IAS probationers to learn critical thinking through crosswords

Solving crosswords as part of training modules will enable future civil servants to enhance their critical thinking and decision-making, and a plan towards that objective is afoot, the director of civil service training institute, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), has said.

The LBSNAA in Mussoorie is a premier research and training institute on public policy and public administration in India.

Academy Director Srinivas Katikithala made the remarks on crosswords and training regimen during the inauguration of the ninth edition of the Indian Crossword League (IXL) on Sunday, the organisers said on Tuesday.

IXL is a global crossword competition, billed as one-of-its-kind event by the Limca Book of Records.

For the first time in the history of the contest, at least two school students, Vaishnavi Pandey from JNV Farrukhabad and V Krishna Gayatri from Bhavan's Vidyashram, Hyderabad, have figured in the top 100 in a contest which has been the playfield of veterans, the organisers said in a statement.

Formally opening the inaugural round online, LBSNAA director Katikithala said crossword was a beautiful mind game where the most formidable of puzzles come with simple solutions.

"It is fun. And it is a learning exercise. It helps you untangle the complexities of life, and helps you find peace and sustenance in your surroundings," he said.

LBSNAA is the cradle of future administrators and policy makers. While they are the brightest of the bright, they still need to be imparted certain skills so that they are ready once they actively plunge into public life, the director was quoted as saying in the statement.

"I believe solving crossword as part of their training modules will enable them to enhance their critical thinking and decision-making. A plan towards that objective is afoot," he said.

The contest has an online-offline format where 10 online weekly rounds are hosted on www.crypticsingh.com and the top 30 in the cumulative ranking are called for an offline grand finale in Bengaluru towards the year-end.

Started in 2013, the Year of the Crossword, the objective of the contest is to bring top crossword enthusiasts on a single competitive platform and promote the mind game as a learning tool and as a quality pastime for the young and the adult alike, according to Extra-C, which hosts the contest.