The Bangalore quiz that I did today for the KQA (with answers). It was a written only quiz, so no separate prelims and finals.
The winning team made 33.5 out of 50
3. 1 During IPL 2009, when people were getting pissed off about nomenclature such as “DLF Maximum” and “Citi Moment of Success”, AadishtKhanna proposed an alternate nomenclature for two cricketing events. The nomenclature of these two events varied with the team. With respect to Delhi Daredevils, they were called “RashtrapatiBhawan” and “ChandniChowk” Mumbai Indians: Girgaon and Malabar Hill Chennai Super Kings: Luz Church Road and Cathedral For Royal Challengers Bangalore, the two events were respectively “Basavanagudi” and “JC Nagar” What were Basavanagudi and JC Nagar supposed to represent according to Aadisht? (note that all the above are ordered pairs) (now that both North and South Bangalore have been “covered” by this question, I can dispense with quotas and ask whatever questions I want)
4.
5. Fours and sixes Basavanagudi is Bangalore 4, JC Nagar is Bangalore 6
6. 2 What you see in this picture is a petrol station called Nikhil Service station. It was started in 2000 having been allotted under the “Kargil quota” It is situated at a busy intersection which used to be known as “Training College Circle”. It’s now officially named after a historical figure (pun intended) However, most people know both the petrol bunk and the intersection by an informal name. What is the “popular name” of this intersection? What is the official name of the intersection? (half point each) If you tell me why the official name is controversial, you’ll get applause
7.
8.
9. DeveGowda Petrol Bunk (KitturRani) Chennamma circle Controversial because Chennamma also happens to be the name of DeveGowda’s wife
13. 4 What is the department of the army that is responsible for provision of supplies, both food and otherwise, called? In the Bangalore context, this word gained prominence sometime in 2004-05
16. 5 Extract from Siddhartha Deb’s The Beautiful and the Damned. Fill in the blanks. He ordered a coffee and sipped at it while continuing to make rambling comments. There were things about him that didn’t quite add up, I thought. He had grown up in Bangalore, but he had never been to ____ . He looked around at the other customers uneasily, a middle-class gathering of men and women, some of them poets and journalists, whose conversation rang an easy, animated tone, interrupted by their banter with the uniformed waiters. Then there was the fact that Kartik was in many ways a member of the elite.
19. 6 Which was the first multinational electronics company to set up an office in Bangalore (in 1985)? It is understood that this was instrumental in making Bangalore the IT hub it is today
24. The Plague of 1898 The construction of Malleswaram and Basavanagudi was prompted by the plague, and the need to shift people out to suburbs Victoria Hospital was constructed then because existing hospitals weren’t enough to handle the plague crisis To the left is a temple of Plague Mariamma Storm water drains started getting built in response to the plague, to make the city more hygeinic
25. 8 Identify this Bangalore-headquartered (though it is only an administrative office and the company’s operations are elsewhere in Karnataka) PSU from its logo
31. 10 X was an Irishman who got exclusive rights to mine from the then closed Kolar Gold Fields for a period of 20 years starting from 1873. A year later, he sold his license to a consortium called Kolar Concessionaires Soft Corporation and settled down in Bangalore Y (pictured here) was the Mayor of Bangalore a few decades back. The only reason we know his name is because in some sense he “replaced” X a few years ago. Name X and Y (no half points)
35. 11 When I first saw this statue, I thought the Kannada flag had been placed there by some Kannada activists during the then-recent riots that had followed Dr. Rajkumar’s death. Later, I learnt that this person was responsible for composing the first ever Kannada-English dictionary and writing a book on Kannada grammar. Austin Town has been renamed after him, as has the road connecting MICO factory to Adugodi signal. Identify
38. 12 In Bangalore, this profession is dominated by two communities The first is a Brahmin community, mostly hailing from five villages around Hassan (Belur, Nuggehalli, Bidiganavile, ShantiGrama and Kadaba). Prominent members of the community include GR Gopinath and JairamRamesh The second community is popularly known as “kaka”, though their official name is a corruption of a word for “son-in-law”. The first trade association in Bangalore for members of this community was set up as far back as 1935. A prominent member of this community is Shantinagar MLA N A Haris What profession?
39.
40. Bakeries The two communities are Hassan Iyengars and Malabar Muslims
41. 13 The Brigade Gateway complex in Yeshwantpur is going to include an office complex. What is it going to be called?
44. 14 Sir Mark Cubbon was a native of this quarterland of The Isle of Man whose name means “farm on the brink” in Manx. Which now government-owned building in Bangalore does it lend its name to?
