Chennai's forgotten game obsession

If you are reading this, pause. Take out a sheet of paper and sketch three squares. There are no rules—just three squares. Now put that aside and continue reading.

- NIDHARSHANA RAJU

There are so many shapes in the world: triangles balancing on their edges, circles rolling without end, and polygons unfolding into patterns both simple and complex. But among these, geometric shapes have always carried a certain mystery, a hidden order. But one particular shape has left Vinita Sidhartha, founder of Kreeda, restless; her mind circling it night after night. She calls it her "problem child"—a puzzle that refuses to be tamed. Its name: The Three Nested Squares.

Years of exploration have only deepened her fascination, and she, in turn, fascinated an intimate gathering in Chennai, on August 20, at an event hosted by INTACH for Madras week, along with Kreeda.