4. The word X comes from the Samskrit word dhyana. It
was adopted by Pali and travelled eastwards to China
and then on to Japan due to the influence of Buddhism.
As a matter of tradition, the establishment of X is
credited to the Persian or South Indian Pallava prince-
turned-monk Bodhidharma, who came to China to teach
a "special transmission outside scriptures, not founded
on words or letters".
What be X?
one
5. X was a popular comedy sitcom, written by comedy writer Sharad
Joshi aired for the first time in 1984.
It was one of the first sitcoms and one of the biggest hit shows on
Indian television after the state owned television, Doordarshan,
started sponsoring its programs. The title song was sung by Kishore
Kumar and the show had such actors as Shafi Inamdar, Rakesh
Bedi and Tiku Talsania. A trademark of the show was Satish Shah,
who portrayed a different character in every episode of the show. In
later episodes, Anjan Srivastav also joined the show, playing
different characters.
Fairly straightforward. What is X?
two
6. As per Hindus, this day is ruled by god Vishnu. It is traditionally
celebrated as the birth day of the Hindu sage Parashurama. It is also
believed that on this day the Treta Yuga began and the river Ganga,
the most holy and sacred river of India, descended to the earth from
the heaven.
According to Hindu mythology, this was also the day when Veda
Vyasa started dictating the epic Mahabharata to Ganesha.
It falls on the third Tithi (Lunar day) of Bright Half (Shukla Paksha) in
the month of Vaishakha.
Unless you live in a vacuum, it is impossible to be unaware of this
day in India because it has been turned into a marketing gimmick.
What day am I talking about?
three
7. Born in a small town in Tamil Nadu, India, X grew from humble beginnings. From an
early age, X was different. He loved to sing, to dance and to entertain his parents and
the local community. He pursued his dreams while working in traditional Indian
jobs. Yet these jobs would not hold his future. His need to entertain and educate
overwhelmed his career so he quit his day jobs to carve out his dream. Now, X is
taking the world by storm and bringing his unique combination of dance, drumming
and musical humor to fans around the globe. His approachable nature has allowed
many to find him as not only an inspiration, but a friend.
Now with an increasing passion to make the common man, woman, child and cause,
an object of extraordinary importance and significance, X has created a growing
movement of social media buzz around the concepts of Cultural Intelligence. His
desire to bring not only equality to the globe, but unity has not been matched in
recent history. Watch out for X as he takes the world by storm from Chennai to L.A
and from Tamil Nadu to Tokyo! This man is really one of a kind!
This is from X‟s website. His fame has reached the ears of such people as Roger
Ebert, who tweeted : X wants a Y. Dare you not to like this Indian music video with its
smiling bride.
Who is X?
four
8. The film portrays a period in the life of a 19-year-old woman, Malli,
sent to assassinate a leader in South Asia through a suicide
bombing. Released in 1998, the film was shot in 15 days, with
natural lighting, on a budget of $50,000.
The film won a number of awards at international film festivals.
Actor John Malkovich first saw the film at the 1998 Cairo
International Film Festival and subsequently adopted the film as a
kind of post-facto executive producer (the reissued film's titles read
"John Malkovich Presents"). Critic Roger Ebert has included the film
in his series of "Great Movies" reviews. Ebert concludes his review
with the following line: "Every time I see the film, I feel a great
sadness, that a human imagination could be so limited that it sees
its own extinction as a victory.“
What critically acclaimed Indian movie are we talking about?
five
9. Apart form being erstwhile princely states, what do the
following have in common:
Jaipur Jodhpur
Alwar Bundi
Kota Jhalawar
Dungarpur Dholpur
Bharatpur Jaisalmer
Sirohi Bikaner
Udaipur Kishangarh
six
10. It was created in 1925 by the city‟s Municipal Corporation, in the
days of the British Raj. Besides being a venue for gatherings
of freedom fighters in British India, after independence in 1947, it
was the focal point of the Samyukta ______ Chalval (the struggle for
a consolidated _____) that led to the present _______ state being
formed in 1960. During this period, the legendary writer, journalist,
playwright, poet and social leader Acharya Prahlad Keshav led this
movement, addressing crowds of lakhs at this ground, earning him
the title of "Lord of X". On India's victory over Pakistan in the Indo-
Pakistani War of 1965, then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and
defence minister Yashwantrao Chavan addressed
a Vijaysabha (victory gathering) here.
