The India Quiz 2019

The India
Quiz
By –
Soham Banerjee

• 41 Questions
• 2 Rounds
• Infinite Pounce and Bounce x 1
• Written Round x 1
• Keep your own scores
Rules

• In the early 1950’s a factory in Bombay received a huge order from an
important client.
• The product was designed by a factory worker Nathalal Panchal after
going through 50 designs. It had to be cost effective and simple.
Although the company manufactured other such things, using these
would have shot up the cost.
• The order was so huge that workers worked for more than 18 hours in
shifts to complete it.
• What is the product which made history later?
Question 1

Ballot boxes used in the first General
Elections of 1952 manufactured by
Godrej.
And the answer is -

• A traditional two piece Assamese attire, this garment has motifs
ranging from khing-khap (lions facing each other), mogor (creeper),
mina (jewel), miri (tribal art), gos (tree), etc.
• These designs are never printed but woven into the cloth.
• Priyanka Chopra adorned this for an Assam Tourism video in 2018 and
recently in March by Karisma Kapoor for a fashion show.
• Identify the attire.
Question 2

Mekhela Chador
And the answer is -

• In his railway budget of 2004, Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav claimed that from
now on _ _ _ _ _ _, Khadi and Kambals would transform the Indian
Railway journeys.
• He had promised that the curtains, bed-sheets and blankets used in
railway services would be indigenised and greater use would be made
of Khadi material.
• All of this was supposed to be a major rural employment programme.
• However this failed. George Fernandez too experimented with _ _ _ _
_ _ when he was the Railway Minister. What?
Question 3

• This English language film released in 2005 was first titled Akoori after
the Parsi scrambled eggs like dish.
• The film begins with the arrival of the narrator from Jamshedpur to
the house of the Sethnas in Panchgani and their lives changes when
they let him in.
• Directed by Homi Adjania this film originated a new genre - Parsi-noir.
It is dark, laced with blood, bodies and quintessentially Parsi eccentric
humour.
• Identify the film.
Question 4

• In the 1920’s, a certain kingdom in Rajasthan suffered a severe
drought. People started migrating to other places and some even
sought the help of the king.
• The king then decided to build something which would be lavish and
take a long time to construct so that his subjects could get some
employment. He commissioned Henry Vaughan Lancaster to design
this.
• What?
Question 5

Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur
And the answer is

• During the Second World War, the British Indian troops fought the
Japanese who were trying to capture North East India in a decisive
battle in 1944.
• Known as the Stalingrad of the East, this battle is perhaps more
famous for its epitaph written by John Edmonds –
When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow, we gave our today.
• Which battle?
Question 6

• Battle of Kohima
And the answer is

• Parsis have surnames which denote their profession or the place
where they belonged to. Over time this nomenclature gave way to
some curious names like Batliwala, Battiwala, etc.
• Freddie Mercury was born a Parsi as Farrokh Bulsara. The family
surname refers to the place where they were from in Gujarat.
However, with the changing of names, this place is now known as
something else.
• Which town in Gujarat?
Question 7

Valsad. Earlier known as Bulsar
And the answer is

• Gayatri Gandhi was a media professional who spent a decade working
with Discovery Networks. During her sabbatical she chanced upon a
book.
• She felt a lot of negative and blocked energy leave with the de-
cluttering that she did as was written in the book. Inspired by this,
she started her own company Joy Company in 2017 and is India’s first
and only certified _ _ _ _ _ _ _ consultant.
• Her company helps clients declutter their lives and to be happy.
• What is she a consultant of?
Question 8

KonMari Method. The Marie
Kondo method to clean up
And the answer is

Identify the person in the
advertisement who became
famous some years later in
another profession.
Question 9

Neerja Bhanot
And the answer is

• A certain British brand of electronics became the household name in
India during the 60’s and 70’s through their products and their
famous mascot - chubby-cheeked kid, looking inquisitively, with a
finger placed near his lip.
• The three-year-old kid fascinated many mothers or expectant
mothers of that era.
• Such was the impact that a Bollywood film released in 2012 had the
lead character named after the brand since his mother wanted a kid
like the mascot. Identify the brand and the film.
Question 10

