IIT Delhi students secure hat-trick at National Crossword Expedition

New Delhi: Two students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, have bagged a hat-trick at the National Inter-college Crossword Expedition (NICE) organised by the technical education regulator AICTE in collaboration with IIT Madras.

“Arush Utkarsh and Harshul Sagar, the dynamic duo from IIT Delhi have secured their third consecutive victory in the competition. Trailing closely behind on the leaderboard is VKS Gayatri from BITS Pilani (Hyderabad Campus), who impressed both the crossword master and arbiters with her detailed explanations and reasoning behind each cryptic clue,” said an official statement. The participants battled through four intense online rounds and five zonal rounds. The top 19 teams from across the nation converged in New Delhi for the two-day Grand Finale event, showcasing their crossword prowess. NICE is an annual crossword challenge that aims to promote intellectual engagement and learning among the students.

“Crosswords are more than just a leisure activity. They are a powerful mental exercise that fosters lateral thinking, recall abilities and a nuanced understanding of complex concepts. These skills are particularly valuable for the students in technical education as they prepare to take on leadership roles in the future,” said Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S. Krishnan.