Identify X.
Hint: If your history‟s weak, you might have heard of it in an entirely
different context.
seven
11. "Ravam" is harmonious sound and pleasing to the ears.
The opposite would be something that is noisy and
irritating. In that sense, the speakers of X use the term Y
to denote the language Z.
What are X, Y, and Z?
eight
12. Sometime during the late 17th century, Baba Budan rallied the
locals in the Chandragiri Hills in Chikmagalur to challenge a
chieftain, who with his hordes was devastating the country.
After defeating him, Baba Budan announced to his followers
that he had decided to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy City of
Mecca. His faithful followers, both Hindu and Muslim, waited
till he reappeared after a few months. He told them the news
that he had brought seeds of X that would serve as “food and
drink” for them.
Incidentally, Budan had actually smuggled these seeds
strapped to his belly while departing from the Yemeni port of
Y.
Today, the name Y also implies a variant of X.
Identify X and Y.
nine
13. X (a term depicted in this cartoon) has been happening
in India since 1959. The intensity of X has been lowered
this year. What and Where?
ten
14. When the national bird of India was under consideration,
the X was a proposed candidate (strongly supported by
the famous Indian ornithologist, Salim Ali), but dropped
in favour of the Indian Peafowl with at least one reason
being the potential for being misspelt.
Identify X.
eleven
15. _____ is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by people in
India and Pakistan, chiefly in the Jammu region of
Jammu and Kashmir. It is now written in Devanāgarī in
India. Intellectuals in the court of Maharaja Ranbir Singh
of Jammu and Kashmir, described _____ as a distorted
form of the word „Dwigart,‟ which means “two troughs,” a
possible reference to the Mansar and Sruinsar Lakes.
On 22 December 2003, _____ was recognized as one of
the national languages of India.
Name the language.
twelve
16. The company X, famous for its mascot Y, failed to impress the market
when it dropped him (Y) after a 10-year run. Fatigue had set in as the
campaign had run for a long time, and X felt that a change was needed.
Also X was concerned about the negative connotation that Y brought with
himself. From 1997-2004, X spent lots on advertising but the
technologies its products offered weren't registering with the consumer.
Moreover, research revealed that consumers thought it was great
advertising but associated the style with competing companies. Which is
when the company decided to resurrect Y.
"He is a next-generation Y, more sophisticated, a techno-person, more in
the mould of Keanu Reeves of Matrix; as challenging, irreverent and
maverick as the old one," says Ghose, Managing Director of X. Post-ad
research showed that the consumers welcomed him back, and market
share climbed to 11.8 per cent from 10 per cent earlier.
Identify X.
thirteen
17. She formed her first band in 2007 and released her debut album in
the same year. That won several awards in its category. Her video
singles TERE ISHQ NACHAYA and AJA VE were featured among
the top world music videos by music channel named Link TV.
Soon she would also collaborate with Australian band INXS for a
desi version of Afterglow and with David Bowie for a desi version of
his classic „Let‟s dance‟.
In 2009, she released her video single DILJALE which went on to
become the highest streaming video in the global Nokia Network,
the second was a video by Pearl Jam.
Her second single „PAAS AAO NA‟ has been licensed by Close Up
for their advertising campaign in 17 countries.
