1. On what date was Madras founded?
2. The fortified warehouse that Francis Day built was completed on April 23, 1640. In the Christian calendar this day is dedicated to which religious figure?
3. Which building inside Fort St George has a roof that is five feet thick? The British army stocked its artillery here and it was considered the only bomb-proof building here.
4. Who lives in a mansion once called Guindy Lodge?
5. Where in Tamil Nadu is the regimental centre of the Madras Regiment?
6. Which chess champion visited Chennai in August 2013 to get a feel for the city and venue of the World Chess Championship in November 2013 where he will face off with Viswanathan Anand?
7. Which Viceroy of India between 1880 and 1884 introduced local government in India during his tenure? Hint: He is remembered by a prominent building and a statue in Chennai.
8. Two cricket stadiums in Chennai have hosted test matches. One is the M A Chidambaram stadium. Which is the other ground?
9. Whom did American Heritage magazine dub the Most Overrated Philanthropist in 1999, arguing that the institution that bears his name was actually due to the benevolence of one Jermiah Dummer, but he got the credit only because they did not want to use the name ‘Dummer’ which could be confused with dumber, which for that kind of institution would be a disaster.
10. Which well-known Chennai organisation was started by M B Nirmal in 1989 to find Excellent, Novel and Radical ideas to solve problems by involving those who cause the problem in the first place?
11. T K S Elangovan (north) and ‘Chitlapakkam’ C Rajendran (south) are two of the three Lok Sabha MPs from Chennai constituencies. Name the third who represents Central Madras.
12. Founded to promote the teachings of saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, this sect has a temple on a road in Royapettah named after the temple. Name it.
13. In the Middle Ages this word referred to any person (Arabs, Turks) who was of Islamic faith. Through the crusaders, the name spread into Europe, where it was long in general use and survived until modern times. The word, also used in architecture, is familiar to Chennai residents too. What word?
14. Which eminent filmmaker of yore is said to be the main sponsor behind the creation of the Avvaiyar statue on the Marina Beach?
15. The Metropolitan Area of Chennai extends into which two neighbouring districts?
Answers
1. August 22, 1639
2. St. George, which is why it was named Fort St. George.
3. St. Mary’s Church
4. Governor of Tamil Nadu. The place is now the Raj Bhavan.
5. Wellington
6. Magnus Carlsen
7. Lord Ripon
8. Corporation (or Nehru) Stadium. It hosted 9 tests from 1956 to 1965, including the test against NZ featuring the world-record opening stand between Mankad and Roy.
9. Elihu Yale
10. Exnora (the name is derived from the words EXcellent, NOvel, RAdical)
11. Dayanidhi Maran
12. Gaudiya Math (road)
13. Saracen. The British architecture seen in Madras is called Indo-Saracenic architecture
14. SS Vasan, founder of Gemini Studios who made the film Avvaiyar starring the legendary KB Sundarambal in the title role.
15. Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur