Sudoku

The godfather of ‘Sudoku’ is no more.Maki Kaji died in Japan with an undying legacy behind him. Sudoku helps the brain because it is involves an area of cognition called the ‘Working memory’.

Cognitive scientist Jeremy Grabbe showed that playing Sudoku could improve working memory in older people. The history can be traced to 1984 when Nikoli introduced it in Japan. It was Suji wa dokushin ni kagiru which is translated as ‘the digits must be single’. The name was abbreviated to Sudoku by Maki kaji.

Many variants are available in the market. It has spread to all parts of the world. It is not a game anymore but an addiction with some. The various levels make it very interesting.

I have been solving the cross words from ages. I never thought of going for Sudoku. It would be next to my puzzle but I never touched it. One of my colleagues Ms Deshpande, herself a Mathematics teacher showed me how to do it. Her daughter-in-law is an expert. With her encouragement, I looked forward to the newspapers in the staff room & the free time between lectures made me a ardent follower.

Newspapers take a break, that day would be the toughest! I would impatiently look forward to the Tomorrow! I have also taught many to go about it. To look forward to the flashing news, the sports page or the entertainment.. the masala paan…it is the cross word & Sudoku, anytime & everytime.

Kudos to the introducer & a very heartfelt goodbye.