Identify the musician.
fourteen
18. It is one of the few surviving forts in Tamil Nadu. It lies
in Villupuram District, 160 kilometres (99 mi) from the
state capital, Chennai, and is close to the Union Territory
of Pondicherry. So well fortified was this place that
Shivaji ranked it as the "most impregnable fort in India"
and it was called the “Troy of the East” from the British.
Its name originates from „Sanjeevi‟, the hill mentioned
in Ramayana from where Hanuman got the life saving
herb, the Sanjeevani Booti for Lakshmana when he was
lying unconscious during the war
between Rama and Ravana.
Identify the fort.
fifteen
19. Roza Bal is the name of a shrine located in the Khanyar
District of Srinagar. The tomb has been gaining
increasing global popularity so much so that the
authorities have had to ban the foreigners from visiting it
since the local people resented the sudden rush at a
place where they pray.
It rose to world wide notice in 2003, after BBC televised
a documentary on it. Ashwin Sanghi, a first time author,
wrote a thriller novel woven around it , which went on to
be a success and is being converted into a screenplay.
Explain why the flurry of interest in the shrine.
sixteen
20. A, B, C, D…
5 points for each variable
4 questions | Written Round
21. A, a political leader, is remembered for leading the opposition to B.
When B was found guilty of violating electoral laws by the Allahabad
High Court, A called on B to resign.
A attracted a gathering of 1,00,000 people at the Ram Lila Grounds
and recited a poem written by the poet C displaying his opposition to
B‟s policies. A along with many other dissidents were put in detenu
on B‟s command, for a while, as a result of this.
To divert the country wide focus on A, the movie D was screened on
the national television.
Under A‟s supervision, party E was formed, and came to power
soon after this episode.
Identify A, B, C, D, E.
one
22. A trained psephologist, A debuted in 1984 as the new centre point of
televised coverage of India's general elections. His predictions of the
results proved to be uncanny, which cast him into limelight.
A cofounded a news channel B with his wife C. C has a penchant
for „bindis‟ and was the force behind the logo of B.
A „s first cousin is D, an author and social activist. After playing the
role of a village girl in the award winning movie Massey Memsahib,
she donned various roles such as that of an aerobics instructor in 5
star hotels, before leaping to global renown through her novel E
which was published in 1997.
C‟s sister is F, a communist politician from the CPI(M) party who is
currently a Rajya Sabha Member. F is married to G who is the
General Secretary of CPI (M).
Identify A to G.
two
23. A was a communist playwright, actor, director, lyricist, and
theorist, chiefly associated with street theatre. He was a
founding member of Jana Natya Manch (People's Theatre
Front; Janam for short) in 1973. He was brutally murdered in
Ghaziabad by goons of party B while performing a street
play, C.
The 2008 film, (also) titled as C, made by D, was inspired by
A‟s life, and also depicts a scene, where a street theatre
activist is shown being beaten by political goons, but turns into
a catalyst for public uprising in the film.
The film C starred E in the role of A.
Identify A to E.
three
24. A, often referred to as the „First Lady‟ of the Bombay Talkies, was
married to producer and actor B. In 1936, A eloped with her costar.
B somehow managed to bring her back but the costar did not return.
So B cast his laboratory assistant C in the leading role. That began
a six-decade long acting and singing career for C. C leapt to renown
with his movie Acchut Kanya with A.
C spotted D hanging around the studios one day and gave him a
break in his production „Ziddi‟ costarring Kamini Kaushal. D
eventually went on to be one of the most famous actors and formed
his production studio E that still churns out movies.
D‟s nephew is F, who is an acclaimed Hindi and English film
director. F‟s movie G won 7 Oscar Nominations and its sequel won 2
Nominations.
F‟s nephew is H who is an Indian model and VJ, and has starred in
movies like My Brother Nikhil, Woh Lamhein and Rock On.
