Meet the man from Mumbai who got ‘Einstein Visa’ for his exceptional crossword skill

Lakhs of people apply for a US visa and citizenship every year. However, many are left dejected as their visas don't get accepted. In a race where people are paying humongous fees for their visa interviews and are still getting rejected, Mangesh Ghogre, an investment banker from Navi Mumbai, has been granted the ‘Einstein Visa’ for an exceptional skill.

The Einstein visa is a nickname for the Employment-Based Immigration (EB-1) visa. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website to get an EB-1 visa, “You must be able to demonstrate extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics through sustained national or international acclaim”.

In Indian-origin investment banker, Mangesh Ghogre's case he has received the Einstein visa for his niche talent of constructing crosswords. Ghogre’s crossword puzzles have been featured in some of the best newspapers globally including the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, etc. He has recently made headlines for his crossword creation, featured in the New York Times with Brendan Emmett Quigley, a "crossword wunderkind". The crossword puzzle was that of the Taj Mahal.


Initially meant to be published on the 15th of August, India's Independence Day, the crossword was moved to the 16th because of its difficulty level.

Talking about the Indian-themed puzzle featured in NYT, Quigley in conversation with Forbes India said, “Mangesh had the idea to celebrate the monument and what it meant to India, and once we realised that TAJ MAHAL could appear in the grid as an onion dome, the remaining tribute pieces kept falling into place.”

“Crosswords have always brought people together, and are a way to think about the world in a different light... Whether it's an opportunity to learn something (in the case of our Taj Mahal puzzle) or play with the English language (in our July 4th puzzle),” he added.

The puzzle reveals the name "TAJ MAHAL" within the contours of an ONION DOME, with the shaded section underneath mimicking the front of the building. Adjacent to this depiction, one can find two of the total four minarets, spelling out "ONION DOME" and "SHAH JAHAN."

This achievement is also one of a kind because it is rare for an Indian to be featured in the NYT crossword column but proudly, Ghogre has done this before to tribute to Mahatma Gandhi as well.