NICE 2025: Samruddhi Salgaonkar Tops Second Practice Round
New Delhi, May 12: The second practice round of the National Inter-College Crossword Expedition (NICE 2025) has successfully concluded, drawing enthusiastic participation from students across the country. Hosted online on the official contest platform, nice.crypticsingh.com, the round provided a crucial warm-up ahead of the main scoring phases.
Emerging at the top nationally was Samruddhi Sinai Salgaonkar from Goa Dental College, Goa. A seasoned participant in both the ACAD (Asian Crossword Academy) and NICE contests, Samruddhi showcased her prowess by securing the first position in this competitive practice session.
Following closely, students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur demonstrated remarkable form. Nikhil Pothuganti and Muhammed Akmal Harif, both representing IIT Kanpur, clinched the second and third national ranks respectively. The institution's strong performance extended beyond the national top three, with IIT Kanpur students featuring prominently across various categories, including zonal, state, and city leaderboards. This consistent showing underlines IIT Kanpur's commitment to fostering lateral thinking and problem-solving skills among its student body.
Highlight in ACA Category
A notable performance was also registered in the Awaiting College Admission (ACA) category. Bhargav Vinayak from Ludhiana, the reigning champion of the National Inter-School Crossword Contest (CCCC), topped this group. The ACA category comprises bright young students awaiting their board or entrance exam results, set to join college ranks in the near future, and their early engagement in such intellectual challenges is a promising sign.
Winners were also declared across various geographical categories, highlighting the nationwide reach of NICE 2025.
Zonal Winners included:
East Zone: Prachinanda Sahoo, S.S.D. Mahavidyalaya, Cuttack
West Zone: Gondaliya Nisarg Vitthalbhai, Dr. S & SS Ghandhy GEC, Surat
North Zone: Anusha Gupta, IIT Kanpur
South Zone: Jaswanth Neerukattu, Santhiram Engineering College, Kurnool
North-East Zone: Barsha Debnath, Womens College, Tripura
State-level toppers featured participants from diverse institutions:
Uttar Pradesh: Granth Kothari, IIT Kanpur
Madhya Pradesh: Ritu Jain, Govt. Swami Vivekanand College, Raisen
Uttarakhand: Shashank Nautiyal, Government Polytechnic, Uttarkashi
Bihar: Raushan Kumar, Gaya College of Engineering, Gaya
Gujarat: Ashwani Shree Janardan Pandit, DR. S. & S. S. Ghandhy GEC, Surat
Delhi: Vijval Ekbote, IIIT, Delhi
Odisha: Bismillah Khan, Rajdhani College, BBSR, Khurda
Chhattisgarh: Bhushan Kumar Sahu, Govt. Rani Suryamukhi Devi College, Chhuria
Tamil Nadu: Sajai Sathiendran, SNS College of Technology, Coimbatore
Telangana: Kuhu Goel, BITS Hyderabad
Karnataka: Hrutwik B, Sri Krishna Institute of Technology, Bangalore
Jammu Kashmir: Vibhav Sharma, Govt. College of Engineering & Technology, Jammu
Tripura: Poulami Saha, Tripura Institute of Technology
Assam: Kirhen Bhagavath S, IIT, Guwahati
Punjab: Aanya, Punjab College of Technical Education, Baddowal
Jharkhand: Anushka Kumari, Jamshedpur Women’s College
Andhra Pradesh: Puja Sri Navya, Godavari Institute of Engineering & Technology
Maharashtra: Vimal Mahendra Gupta, Mahavir Education Trusts Shah & Anchor Kutchi Engineering College
West Bengal: Mohar Mondal, Academy of Technology, Hooghly
Haryana: Lakshmishree Lakshmanan, Ashoka University, Sonipat
City toppers who made their mark included:
Ujjain: Mehal Khandelwal, Vikram University
Jabalpur: Abhi Sahu, ST. Aloysius Institute of Technology, Jabalpur
Rajgarh: Brijmohan Varma, Govt. College, Sarangpur, Rajgarh
Vaishali: Shivani Kumari, GEC, Vaishali
Tikamgarh: Darshana Jain, Govt. College Paleria
Surendranagar: Akshay, Surendranagar University
Banaskantha: Darshil K Prajapati, Govt Polytechnic, Palanpur
Thanjavur: Mahalakshmi N, SASTRA
With the practice rounds providing a glimpse into the competitive landscape, all eyes are now on the upcoming scoring phase. The scoring round for NICE 2025 is scheduled to commence on May 18th, promising an exciting and intellectually stimulating challenge for all participants.
The results were shared by Amitabh Ranjan, COO, Extra-C, Patna, the organisers of the event.
