Bengaluru, 11 September 2025: The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) successfully organised the Escape Room Challenge 2025 on Thursday, 11 September 2025, at the JAIN Global Campus, Jakkasandra. The event, hosted by the Foss Club, attracted over 240 registrations, with 216 enthusiastic students participating in a day of gamified learning and intellectual competition.

The innovative challenge was designed to immerse students in problem-solving, logical reasoning, and teamwork. It combined elements of cybersecurity, cryptography, coding, and creative riddles. Participants worked in teams to “escape” through four themed rooms, each presenting unique academic and technical puzzles.

Senior dignitaries, including Dr. Venkadeshwaran, Deputy Dean (Academics); Prof. (Dr) Kamlesh Tiwari, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering; Dr. Deepak Sinha, Deputy Director (Industry Relations); Dr. Beemkumar, Deputy Dean (Research); and Dr. Benakaprasad, Deputy Dean (Student Affairs), graced the inauguration. A symbolic virtual lamp-lighting ceremony marked the beginning of the event, underscoring enlightenment through learning.

Highlights of the competition included:

• Room 1 – Capture the Flag (CTF): Cybersecurity challenges testing vulnerability identification and decoding.
  
• Room 2 – Tech Riddles: Logic-based riddles encouraging creative thinking.
  
• Room 3 – Cipher Puzzles & Bomb Defusal: Cryptographic and reasoning challenges under time pressure.
  
• Room 4 – Coding Arena: Algorithmic and debugging problems simulating competitive programming.

The winning team, CP, secured first place, followed by 3rd Floor as first runner-up and Cosmic Wave as second runner-up. Certificates and appreciation were awarded during the closing ceremony.

Speaking about the initiative's success, Prof. (Dr) Kamlesh Tiwari, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, remarked: “The Escape Room Challenge demonstrated that learning is most impactful when students are actively engaged. By blending technical rigour with creativity and teamwork, we have shown how education can transcend the classroom and prepare students for real-world problem-solving.”

Participants gave the event positive feedback, praising its balance of fun and academic relevance. Many students described it as “real-life problem-solving under pressure,” highlighting its effectiveness in bridging theory and practice.

The Escape Room Challenge 2025 reinforced JAIN (Deemed-to-be University)'s commitment to innovative, experiential learning. Building on its success, the Department plans to explore similar gamified formats in future academic and technical events.