Rubik’s cube Shivaji portrait creates world record on Maharashtra Day

A portrait of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, made with more than 5,000 Rubik’s cubes, has been added to the India Book of Records. The mosaic with the maximum contribution of Rubik’s cubes was created on the final day of Maha Utsav 2022, a four-day festival held in Karjat, Maharashtra.

Rubik’s cubes are anti-addiction toys that help develop the right and left sides of your brain. They are also the largest selling toy in the world.

The mosaic was created by students from Pune, Nashik, Satara, Kolhapur, Badlapur, Navi Mumbai, Thane and nearby villages. The portrait was designed with the help of 5,023 students, from ages 10 to 18 years, who placed a single cube to form the larger picture of Shivaji.

Nitin Desai, founder ND Studios and organiser of the event, says, “Maharashtra Day (May 1) is about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and we wanted to create this record to honour him. We arranged for the 5,000 Rubik’s cubes and got more than 5,000 students from the nearby villages and cities. They created magic. Next year, we want to set a new record, make it even bigger and increase the number of cubes used.”

From April 28 to May 1, the festival saw various activities that were conducted to celebrate Maharashtra Day, otherwise known as Labour Day in the country. From plays and artworks to Maharashtrian food and culture, the Utsav saw artistes come together to display their creativity.

In order to gather such a large number of students, Vimal Soman, co-organiser of the record-breaking event, says, “We thought of this idea (to create a record with Rubik’s cubes) as we wanted to get people out of their houses. Over the past two years, due to Covid-19, children have been stuck at home, so we thought this concept would be a nice way to encourage them to come out.”