47. 15 Give me the Kannada name for Magnolia champacaand the Arabic name for Azadirachtaindica(I’m looking for precise words here; synonyms will not be accepted; no half points)
56. 18 Founded in 2007 by Subramaniam Vincent and Meera K, and published by “Oorvani Media” this is an online Bangalore-focused news magazine, which draws contributions from both professional journalists as well as “citizen commentators”. What is the punny name?
59. 19 Taken from the French word for stew, this is a meat-based sauce which is usually added to pasta. It is prepared by boiling minced meat along with tomato sauce, olive oil, red wine and a mixture of finely chopped onion, carrots and celery. The chief varieties of this sauce originate from Naples, Bologna and Bari. This sauce ironically gives its name to a vegetarian eatery in South Bangalore which has the by-line “Pizza. Pasta. Rice”. Name either sauce or restaurant
71. 23 Several areas in Bangalore have names which contain this six-letter suffix. This is a corruption of the local word for ocean, and usually indicates that the area was built over or close to a tank or a lake. What suffix am I talking about?
74. 24 In 1912, the Maharaja of Mysore allotted 16 acres of land to Mysore Spinning and Weaving Mills, which was owned by the Sirur family. The company was declared sick a few years later and the mills were taken over by the National Textile Corporation, which also went sick shortly thereafter. In 2005, this land (originally allotted to Mysore Spinning and Weaving Mills) was auctioned. What stands there now?
77. 25 This temple is said to have been originally built by the Chalukya ruler Jagadekamalla I in the 7th century AD, and rebuilt by the Maratha chieftain ParashuramAgale in the 18th century. The deity, a form of Parvati, gets its name because the temple is situated in the Tilakaaranya forest in Bagalkot district in North Karnataka. The deity is also called Shakambari Name the temple, which is also the name of the deity
80. 26 There was one particular reason why VidhanaSoudha was built in its current spot, and not say 20 metres to the left or 20 meters to the right of where it currently stands. Why was this particular spot chosen? (this reason might become more apparent with the opening of the metro)
81.
82. It directly faces MG Road if the latter were to be extended across cubbon park
83. 27 What is the significance of the Tigala (vahanikulakshatriya) community in Bangalore culture?
86. 28 After the spin-off of the BMTC, KSRTC operates only one bus route both ends of which are in Bangalore city limits. One of the termini of this is (obviously) Kempegowda Bus Stand. Which is the other?
89. 29 Born in Lohmen near Dresden, he worked as a landscape gardener in Hamburg between 1885 and 1887. He then moved to London where he designed the flowerbeds in Hyde Park and later worked for the Royal Botanical gardens in Kew. Following this, he traveled to India worked at the Government Botanical Gardens in Baroda followed by a stint at the Botanical Gardens in Ooty. He then took up the position that we all know him for. Identify this person, one of the few Caucasians to still have a road named after him in Bangalore
92. 30 In May 2010 Bangalore got what can be called as its first “franchisee temple” in Vyalikaval. The idols in this temple are exact stone replicas of those in the “mother temple”, and the prasad is also going to be the same (though a temple official told the Deccan Herald that they wouldn’t be able to guarantee the taste of the original). Which famous Indian temple is this a “franchise” of?
95. 31 In the late 19th century, David Emmanuel Starkenburgh ________ wanted to set up a self-sufficient anglo-indian village. He managed to get 4000 acres of land allotted by the Maharaja of Mysore and proceeded to set up his commune, where initially 25 families lived. In the second half of the 20th century, this area would once again get flooded with visitors and long-term residents from European countries, but this was for a different reason. Now, it can be said that this area gets quite a few European “visitors”, though the old commune still remains nearby. What am I talking about?
98. 32 From the website of Life Bliss Foundation: “Life Bliss Foundation is a part of a worldwide movement for meditation and healing. The advent of _____ ______on planet earth is to spread the inner science of enlightenment by delivering physical health, mental wellness and spiritual awakening for all beings irrespective of their race, gender or nationality. To achieve this, _______ _______ aims to initiate 100 million people into the unique meditation ___ ____ and one hundred thousand people to 'living enlightenment’.” Blanks are not the same (blanked out to not give away the answer) Who runs the Life Bliss Foundation? The website also contains another quote by the founder. This says “When we are established in love, nothing touches us”
101. 33 The 2007 movie AaDinagalu depicts the 1986 murder of rowdy KotwalRamachandra by M P Jayaraj and his gang. Jayaraj himself would be murdered three years later, by members of MuthappaRai’s gang. Jayaraj’s murder is seen as a landmark event in the history of the Bangalore underworld. Why?
102.
