A quiz for everyone this weekend

When we were children, Sundays used to see us glued to the TV set for Siddhartha Basu’s Quiz Time—and later, Derek O’Brien’s Bournvita Quiz Contest. There was a competitive spirit but it was secondary to enjoying the rush and suspense of quizzing. No one cared what exactly the winning teams took home. Then came Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), with its intense focus on “how much did you win" and its multiple-choice answers that depended more on rote skill than logical guesswork.

Nevertheless, the other kind of quizzing, where the answers are “workoutable", continues to thrive in quizzing circuits around the country. And during the covid-19 lockdown, many avid quizzers started hosting them online for a larger audience. So jump in and hit the buzzer—there’s a quiz for everyone.

INDIA WANTS TO KNOW (IWTK)

For the general quizzer

IWTK launched on YouTube in late 2019 with pre-recorded shows, running special episodes on cricket, Bollywood and food as well as more serious topics like the Constitution. As the lockdown came into force from late March, the seven-member team behind IWTK took the quiz live and online on Zoom, and has been hosting a quiz every weekend. “We wanted to take quizzing to those who have an interest in it but are not regulars on the formal quizzing circuits. We encourage guessing, and sometimes guesses are way more fun. Even if you are wrong, you don’t feel intimidated," says IWTK core member Sai Ganesh. Each quiz has had over 100 participants on average, with people logging in from Indian metros and smaller towns as well as cities in Europe and the US. For the past few quizzes, the team has been charging ₹50 through Paytm Insider, with proceeds going to the Feeding India campaign—it has raised over ₹50,000.

How to join: Follow their updates on Twitter @IWTKQuiz

To boldly go is hosted by sci-fi columnist Gautham Shenoy

To boldly go

For the science fiction fan

A weekend quiz hosted by sci-fi columnist Gautham Shenoy, To Boldly Go is a delightful way to rekindle or feed an interest in science fiction fantasy (SFF) and speculative fiction. The quiz has rounds related to SFF tropes like zombies, feminist SF, Sherlock Holmes pastiches and space operas but that doesn’t mean one has to be a hardcore fan to enjoy the quiz or crack the right answers. “Many people find it accessible because often you can guess the answer…even a passing interest in sci-fi and fantasy is enough. Also, there are lots of puns in the questions to make guessing easy," says Shenoy. Here’s a sample: If you go by an old ad featuring the late actor Shammi Kapoor, what should Ned Stark have used to welcome King Robert when he came to Winterfell at the beginning of Game Of Thrones? The answer is Pan Parag, because Baratheon ka swagat Pan Parag se kijiye.

How to join: Follow Gautham Shenoy’s updates on Twitter @theBekku

Landmark juniors quiz is Curated and hosted by Nexus Consulting

The landmark juniors quiz

For families

Curated and hosted by Nexus Consulting, a Bengaluru-based brand management firm co-founded by quizzers Venkatesh Srinivasan and Vivek Karthikeyan, The Landmark Juniors Quiz is a brilliant way for families to reconnect over a love of quizzing. The questions are simple and to-the-point, yet “workoutable" if you think about them. They are also tailored to a family-friendly audience and the quiz is made fun and lively by quizmaster Srinivasan’s chatty, informal tone. Hosted on Facebook Live via Zoom, the quiz gets at least 100 participants every week. “We have been trying to do two quizzes a week because the feedback we have got from the Landmark audience has been very positive. Families join in and try to crack the answers together. It’s a great way to connect, especially during the lockdown," says Srinivasan.

How to join: Watch out for updates on https://www.facebook.com/landmarkstores/