Solving a puzzle is not just a great exercise for the mind but also makes the time fly. It takes a great mind to solve a puzzle and even a greater mind to craft. One such mind is K.P. Hariprasad- a 23-years old Keralite who is reviving the forgotten puzzle, Edakoodam. Edakoodam is a compilation of wooden blocks that can be arranged together to form a figure only when applied analytical and mathematical skills. ‘Edakoodam’ essentially translates to ‘a puzzle that is difficult to solve’; it could also mean ‘to do something thoughtlessly’ in Malayalam.
A burr puzzle in nature, Edakoodam is an assembly of interlocking notched sticks. Wooden toys and puzzles have been integral to India’s craft landscape since civilisation’s genesis.
With the Advent of popular puzzles like Rubik’s Cube taking over the country, the very popular Edakoodam started losing its relevance. But on its comeback trail, K.P. Hariprasad is ensuring that people get to know about Edakoodam.
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The Man with the Mission
With his grandfather’s guidance, K.P Hariprasad, a resident of Alanthata from Kayyurgained an interest in Edakoodam. By giving the young Hariprasad an Edakoodam to solve, he learned to solve and love them.
He mentioned how time would fly when he sat to solve the puzzles, and the joy he’d get by solving it remains unexplainable. However, Hariprasad soon found that there weren’t many who did the wood puzzle, and to find one in his local market was incredibly difficult. K.P Hariprasad holds a diploma in electronics, as well as in Gas and Oil Engineering.
During his school days, he started learning the basics of carpentry and worked diligently on improving the skills he learned from his father, who is also a carpenter. Over a few years, he went on to win the Kerala State School Science Fair in Carpentry five times. His exceptional carpentry skill was used when his interest in Edakoodam was revisited when he saw about the puzzle on social media.
A Guinness World Record Holder in Making!
With a mission to popularise the puzzle, K.P Hariprasad had an enviable collection of Edakoodams. With over 50 models in his collection, the smallest puzzle is only 1 millimetre big. He is presently working on the world’s largest puzzle model, which will get solved by connecting 2,700 wooden pieces!
Hariprasad says that his work is in the preparatory stage and wishes to etch his name in the Guinness Book of World Records once completed. Insane, isn’t it?
An Arduous Task at Hand
Hariprasad reiterates that making an Edakoodam is not as easy as it seems. It demands a lot of work like planning, drawing, designing, and numerous other steps to complete a single work. Edakoodam is made by hand, painstakingly, where different pieces must be pieced together to give the model different shapes. Any little error in calculation can ruin the hard work.
No matter how hard making the puzzle is or how hard solving it can get, he has undertaken the task of reviving the art of Edakoodam and making the wooden puzzle popular again! En route to making his mission come to life, he has been showcasing the puzzle in numerous exhibitions and motivating the young children in schools and colleges to take an interest in it by organising programs.
He claims that children are nowadays more addicted to video games. A solution to that, Edakoodam will not only sharpen kids’ minds but also build their analytical skills and keep them mentally excited.