Murphy Radio and Barfi
And the answer is

• On the completion of his 10th year as Chief Minister of Gujarat,
Narendra Modi unveiled plans for a project named ‘Ek Bharat Shresth
Bharat’ which would have a certain dimension based on a Gujarat
government feature.
• For this lots of iron were needed. He then decided on an idea which
was described not so much to collect iron, but create that emotional
unity for a national cause.
• What did he do? What is the reasoning behind the dimension?
Question 11

Collected iron from Indian villagers.
182 metres for the Statue of Unity since it represents the number
of seats in the Gujarat Assembly
And the answer is

• Successive Indian National Congress governments have celebrated
Tipu Sultan's memory and monuments and relics of his rule on 10th
November each year.
• This has led to clashes with the BJP and RSS in the past who claim
that Tipu Sultan is a bigot and a violent sultan who converted,
massacred Hindus and Christians in large number.
• In response to this the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha
Mallikarjuna Kharge hit back asking, “When they can celebrate X can't
we celebrate Tipu Sultan?”
• Who is X?
Question 12

Nathuram Godse
And the answer is

• India is a multi-ethnic nation with 22 official languages and more than
700 dialects, so there is a requirement to learn multiple languages in
order to function within a community, state, and the country.
• Traditional literacy programmes are often criticized for their
inadequate quality, lack of resources, and inability to reach those who
are socially, economically, and geographically marginalized.
• Brij Kothari, an IIM Ahmedabad professor thought of this novel
method to implement through mainstream TV content which could
help people, especially those who were hard to reach through
traditional literacy programmes.
• What did he implement which boosted literacy levels?
Question 13

Same Language Subtitling.
Adding subtitles for the same
language in which the content is
made.
And the answer is

• Originally from East India, this product was given its present name by
the Europeans from where they encountered it first – Mosul in Iraq.
• The product has many uses ranging from dress making, culinary,
medicine and even by Wright Brothers in their 1903 glider.
• In early 2018, this word came to much prominence across the
Internet due to a tweet.
• Identify the product.
Question 14

Question 15
Identify the memorial inaugurated on 30th January, 2019

Salt Satyagraha Memorial
And the answer is

• In the February 1947 session of the Bombay assembly, one member
raised the inhuman conditions of the rickshaw pullers. Morarji Desai,
the then Home Minister suggested that cycle rickshaws be
discontinued.
• Sensing an opportunity, Jai Hind Industries and Bachhraj Trading
Corporation set up a joint venture to develop and market a certain
product.
• Their product was a huge success and the name of the product now
finds a place in the Oxford Dictionary. Which product?
Question 16

Auto Rickshaw. Navalmal Firodia
coined the word Auto Rickshaw.
And the answer is

• StayUncle is a startup which provides rooms for short stays ranging
for a few hours to a day to unmarried couples wanting to have some
private time.
• This concept is modelled after the Japanese love hotels where they
were pioneered.
• Guardian in its article on StayUncle used the Japanese reference as its
title and played a pun on the title of a 2003 Hollywood film. Identify
the film/title.
Question 17

Lust in Translation / Lost in Translation
And the answer is

• During the First World War, British Intelligence was concerned about
the Indian soldiers fighting in France. They were worried that the
letters they were sending home could result in an insurrection aided
by the Germans.
• Also, the Ghadar movement in America was growing strong which
was a grave matter for the British.
• So they enlisted this English personality to write a form of fictional
Indian correspondence. He was given real letters sent home by Indian
soldiers and asked to write his own version in order to spread
propaganda in the United States. Who is this personality?
Question 18

Rudyard Kipling
And the answer is

• In 2010 when Jairam Ramesh was the Environment Minister, he
released a report blaming Harry Potter for the demise of something.
• He said, “Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange
fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their
children with this.” This encourages the illegal trade as parents
approach illegal traders.
• What was this issue about which concerned him?
Question 19

Missing Owls
And the answer is

• Guardian journalist Amana Fontanella-Khan wrote a book about a
revolution in India involving women. It had the tagline – A Tale of
Women and Power in the Badlands of India.
• The women have become folk heroes, winning public support for a
series of Robin Hood-style operations and they wear same coloured
clothing while on their modus operandi.
• The colour was chosen because it is the colour of the sky before a
storm breaks.
• What is the book about?
Question 20

