Big on jigsaw: Why many are studiously putting together 1,000-piece puzzles

Age is just a number for school-going Evelyn Lobo. At 10, she is determinedly solving complex puzzles with as many as 1,000 intricate pieces. Rather than being glued to the phone screen, the Vasai resident challenges herself with a new puzzle every few days. "Puzzles are more fun and challenging, compared to other games that I have. I like doing the one with 1,000 pieces because they are difficult and challenging and completing them makes me happy," says Lobo, her voice ringing with competitiveness.

In the nearly two years since the Covid-19 pandemic struck India and brought life to a standstill, many took up hobbies or activities that they have always wanted to pursue. That includes an increasing number of people who have been showcasing their prowess in solving puzzles on social media. Quite often, these are challenging puzzles with 1,000 pieces and they are being pieced together not only by children but also by adults of different ages, and even as a family activity.

Putting the pieces together
The satisfaction that Lobo gets from solving these puzzles by hand offline is something Dr Malik Merchant, consultant psychiatrist at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai Central attributes to the fact that the brain is simply a muscle and the more we make it work, the stronger it will become. He explains, "Solving puzzles sharpens the brain and it has been shown that people who have been doing different kinds of activities reduce their cognitive decline significantly. It also helps with brain and hand-eye coordination."

Evelyn Lobo worked on the puzzle, while recovering from Covid-19, and completed it in three days, with a few breaks. Photo: Agnes Lobo

Merchant compares the activity to that of going to the gym because the more we exercise, the more we want to make our muscles stronger. Similarly, once a person has solved a puzzle, the need to go for a more difficult or complex puzzle is logically the next step. "The more complex the puzzle, the more we use our brain cells. This stimulates neurogenesis and also helps create new traps in the brain," he adds.

Solving puzzles comes naturally to Lobo now because she has always been fond of them, explains her mother, Agnes Lobo. "Her dad bought various toys to see where her interest was. Puzzles and Lego always topped the list. She never liked soft toys, kitchen sets and never had a doll; a bit different than kids her age. Her first puzzle was a wooden Winnie the Pooh puzzle set," the 38-year-old explains. From then on, junior Lobo has always been getting different kinds of puzzles as gifts, and even has a drawer full of them. Over the years, the parents have given some away but have kept some, especially the firsts. "I still have the puzzle I solved when I was two-years-old," says the schoolgirl. Her mother adds, "We have even framed the first 1000-piece puzzle Evelyn solved as a 6-year-old." Lobo completed the most recent one in as little as three days with a few breaks, while she was still recovering from Covid.

Therapy and bonding
For Rochelle D'silva, another puzzle enthusiast and former Mumbaikar, completing puzzles is a therapeutic process and unlike Lobo, she takes all the time she needs to complete it. The Goa-based poet explains, "I find the process of putting a puzzle together very calming because I can block out the world and any worries and just focus. It's time well spent." It is also the reason why D'silva says she's never in a rush to finish a puzzle. "I just keep looking at it to notice every detail so that when I pick up a piece, I have a sense of where it belongs," she adds. D'silva started doing the bigger puzzles from 2013, after she first saw a 1000-piece puzzle on the breakfast table at a friend's house, and people in the house would keep adding to it. The experience also gave her a line for 'Midthought', one of her favourite poems she wrote later. It goes: ‘When you look at a jigsaw for too long, every piece could be the one you were looking for'.

Rochelle D'silva likes her puzzles to be intricate and challenging. She takes her own time with with the pieces and completes them after weeks. Photo: Rochelle D'silva

The 37-year-old has found solace in solving puzzles by herself and Lobo may be similar but the latter's family also helps out in the process and enjoys the family bonding time. Merchant explains that while putting the pieces together helps improve brain function, it also helps in social interaction, an activity people were deprived of, for very long during the ongoing pandemic. He notes, "We all have seen that social isolation has been one of the major causes of mental health problems, which has been experienced a lot during the pandemic." Doing any kinds of activities, especially puzzles with our family members, Merchant says helps with social interaction. "It increases bonding and definitely helps mental health in addition to sharpening the brain," he adds.

The pandemic particularly gave Bhagyesh Bhandare a reason to get back to solving 1000-piece puzzles, an activity he picked up five years ago, when he helped a friend solve one. Now, with the work-from-home situation, he got back to it four months ago and has already completed four. The 27-year-old says, "Since I have been working from home, I thought of starting a new activity and got back to the puzzles because I have always wanted to, since my first solve." The activity, he says, has helped in creating focus and being a stress-buster from mundane activities. On an average, he has spent two hours after work daily and taken four-five days to complete one. The colours and number of distinct objects are details that attract him, when he is looking for a puzzle to solve and that's how he purchases them.

Now, Bhandare wants to take it up a notch now with more detailed puzzles because he has been doing the easier ones till now and wants to increase the difficulty level. The challenge he has usually faced till now is when the colours are similar but otherwise he has a strategy in place for the more difficult ones. "I think any puzzle that has too many elements to solve would be easy to solve because the 1,000 pieces can be segregated into batches of 200-300 pieces for each of the elements," says Prabhadevi-based Bhandare, who has done it both alone and with friends.

Now that Bhagyesh Bhandare has done four puzzles, he wants to increase the difficulty level with more detailed puzzles in time to come. Photo: Bhagyesh Bhandare

Being particular about puzzles
It is no doubt that Lobo and D'silva have been doing puzzles for quite a while. In the process, they have also developed their own particulars for the kinds of puzzles they like. For example, Lobo has grown to love geography and learning about new places. So, her parents usually give her ones which are about places from all over the world. On the other hand, D'silva says she has been able to do only two during the pandemic because she doesn't like the ones available in India and usually sources hers from the United Kingdom. She explains, "I need them to be intricate. I really look for the most challenging ones out there because it also keeps me engaged." Setting it up on her work table, she takes weeks to complete them and leaves it after completion to admire the work, like a true artist.

While Bhandare is ready to buy his next puzzle, D'silva is not far behind because her love for puzzles transcends all. However, Lobo, who still can't buy her own, has to wait for her annual gifts to start working on her next one. Unsurprisingly, she is raring to go and do what she does best. It is certainly inspiring for many more who want to take up the puzzles, for the pure joy they give her, D'silva and Bhandare not only during the pandemic but also otherwise.