Identify A to H. four
25. Choose your Subject
10 points for a Direct| 5 points for a Pass
8 Questions | Team One onwards
26. COMICS
COMPANIES
HISTORY
MUSIC
NOVELS
PERSONALITIES
PERSONS OF INDIAN ORIGIN
SPIRITUALITY
27. Scripted by Samit Basu and with art by Ashish Padlekar,
X (the name of the comic) talks about the stories of our
childhood being under attack. Sinister figures now
invade our worlds, leaving death and oblivion in their
wake.
The Editorial Team writes, “ The stories of our ancestors
are dying out as young generations are seduced by the
Pokemons, the Harry Potters and the Samurai Jacks that
are, for better or worse, becoming our new planetary
myths. X will help you decide what you are willing to fight
for…”.
(Contd…)
Comics
30. She first starred in an English movie titled Epistle
opposite Shankar Giri, the son of former president of
India V.V. Giri, in 1961. Her role was acclaimed.
Her first Kannada Movie was named „Chinnada Gombe‟
and was a major hit.
Her first Telugu film „Manushulu Mamathalu‟ made her
famous.
She has acted in only one Hindi film named Izzat
opposite Dharmendra.
Identify this yesteryear actress.
Personalities
31. Named the India Abroad Person of the Year 2004, she has the
following achievements to her credit:
She earned All-American honors 11 times, earned 23 individual
titles, and was the first gymnast from her college to be a four-time
All-American on the uneven bars. As a senior, she won both the AAI
American Award and the prestigious Honda Award.
In 2002, due to an injury she had to lay off the national team for an
year. Running short of money after her recovery, she couldn‟t afford
to attend the US Olympic Trials. Pamela Anderson heard about her
situation and decided to support her. She went on win a silver in the
team event in Athens, 2004.
A move on the uneven bars is named after her and is considered to
be one of the most difficult moves to perform.
Identify this sportsperson.
Persons of Indian Origin
32. Founded in 1936 in Kolkata, this company (X) recently celebrated its
75th anniversary in 2010. The journey started when an Englishman
named K. Jackson Marshall met a dhoti-clad young man (D. Mehra)
selling hosiery, in New Market. Mehra and K. Jackson Marshall later
met at The Great Eastern Hotel and the former agreed to become
the latter‟s representative.
It was started on a Rs 590 loan from Pearl Assurance Company,
with the founder‟s residence serving as office. But why X? D. Mehra
had seen a play that had two characters ~ Sona (gold) and X. Mehra
thought Sona was too glamorous a name and eventually settled on
X. And its logo was designed by none other than the legendary
Satyajit Ray. His fee: a few good Y.
Identify the company (X) whose motto suggests its impetus at
providing people Y at extremely affordable prices.
Companies
33. In Hindi, ______ means „spokesman of a district‟. It was the title
given to a person who was granted a territory of land. The
______was in effect the ruler of the territory, as he was entitled to
the collected taxes. It was also his duty to maintain the basic
services in the territory, such as police and judicial duties. It was
typically a hereditary system. For this reason, ______ is loosely
translated as 'patriot' and the name still commands respect today.
The title is most equivalent of a duke or a count within the European
aristocratic system.
The _____ system was mostly abolished after 1947 when the
government confiscated most of the land. Some families however
maintain their status as real estate barons, most notably in Mumbai,
with holdover properties that were not taken away.
Identify this system.
History
34. The author says about his novel, “…In the west, people tended to
read _________as a fantasy, while in India people thought of it as
pretty realistic”.
One reader who didn‟t care for it, however was A and three years
after its publication, A brought an action against it claiming to have
been defamed by one single sentence. This was it: „It has often been
said that A ‟s younger son accused A of being responsible for his
other parent‟s death; and that this gave him an unbreakable hold
over A, so that A may become incapable of denying him anything‟.
Identify the author, his novel, and the person A.
Novels
35. It was one of the Hindi cinema's first rock and
roll numbers. The words of the song were inspired by
kids playing outside composer C. Ramachandra's music
room. The kids were chanting ________, a popular
counting rhyme which inspired Ramchandra and his
assistant John Gomes to create the first line of the song.