Gulaabi Gang. Pink Sari
Revolution
And the answer is

• Mrinal Sen was one of India’s celebrated film makers and he
composed the trio of Ghatak, Ray and Sen. His 1969 film Bhuvan
Shome was his breakthrough film.
• This film featured Amitabh Bachchan as a voice actor over much
before his acting debut.
• Inspired from the film – characters, settings, and even Amitabh
Bachchan, an Indian film made years later went on to win accolades
world over.
• Which film?
Question 21

Lagaan.
Lagaan had Gauri and Bhuvan. Lagaan was shot in Kutch And
it had Mr. Bachchan's voiceover.
And the answer is

• Vaikom Satyagraha was a public campaign to end untouchability by
allowing access to people of all castes to something in Kerala during
1924-25 and had seen participation from Mahatma Gandhi.
• Kerala made a float depicting this for Republic Day 2019 but it was
rejected by the Centre.
• Although no reason was given, people have speculated that it was
due to a difference on something between the state and the central
government due to different ideology.
• What was the reason?
Question 22

The Satyagraha was to allow people access to a Shiva Temple. The
Sabarimala incident has similarities to the Vaikom Satyagraha.
And the answer is

• Founded in 1933 by the Colonization Society of India, this small town
in Jharkhand named after Ernest Timothy, a businessman from
Calcutta as a homeland for the Anglo Indians.
• It is the only Anglo Indian village in India.
• In 2017, this place came into public consciousness from a film by
Konkona Sen Sharma.
• Which town?
Question 23

McCluskiegunj
And the answer is

• Khalnayak is a 1993 film starring Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff and
Madhuri Dixit. This film was a huge hit and its songs were so popular
that it sold 10 million copies.
• In the ongoing tussle between Mindtree and Larsen & Toubro,
Mindtree has tried to portray L&T as a big, bad company which would
destroy it’s culture if the hostile bid is successful.
• The Chairman of L&T responded by interchanging the words of one of
the songs of the film, which coincidentally contained his name.
• What did he say?
Question 24

Khalnayak nahi, Naik hoon main. The Chairman is AM Naik.
The song is Nayak Nahi Khalnayak Hoon Main.
And the answer is

• Recently, in March 2019 the Government got Rs. 700 crores from the
sale of shares in certain companies. These shares were vested with
the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management.
• According to a government estimate, these shares are held in 996
companies of which 588 are functional.
• Selling these shares led to monetization of the assets which have
been lying dormant for decades.
• How are these shares classified?
Question 25

Enemy Shares.
These are shares held by people who migrated to China or Pakistan
during the wars.
And the answer is

• In 1960, Assam witnessed a ‘language riot’ when the state made
Assamese the only official language with a significant Bengali
speaking population.
• There was vandalism, loot and destruction on a wide scale
throughout Assam. To spread the message of peace a group of artists,
musicians and singers were led by Bengali folk singer Hemango
Biswas and a certain personality from Assam.
• Together they went on cultural mission to wipe out the fear of
violence and misunderstanding created among people.
• The Assamese personality was hugely popular and even went on to
become one of the cultural faces of the state. Who?
Question 26

Bhupen Hazarika
And the answer is

• Many people believe that Bangalore’s Malleswaram and
Basavanagudi inspired this. Malleshwaram, founded as a model
suburb in the 1890s, has a significant Tamil population, it does seem
the likeliest candidate.
• Malleshwaram has a small railway station which had a quaint charm
back in the olden days, according to those who remember the original
building. Basavanagudi has a Street Bazaar which also might have led
to the inspiration of this.
• However, other believe that it was the town of Mysore. What is being
theorised?
Question 27

Possible setting of Malgudi town
from Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan
And the answer is

• In 1967, in exchange for his services to a certain maharaja, the
surrealist painted Salvador Dali requested a baby elephant as his fees.
The maharaja though perplexed, agreed and soon Dali had his
elephant flown over to Spain.
• Who was the client of Dali for whom Dali made the following design?
Question 28

Air India. Dali designed 500 ashtrays for the national carrier.
And the answer is

