A quiz conducted for BCQC Pune

1. A SHORT QUIZ ON THE HISTORY OF
INDIAN BUSINESS
BY AMEYA SAMANT

2. Q1
_________ Ghat is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats
between the Konkan coast and the ancient town of
Junnar in the Deccan plateau. It linked the seaports of
Sopara, Kalyan, and Thane with the economic and
human settlements of Nasik and Paithan.
The pass gets its name from its history as a tollbooth for
traders. According to Charles Allen, there is a carved
stone that looks like a stupa, but is a two-piece carved
stone container to collect coins. Today, it’s a popular
trekking spot.
Name the pass

3. Answer 1
Naneghat.
Nane is coin in Marathi

4. Q2
Himmat (1964-1981) is remembered as a
courageous weekly publication. Similar to The Indian
Express, it chose to leave some editorials blank
during the Emergency.
Book Publisher X founded Himmat with Rajmohan
Gandhi. He was also associated with Moral Re-
Armament, an international peace movement.
However, his literary reputation was attributable to
his longstanding association with a stellar business
organization.
Who was X?

5. Answer 2
Russi .M. Lala. The Tata historian & JRD Tata’s Biographer

6. Q3
_________ _______ Ltd was established in
January 1942 as a joint venture, with
Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan being one of
the partners.
The company was into ballot boxes,
watches, double-decker buses, trucks, and
refrigerators.
The state government took over in 1969 &
by the 1990s most of the divisions were
either sold or shut down
Identify the company

7. Answer 3
Hyderabad Allwyn

8. Q4
This Urdu word means trade, commerce,
business. Its often prefixed or suffixed to
form business words
Azad _______ (Free trade)
Ilm-e-________ (Business Knowledge)
___________ Hawa (Trade Wind)
In the 1983 film Arpan, a teary-eyed
Jeetendra sang about the transactional
nature of modern love using this word.
What's the good word? (7 letters)

9. Answer 4
Tijarat

10. Q5
Narayan Meghaji Lokhande is known as the father
of the trade union movement in India. Mahatma
Jyotirao Phule's ideas had a strong influence on
him. He served as president of India’s first trade
union-‘Bombay Mills Hands Association’.
He led a 7 year long struggle for a key labour
right. The government yielded and the first
implemented it on 10 June 1890.
What right, enjoyed by organised workers to this
day, did Lokhande fight for?

11. Answer 5
Weekly holiday for workers/ Sunday Holiday

12. Q6
The original family name was Makharia.
___________ Chaturbhuj Makharia was a dashing entrepreneur who carved a
fortune in the cotton & textile boom in the early 20th century.
His son decided to adopt his father’s name as the family surname & it
eventually became the brand name for most business lines.
The name gained further prominence in 2018 due to ties forged with
another business major.
ID the Name/ Brand

13. Answer 6
Piramal

14. Q7
Gunja or Arbus Precatorius is a wiry climber.
Its seeds are toxic and have Ayurvedic
applications for kapha & vata doshas in
purified form.
The Sanskrit name for Gunja is Raktika (red)
and gives the name to a base measure used
in a different industry in India.
What’s the measure?

15. Answer 7
Ratti.
Used by Jewellers
8 Ratti = 1 Masha
12 Masha = 1 Tola
Also root of the hindi word रत्ती-भर meaning next to nothing

16. Q8
In 1911, industry pioneer Laxmanrao Kirloskar started with a small
factory on land donated by Balasaheb Pantapratinidhi, the heir of the
princely state of Aundh in Satara.
In 1941, a machine tooling plant was set up at Harihar in South India
& named ______ Kirloskar after another princely state which donated
land for this venture. The gift was possible due to a visionary former
royal official known for his encouragement of industry.
Who was this esteemed princely official?

17. Answer 8
Sir M. Visvesvaraya, Dewan of Mysore
The factory was called Mysore Kirloskar

18. Q9
The popular companies in this segment were founded by Khatri
businessmen Jugal Kishore Arora, Raghunath Arora & Kartar Singh’s
Amar Singh
The popular brands started by them are named after an historical
object, a monument & a social occasion respectively.
Which branded product category is this?

19. Answer 9
Branded Rice/ Packaged Rice/Basmati
Jugal Kishore Arora- Kohinoor
Raghunath Arora- Lal Qilla
Kartar Singh’s Amar Singh- Daawat

20. Q10
Rajendra Nath Mookerjee, an engineer had a construction firm. He found the
absence of British pedigree an impediment and joined hands with Englishman
named Acquin ___X___ in 1892. They later took over __Y__ & Company & merged
the two entities under the name XY.
The company commissioned several water-work stations, feeder railways, and
buildings including the Victoria Memorial. It grew into India’s third-largest
industrial house, with interests in steel, engineering, wagon building, power, etc. Its
dividends were higher than Tata Steel before speculation & strikes caused a sudden
downfall in the mid- 1960s.
The company continues to be listed on the bourses & is led by the Fatehpurias.
Name the entity?

21. Answer 10
Martin Burn

22. THANK YOU