The Pawar Permutations

The original (3×3×3) Rubik's Cube has eight corners and twelve edges. There are 8! (40,320) ways to arrange the corner cubes. Seven can be oriented independently, and the orientation of the eighth depends on the preceding seven, giving 37 (2,187) possibilities. There are 12! /2 (239,500,800) ways to arrange the edges, since an odd permutation of the corners implies an odd permutation of the edges as well. Eleven edges can be flipped independently, with the flip of the twelfth depending on the preceding ones, giving 211 (2,048) possibilities

There are exactly 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 permutations, which is approximately forty-three quintillion. So, if every permutation of a 57-millimeter Rubik's Cube were lined up end to end, it would stretch out approximately 261 light years. Alternatively, if laid out on the ground, this is enough to cover the earth with 273 layers of cubes, recognizing the fact that the radius of the earth sphere increases by 57 mm with each layer of cubes.

The preceding figure is limited to permutations that can be reached solely by turning the sides of the cube. If one considers permutations reached through disassembly of the cube, the number becomes twelve times as large.

If you grasped the above, you may be eligible to try to understand the possibilities in the politics of Mr Sharad Pawar. Consider what his astute political mind is capable of. He (and therefore the NCP) has made pivoting arrangements on each constituent cube . He is on record to say that he does not believe in political untouchability. Thus, he is open to doing business, on his terms, with any and every political formation and politician. Layer this with an unrivalled depth of experience and an ability to deliver the political goods and you may begin to fathom the limitless possibilities.

In the eventuality that there is “ come one come all “ flavour post election, this is one man who has probably worked out the 6 solid facings that are eventually possible.

In case there are a couple that don’t turn, colour blindness may legitimately become a qualification in Indian Politics