection runs in their blood. Advaidh Manazhy happened to find happiness in doing so, and we hope he continues to impress (rather, shock) us with his work.