Gomes, who was a Goan, added some more words from
the Konkani language which although were genuine
words, but made no sense in the overall scheme of the
song.
It also lends its name to the title of a popular David
Dhawan movie.
Which song?
Music
36. A nationwide tour
10 points for a Direct| 5 points for a Pass
8 Questions | Reverse Order
37.
38. North (J&K, Haryana, HP, Uttarkhand, UP)
South (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu)
East (WB, Bihar, Jharkhand)
West (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa)
North-East (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura)
South-East (Andhra Pradesh, Orissa)
North-West (Punjab, Rajasthan)
Central (MP, Chhatisgarh)
39. Its Inauguration in 1968 was attended by representatives
of 124 nations. They brought some soil from their
homeland, to be mixed in a lotus-shaped urn, now sited
at the focal point of an Amphitheatre. Following is the
population breakup by nationality as of Jan, 2011. Which
place are we talking about?
Number of Individuals
INDIAN
FRENCH
GERMAN
ITALIAN
DUTCH
U.S. AMERICAN
RUSSIAN
SWISS
BRITISH
OTHERS South
40. Considered to be the best city in India to live in, in a
survey by Business India, this city‟s origins are steeped
in Hindu Mythology.
Legend has it that after Dronacharya completed the
training of the Pandavas and the Kauravas, Dhritarashtra
gifted him a few towns as a token of his gratitude. These
together spawned this city.
Identify it.
North
41. Pune is the only place in India to have achieved this feat.
It came about when Jayant V. Narlikar tracked down the
Brogdale Horticulture Nursery and asked them to send a
few saplings by registered post to him.
What is the significance of these saplings?
West
42. It is said that the town gets its name from what
the English told the laborers as they spaded the ground
for crude oil. The town's history begins in 1867 when a
small group of men from the Railway and Trading Co.
found their elephants' legs soaked in black mud, that
smelt somewhat like oil. The men began exploring
more, and in 1889, the English started a small oil
installation. India (and Asia) obtained its first refinery in
_____ in the year 1901. ______ Oil Company was
formed in 1899 to look after the running of the oil
business in this area.
Identify the town.
North-East
43. While building this city, the founder had said, “Be sure to lay wide
streets planted with shady trees, every other of a quick growing
variety. Earmark areas for Hindu temples, Mohammedan mosques
and Christian churches.”
So well planned was the city that legend has it that in the late 1980s
when the state government proposed a law to end the founder‟s
administration and bring the city under a municipality, the local
populace rose in protest and defeated the government‟s proposal. In
2005, a similar proposal was again put up but was never achieved.
To this day, it remains the only million plus city without a municipality.
Identify it.
East
44. Jawaharlal Nehru was taking a tour of this place
on 5th March 1955 and was asked to comment on it, in
reply he made a statement “Ek Masoom Bholi Bhali
Ladki Ko Ek Natkat Ladke Ke Saath Shaadi Kiya Jaa
Raha Hai, Chahe Toh Woh Milke Reh Sakte Hai Ya
Bichad Sakte Hai”.
He was referring to the option of a referendum i.e.
people can vote yes or no on it, and speaking in the
aftermath of a rebellion that had broken out there a
couple of years ago.
Identify this place.
South-East
45. While the origin of the _____ is uncertain, the _____ clan appeared
in ancient India about the time of the Huna invasions of the region.
In the 6th to 12th Century, they were primarily classed
as Kshatriya and Brahmin, and many of them later converted
to Islam. However, today, they find themselves classified under a
different category, which is surprisingly ironic considering the above
facts.
English scholars such as V.A. Smith believed they were foreign
immigrants, possibly a branch of Hepthalites (White Huns). Others
claim that they are related to the Chechens and the Georgians.
