Soon in Haryana schools, Chakravyuh for students — escape room, real-life challenges

Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB) chief and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) OP Singh says the ‘Chakravyuh’ is aimed as an “anti-drug communication mechanism” for which the state police will join hands with schools across its 22 districts. The senior police officer said they will ask the schools to dedicate one room as the escape room “Our mission is to help teenagers see their formative years not just as a challenging phase but a transformative one.

During this period, they face a myriad of distractions – from drugs to delinquency to digital diversions. Our aim is to guide them in navigating these challenges,” Singh told The Indian Express.

Singh, the brains behind the Chakravyuh initiative, said, “While escape rooms are traditionally seen as fun and games, their core mechanics revolve around problem-solving, teamwork and thinking outside the box. By mirroring real life challenges, such as peer pressure, drugs and distractions in the escape room, we intend to make teenagers experience the repercussions of their choices in a controlled, safe environment. They will be equipped to handle these challenges in real life, having already faced them in the escape room”.

Just like the mythical ‘Chakravyuh’, where a warrior had to battle through a multi-layer military formation, each level increasingly tough to fight against, the HSNCB’s Chakravyuh’ will test the teenagers. “For instance, one puzzle will represent the lure of drugs, where they would need to find a way out without succumbing to it. Another would revolve around harnessing their unique aptitude, transforming it into a solution to advance. Throughout, they will also need to communicate, collaborate and network with peers, mimicking the importance of these skills in adulthood,” ADGP Singh explained.

The escape rooms will be a blend of traditional puzzles and tech-driven challenges. “Imagine AR (Augmented Reality) clues or VR (Virtual Reality) scenarios, adding the ‘wow’ factor and ensuring that the experience is immersive and thrilling. We are aiming for moderate difficulty, not too easy to be dismissed and yet not so hard that it discourages participation,” he added. The HSNCB has already initiated talks with a few companies to create a platform in both offline and online modes.

Meanwhile, officials conducting awareness programmes, say they often face inadequate response on the ground. “For instance, if we lecture students in schools, their parents come and say – why are you putting wrong things in our children’s minds. At some places, parents told us that if you know who all are smuggling or abusing drugs, go and catch them, don’t disturb our children. Traditional lectures or counselling might not resonate with our youth who are immensely tech savvy. So we came up with the idea of escape room,” said Singh.

HSNCB will offer consultancy to schools to set up escape rooms, provide blueprints, technological know-how and train the teachers and staff members. “Teenagers who successfully navigate the Chakravyuh within the given time shall be rewarded a Resilience Certificate. Those completing it in five minutes over the given time will receive a Perseverance Certificate. It’s our way of applauding their determination and problem-solving skills, marking their symbolic triumph over real-life challenges,” the ADGP said.

Till October 5 this year, Haryana has registered 2,990 FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 4,045 accused. The state police have so far recovered over 25 kg of heroin, 161 kg pf charas, 5,332 kg of ganja, 292 kg of opium, 10,158 kg of poppy straw, 108 grams of cocaine, 2.9 lakh intoxicant tablets and 65,848 intoxicant capsules, besides other narcotics substances.

A maximum of 455 FIRs were registered in Sirsa district, followed by 275 in Faridabad, Gurugram (200), Fatehabad (179), Kurukshetra (173), Ambala (142), Hisar (137), Yamunanagar (134), Jhajjar (133), Karnal (130), Rohtak (121), Panchkula (113), Sonipat (109), Panipat (90), Palwal (88), Rewari (85), Jind (82), Kaithal (68), Bhiwani (55), Ambala cantonment GRP (51), Mahendragarh (51), Hansi (47), Nuh (44), and Charkhi Dadri (28).