CHENNAI: The past two years have left us asking a lot of questions and now that we’re (hopefully) nearing the end of the tunnel, perhaps it is time to begin answering them. With six quizzes over the long weekend from August 13 to 15, QFiesta 2022, The Quiz Foundation of India’s annual Carnival of Quizzing is allowing people to problem-solve after a pandemic- induced hiatus. “With the lockdowns lifted, there has been a resurgence of in-person, offline quizzes over the past two-three months. Different clubs across the country have been hosting events — Bombay Quiz Club in March, Karnataka Quiz Association in June and now, QFI in August,” says Dr Navin Jayakumar, founding member.
The event will consist of three general quizzes (Remote Control: A General Quiz by QFI’s NRIs; The QFI Open Quiz; and The Smartacus Seniors Open Quiz), a sports quiz (A Question of Sport), a movie quiz (Madras Talkie: The QFI Movie Quiz), and one themed around arts and literature (Hikamayu: The Fake Highbrow Quiz). While the sports and movie quizzes are based on popular subjects, the arts and literature quiz may be high brow but Navin thinks it will interest many people, “You’ll be surprised to know how modern a spin to this topic can be. For example, literature could mean anything, including the printed word, comics, manga and anime. Literature doesn’t onlye qual to Shakespeare.”
While the technological boom in the past two years has paved the way for several — and now popular — quiz clubs, Navin informs, there is still the expectation of positive response for the offline event. Already, teams from Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Kochi, Mumbai and Delhi are set to travel to Chennai. “Now that offline quizzes have begun, I think quizzing has branched out into two different ecosystems — online and in-person — and the former is not going to go away.
It’s much like how once we had test matches, then one-days and T- 20s in cricket and now they are all coexisting together. But there is nothing like the charm of an in-person quiz. While at one level, it is a test of general knowledge, not many realise that it is also a communal and social activity. There is a charm to having your teammates next to you, discussing a question. I think people have realised that and that’s what they have missed in the past two years; an intense hunger for that sort of contact like any other social communication,” he explains.
Participation for the event is open (and encouraged, Navin reminds) for all. Those who would rather stay away from the hot seat can visit the venue as spectators. The quiz Navin is hosting (The Smartacus…) requires registration, which is free, and he adds that while it is listed as ‘suitable for 18 years of age and above’, high schoolers are welcome to register as well. The other quizzes require no prior registration at all. For more details, visit quizfoundation.com.