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Interview Of Aayush

A short Introduction

Aayush is an integral part of the Blah team and plays a key role guaranteeing the ensuring that things are done well. He laid the first foundations of the Blah and displays competent leadership qualities. He is an aspiring writer and spends his free time solving Rubik’s cubes and has deep passion for the same. He found an interest for Rubik’s cubes in May 2018 and promptly learned to solve the 3x3 and 2x2 in less than a month, mainly due to his vast interest for the hobby. In due time, he participated in his first cubing competition (SRM Cube Open 2018). He returned with renewed vigour in the SSN Cube Open 2018 and broke his previous times by 50% solving the 3x3 in 17 seconds and the 2x2 in 6 seconds. His current average in the 3x3 cube is 8 seconds and 2 seconds in 2x2. As of now, he’s secured 2 silver medals and 1 bronze medal from official competitions which is none less than a commendable feat and he aspires to break the national record of India soon.

The Interview

Q. What was the initial spark that fuelled your motivation to invest your time into learning a completely new hobby and what drew you towards it over others?

A. Though solving Rubik’s cubes as fast as possible sounds immensely mundane and absurd, those thoughts are superficial, and if you take a closer look at this intricate hobby, its much more than what meets to the eye.

Surfing the depths of YouTube and various other platforms in the internet really gave me an insight into cubing, and was instrumental in sparking my passion for it. Rubik’s cubes are more than just a plastic toy and there’s an entire community dedicated to mastering the art of solving it as fast as possible and it personally gave me the motivation to achieve something significant in this field.

Q. Can you recall the experience of the first ever cubing competition that you attended? How did you succeed in overcoming your nerves?

A. I wasn’t really expecting much out of my first competition to be frank, but it was an unforgettable experience to say the least. More than trying to progress to the further rounds, this competition really stood out as an opportunity for me to interact and socialise with others who shared the exact same hobby as mine. Since it was my first competition and I was one amongst the one hundred and fifty odd participants and I was relatively new to cubing, my expectations weren’t through the roof and there wasn’t really anything at stake. I kept myself collected and secured an average which I was satisfied with.

Q. What inspired you to pursue cubing over the years?

A. Cubing was something that I indulged in out of personal fascination and passion. It was never something that I was obligated to do, and I was comforted by the fact that I could take a break if I was saturated and not face any concequences.

Q. Do you percieve cubing as more of a hobby or a career?

A. Cubing undoubtedly requires immense skill and dedication, but unfortunately, cubing doesn’t support a full time career as of now. This is mostly due to its lack of popularity and recognition in comparison to other fields and games which leads to scarcity in sponsors and investors that percieve cubing as a profitable investment.

Q. Do you have any specific goals as a cuber?

A. Right now my sole focus is dedicated towards being one amongst the leading cubers in India, and achieve at least one podium in the prestigious Indian Nationals. It’s nothing extrordinary, in fact it’s something every cuber strives to achieve, but it certainly isn’t a cakewalk.

Q. Were there any notable moments during your cubing journey which gave you immense pleasure? Were there any moments which changed the path of your cubing career?

A. My first ever podium will be an everlasting memory ingrained into my mind. It was wild and came out of nowhere, and I shocked myself to the extent of being in a state of disbelief for a while. There weren’t any distinct moments that significantly changed the course of my career, but it was moments like these that kept fueling my motivation to continue cubing over the years. To add to that, competing with friends, especially during the lockdown since competitions have been suspende has ensured that I don’t fall out of touch and keep my skills in check.

Q. Is there any particular person that motivated you to pursue your cubing journey?

A. There have been several people throughout my persistent journey, whether they were friends or the top tier cubers in the community, that have served as an inspiration and benefactor and have been essential in helping me maintain this hobby.