People like Sardar Patel, Rajesh Pilot and Shoaib Akhtar have been
identified in this category. Name this ethnic group which has a large
population in the North-Western India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
North-West
46. The folk singing style of musical narration in Central India dates
back to the time of Mahabharata.
The singer enacts stories from Mahabharata usually from the
perspective of Bhima, in Chhatisgarh. The instrument in his/her hand
is the ektara or the tanpura which can be used to represent the
mace or gada during a performance.
Initially, women were not supposed to sing in this style (their form of
musical ballad singing was a different kind and they were not suited
to play Bhima), but after the arrival of singer A in this field, this folk
singing style has become synonymous with A and also perhaps with
women.
Identify the style and, if you can, the world renowned proponent of it
: A.
Central
48. Lord Vishnu, who was broke once, wanted to marry
Padmavati. Unable to afford a lavish marriage, he
borrowed heavily from Kubera. It is said that he will
complete the payment of the interest of the borrowed
sum at the end of the Kali Yuga. What is believed to
be the source of his income?
one
49. Chitra Subramaniam is an Indian journalist
famous for uncovering the Bofors scandal. She
co-founded a Swiss watch company BorgeauD
SA. In a global first, BorgeauD has launched La
Collection Gravitas.
What was so special about this watch?
two
50. X, written by Nandi in 1000 chapters, were reproduced by
Shvetaketu, in an abbreviated form in 500 chapters and this work
was again similarly reproduced in an abridged form, in 150
chapters, by Babhravya. These 150 chapters were then put together
under 7 parts by
Suvarnanabha, Ghotakamukha, Gonardiya, Gonikaputra, Dattaka
and Kuchumara. Thus the work as the parts which were expounded
by Dattaka and the others treated only of the particular branches of
the subject to which each part related, and moreover as the original
work of Babhravya was difficult to be mastered on account of its
length, Y, therefore, composed his work in a small volume as an
abstract of the whole of the works of the above-named authors.
three
51. According to a story in Kaushitaki Brahmana, also
called Śāṅkhāyana Brahmana (Brahmanas are
commentaries on the Vedas), Kavasa Ailusa, a
Rigvedic seer, was prohibited from doing a vedic
sacrifice as he was the son of a maid (dasyah putra)
and was banished to a sandy desert with the idea that
he might die of thirst there.
What happened next / which famous religious belief is
connected with this story?
four
52. The legend of this is as follows: Rishis found it difficult
to appease a particular god and realized that the best
way to „contact‟ him would be through his wife. This is
the reason why in all the invocations to this god, we
address his wife rather than him directly. Name the
god and his wife. No part points.
five
53. Legends say that Mount Meru and the wind god Vayu were
good friends. However, the sage Narada approached Vayu
and incited him to humble the mountain. Vayu blew with
full force for one full year, but Meru was shielded
by Garuda with his wings (he was flying high). What is
believed to have happened when Garuda decided to take a
rest?
six
54. Legend has it that Sage Gautama lived on the
Brahmagiri Hills at Trayambakeshwar with his wife
Ahalya. The rishi kept his stock of rice in a granary.
Once, a cow entered his granary and ate up the rice.
When the rishi tried to ward the cow away with
Durbha grass, it fell dead. The rishi wanted to relieve
himself of the sin of „Gohatya‟ and worshipped Lord
Shiva. Lord Shiva pleased with the rishi appeared as
Triambaka and helped Gautama cleanse his sins.
This legend is said to be the origin of what?
seven
55. Satyavati was married to an old Brahman known as
Richika who was foremost among the race of Bhrigu.
Richika desired a son having the qualities of a
Brahman, and so he gave Satyavati a sacrificial
offering which he had prepared to achieve this
objective. He also gave Satyavati's mother another
charu to make her conceive a son with the character
of a Kshatriya at her request, but Satyavati's mother
privately asked Satyavati to exchange her charu with
her. What did this lead to?
eight