103. It was the first time guns were used in the Bangalore underworld. Prior to that only knives and “longs” were used
107. 35 Like Basin Reserve in Wellington, lake beds have proved to be convenient locations for building sporting arenas in Bangalore. For example, the hockey stadium is built over the Akkithimmanahalli lake, Karnataka Golf Association over the Challaghatta lake and Kanteerava stadium over Sampangi Tank Bed. What is the name of the lake over which the Bangalore Football Stadium has been built? This lake gives its name to an oft-mispronounced intersection nearby.
110. 36 This is an extract from the Samosapedia entry for this “radio character” from the early noughties (back when Radio City played at FM 91). Fill up the blanks “Uelcome to Colloquial Clayss by Miss __________; SLC poss, currently unemplaayed. I have taken dhitosk of yeducating you aandhi unknown facets of dhiwonderfull local slanguaze; today's waard of the day ees...”
116. 38 He was expelled from National English School, Rajajinagar (now National Public School) when he was in 8th standard because of his participation in “political activities”. He went on to become a politician, and he now owns two schools in Bangalore, which are ironically run by the National Public School group. Identify this congressman and “educationist”
119. 39 Organized by the “Shree VinayakaYuvakaSangha”, this cultural festival celebrated its 49th Edition last month. It is usually held at the APS College grounds in Basavanagudi, though this year National College grounds was used as an additional venue. Basavanagudi MLA Ravi Subramanya is supposed to have cut his teeth in “public life” by organizing (and occasionally anchoring) this event. Recently the name of the festival was changed to make it sound more “global”, though conveniently the 3-letter acronym remained the same Give me either the old name or the new name or the 3-letter acronym for this event
122. 40 Several Bangaloreans (including me) have grown up confused about the definition of “continental food” (whether “continent” refers to Europe or Asia) thanks to this restaurant on Residency Road. Why is this restaurant that doesn’t serve continental food called “continental restaurant” ?
123.
124. It used to be called “Chinese restaurant”. After war broke out in 1962, Chinese fell out of favour so it was renamed “continental restaurant”
125. 41 An outlet of this UK-based fast food chain on Brigade road was a landmark for a generation of Bangaloreans, until it closed in 2003. This chain was about to go bankrupt in 2007, when it was bought over by its franchisee in South Africa, which promptly modified the name (getting rid of the “’s”). Which fast food chain?
128. 42. Connect (ordered list) VaralakshmiGunduRao (wife of former chief minister R GunduRao) DP Sharma, late owner of Sharma Travels, Bangalore B K Hariprasad, General Secretary of All India Congress Committee “Layout” M Krishnappa, MLA from Vijayanagar (Bangalore) The current MLA from Byatarayanapura (again in Bangalore)
131. 43 Born in the Pakistani part of Punjab, he joined the Karnataka cadre of the IAS in 1957. He held various posts in the state government administration, finishing his career as Chief Secretary during S Bangarappa’s chief ministership. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, he was chairman of the Bangalore Arts Commission from 1976 to 1988. He was a painter and his writings include a book about Mysore called “The Royal City”. Who?
134. 44 Created by an act of parliament in 1948, this PSU under the ministry of textiles was set up in order to “see India emerge as the leader in the world market for _____ “. Services offered by this institution are classified under R&D, Training, Seed Production and Consultancy. Which “landmark” institution?
137. 45 When electricity first came to Bangalore in 1905, the first ever “sub station” with two 415 kVA transformers was set up near AnandaRao Circle. Where was Bangalore’s second sub station set up? (try and describe the location or give me its precise name)
138.
139. Intersection of MG Road and Dickenson Road “B Station” (the bus stop there is still called that) is accepted
142. Categories of BMTC buses AtalSaarige FDR (feeder service) Pushpak Big (big 10 and big circle) Metro feeder service Vajra Chikka circle
143. 47 #2, St. John’s Road, near Ulsoor Lake Trinity House, Madras Road (Opposite Trinity Church) Kannan Building, M G Road St Mark’s Plaza, St. Mark’s Road Kannan Building, M G Road History of which institution?
146. 48 For the last eight years, this annual event has taken place on the entire stretch of Kumara Krupa road (between Sivananda Circle and Windsor Square) on one day in January. In the last edition, over 2 crores of “business” was conducted here. One of the “sidelights” at this event is a painting competition for children that is organized by Deccan Herald. It is said that the event might be moved to Freedom Park next year due to the massive response this year. Which art event?
149. 49 This building, the ground floor of which is occupied by the first ever “Café Coffee Day Square” used to house an iconic establishment which also lent its name to the intersection where it is located. Which establishment?
152. 50 “Communist” is roasted with chili powder “Oil king” is dipped in a batter containing chili powder, and fried “Green revolution” is roasted with salt and some other spices What is broken down and roasted with a mixture of turmeric, black pepper powder and red chili powder?