• In 1959, a certain person visited India to build confidence and
goodwill toward his government whom he was representing. This visit
was kept under wraps till 2007 when these files were declassified.
• During an AIR interview the journalist said, “If we ignore his military
uniform, heavy boots and Monte Carlo cigar, then his simplicity and
politeness was like that of a holy priest.”
• The person expressed great reverence for Gandhi and Nehru during
the interview and said “…in our Latin America we have neither. That is
why our mindset has developed differently.” Who?
Question 29

• During 2018 when Assam was coming up with a National Register of
Citizens to identify the illegal migrants in the state, a certain
community resided in fear of being not included.
• They faced a similar situation back in the 1960’s with disastrous
consequences. Although the community identifies itself as Indian
with 4-5 generations of their ancestors having lived and worked in
Upper Assam’s tea gardens, they were branded as traitors back then.
• In 2018, through efforts and proper documentation they were
included in the NRC. Which community?
Question 30

Assamese Chinese
And the answer is

• 5 Questions
• Songs will be given. Identify the monument/ place
where this was shot.
Written Round

Question 31
Video on next slide

Question 32
Video on next slide

Question 33
Video on next slide

Question 34
Video on next slide

Question 35
Video on next slide

Chittorgarh Fort
And the answer is

Martand Sun Temple, Jammu &
Kashmir
And the answer is

Ruins of Nalanda University
And the answer is

Mahabalipuram
And the answer is

• The British took labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal mostly to
work in the sugar plantations of Caribbean. They brought their
culture, food, religion and music along with them.
• Over time, their music acquired its own flavor - mixture of calypso
beats with lyrics from English, Hindi, Bhojpuri and Caribbean Creole.
The 2012 movie, Gangs of Wasseypur’s song I am a Hunter and
Womaniya is based on this genre.
• What is this genre which is also the name of an appropriate Indian
food item?
Question 36

Chutney Music
And the answer is

• In the Republic Day parade on 26th January, 2019 four people all aged
between 97 and 100 took part which was the first for them. The
reason behind only four was that it was difficult to find others who
were still alive.
• This marks a departure from the previous governments stance
wherein they were labelled as traitors and though they weren’t jailed,
benefits which ought to be rightfully theirs was also denied.
• Which group who were represented by the four?
Question 37

Members of Indian National Army
of Subhash Chandra Bose
And the answer is

• This Urdu poet from North India had a very traumatic childhood. His
mother left his father and survived on very little means. His father
was a wealthy zamindar who tried his best to bring him back.
• Such experiences and his mother’s strong will found an expression in
his poems and songs. His works were deeply emphatic to women.
However, he remained single throughout his life after his relationship
with Amrita Pritam didn’t work out.
• When he died, his friends in his hometown dotted the town with
banners painted ‘Hai _____’ implying that his works are immortal.
Who?
Question 38

Sahir Ludhianvi or Abdul Hayee
And the answer is

• This form of painting is also the name of a tribe from Maharashtra
who practice this art. Their culture is centered around nature and
hence they use simple shapes – circle, square and triangle in their
paintings.
• Over the years, this style was ignored. Giving a boost to this style,
Coca Cola in their 2010 Diwali ad featured this art form.
• Identify the art form.
Question 39
Video on next slide

• The following is a series of posters from a 2014 film called Rang
Rasiya. It had Randeep Hooda as the title character and Nandana Sen
as his love interest.
• Nandana Sen is the daughter of Amartya Sen and has been a part of
such art-house films.
• Identify the subject of the film.
Question 40

Raja Ravi Varma
And the answer is

• Like the Latthmaar Holi of Barsana, Varanasi too celebrates a different
type of Holi on the banks of Ganga mostly on the Manikarnika Ghat.
• According to legends, this version of Holi originated when Lord Shiva’s
followers which also included ghosts couldn’t go to the Kashi
Vishwanath temple to celebrate Holi. So Shiva himself comes down to
this ghat to play holi with them.
• It is an age-old tradition of the city to celebrate death with hopes of
attaining salvation.
• What is special about this variant of Holi?
Question 41

Playing Holi with Human Ashes
And the answer is

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