SPOTLIGHT... on Mangesh Ghogre and constructing crossword puzzles

TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I'm DOING

So I thought that today we would focus on the world of puzzles. As kids, young and old, we are fascinated and curious about putting together random pieces of cardboard to make a picture, or take numbers or scenes or words and fit them together to make something whole, craving that satisfaction to find the answer and all the frustrations and exhilarations that come with it! Whether you’re doing sudoku or playing a game or proving online that we’re human and not a robot, puzzles keep our minds focused on solving problems. For many across the world, crossword puzzles are part of a daily routine, trying to find different ways to use and frame words from clues that playfully speak to everyday culture, trivia, knowledge, and even local or global nuances. So it was really fun to catch up with crossword puzzle constructor, Mangesh Ghogre, first India-based crossword constructor for the Los Angeles Times in 2010 and The New York Times in 2013. Mangesh is an investment banker and a writer, and has had a true passion as a crossword puzzle solver and constructor since his college days. His expertise has developed over decades and his work and writing have been featured in The New Yorker, The Times of India, and The Economic Times, among others. Mangesh is currently the editor and constructor for the Mini Crossword in The Forbes India magazine. Some of his marquee NYT crosswords include a Fourth of July-themed crossword in 2017, a Mahatma Gandhi-themed crossword in 2019 to celebrate Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary and Taj Mahal-themed crossword in 2023 to celebrate Indian independence day. I was able to chat with him this summer, and in true puzzle solving fashion, we started out with the basics…