India Quiz by Hrishi Varma & Navin Rajaram

1. Cannabis indica
The India Quiz
Prelims
Hrishi & Navin

2. o 35 Questions
o **s will be as marked
o Top 8 to finals

3. The current use of the ancestral 1
home of this royal family that
had roots to Akbar‟s court,
came out of a failed hot air
balloon launch from the
premises of the home, at which
point two travelling English
ladies politely enquired about
a place to stay.
Name the royal family and
what brings them into the
news annually?
(larger pic on the next slide)

4. 1

5. 2
The Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur finds a place in
this list which includes other examples such as
the St. Peter‟s Basilica, Vatican and the
Statuary Hall in the Capitol, Washington D.C.
Architecturally, all of them share an ellipsoid
hall with a dome/vault on top with an
accessible point at each focus.
What 2 word term would describe the result
achieved by this architecture?

6. 3
X‟s original promise was:
“I will make the roads of ____ as smooth as
Y’’s cheeks”
When people demanded roads after his
victory, his blunt rebuttal was : “You only
need roads if you have a car.”
Name X and Y

7. 4
From Guha‟s A Corner of a Foreign field, describing events
outside Brabourne during a 1960 India vs Pakistan Test
“That eatery had been chosen by the leader, ______, for a press
conference. Now, ____’s pet hates were X , the English language,
and the game of cricket, generally in that order. To a group of
acolytes and left wing journalists, ____ thundered on about how
the game of cricket symbolized our continuing colonialism, and the
how the last Englishman to rule India was complicit in this.
Throw out X, he said, and we can all happily play kabbadi.”
Immediately after the journalists departed, ___ walked to the
nearest paanwaala, asked for a paan, and while chewing it
continued: “Kya Hanif (Mohammad) out ho gaya kya?”
Identify the leader and his pet hate, X.

8. 5
**A landmark judgment in 2001 in response to a
petition filed in Calcutta High Court ruled the
closure of National Highway 223 citing reasons of
protection. Eleven years since, fresh evidence has
proved that the route continues to be used and
further development of the highway may lead to
exploitation.
What is NH223 better known as and what was the
original issue?

9. 6
Among the 12th century stalwarts, this radical
mystic‟s challenge to patriarchal dominance
stands out in the way she memorably used the
image of her genitals to convey her
understanding of the Bhakti tradition with the
words
“Not one, not two, not three or four, but through eight
four hundred thousand vaginas have I come. I have
come through unlikely worlds guzzled on pleasure and
pain.”
Who?

10. 7
X:The name of the open court of the sultan, led by
the Grand Vizier at the Topkapi Palace. It got its
name from the entrance to the palace where the
sultan greeted foreign dignitaries. X served as the
inspiration for what landmark structure in a state
capital?

11. 7

12. 8
Known for its horticulturists who cultivated the
popular figs called the ____ Anjura, this town near
Srirangapatnam had talented artisans and stone
cutters who have now found a way to exhibit their
art more profitably. What brand takes its name
from this town?

13. 9
One of the stories goes that this community of
emigrants into Tamilnadu created the sambhar
when an unsuspecting ruler Sambhoji substituted
tamarind for kokum into the recipe. They‟ve also
been credited with introducing the poli/boli to the
Tamil cuisine as well as the poi-kaal kudirai (false
legged horse) dance to the culture.
What 2 word moniker describes this emigrant
community?

14. 10
**His inveterate hatred of all things foreign led
him to term the street on which he lived as a sort
of double bridge between white town where the
British lived and black town where the natives
lived.
He designed a mythical map for the children’s book
Putur Boi using real names of places in Calcutta
showing a city divided between British and natives
along a main artery, with a white island in the
middle of Lal Dighi.
Who?

15. 11
This gap in the Western ghats is the lowest pass
through the mountain range and is said to have
been caused due to rivers flowing in the opposite
direction. The gap allows moisture laden Southwest
monsoon winds into the Coimbatore region, thus
moderates temperatures and generates greater
rainfall relative to the rest of lowland TN.
Name this gap and in terms of cultural influence
what demographic shift was it responsible for?
(Pic on next slide)

16. 11

17. 12
Referred to as the Military Brahmin or Magadha
Brahmin, these descendants of the original
Brahmins get their names from the
mythological event wherein they abandoned
their priestly functions and began owning land
granted by Parashurama after killing the
Kshatriyas.
Name them or the (now) banned organization
they founded in Ekwari village.

18. 13
Describing this new arrival, a twitter follower
@RoflIndian said “The _______ twitter account is
a brilliant attempt to tweet silence in 140
characters”
What was the context?

19. 14
Located near Nasik, this hill station was once a
transit camp, from where British soldiers
would await ships back to Britain after
completing their tour assignments. Anxiety in
the men waiting at this town to return home is
said to have given an adjective in the English
language meaning “madness” or “eccentricity”.
Name the town and adjective.

20. 15
**The loosely polygamic/polyandric Jaunsaris
and the strictly monogamic Bawaris are the
two main tribes to be found in the Tons valley
of Uttaranchal. Historically both tribes have
never mixed with each other and refuse to
mingle in common occasions of gathering or
eating citing irreconcilable differences.
Why?

21. 16
In the title of this novel set during the 1857
mutiny , what was the job of the nightrunners?

22. 17
While colored threads were used earlier, a
number and a letter is used today. At 12 „o‟
clock is the origin, at 3 „o‟ clock is the
destination, at 6 „o‟ clock is the owner‟s name
and at 9 „o‟ clock is the return route.
But the number „9‟ is never used.
What system and why is the number „9‟ never
used?

23. 18
In 2002, the Indian Railways planted a million
seedlings of this poisonous scrub weed along the
unused land stretch aligning the tracks between
Mumbai and Delhi, consequently using the extract
to power the Shatabdi from Delhi to Amritsar.
Godrej acquired land in Mizoram to get into this
business.
If the common name is physic nut, what is the
genus name?
(Pic on next slide)

24. 18

25. 19
Logo for?

26. 20
**Louis Mountbatten called this incident the
turning point of the Burma campaign and
called it the British Indian Thermopylae which
prevented Japan from entering India.
Forced to take defensive positions in Charles
Pawsey‟s bungalow near Kohima ridge, British
and Indian troops defended against Japanese
fire to the last man. The moniker the battle got
came from the location near the bungalow
where the troops barricaded themselves.
What moniker?

27. 21
Traditionally made during Durga Puja, this
dessert literally means burnt cheese and was
created serendipitously when a Bidyadhar
Sahoo added sugar and seasoning to leftover
cottage cheese and left it in a warm oven
overnight. It is now the subject of a massive
push by the local state federation after it lost
rasagolla to another state. Name the sweet.
(Pic on next slide)

28. 21

29. 22
Commonly believed to have originated in the
Afghan Rabab, this lute-style instrument was
played while marching or riding into battle.
It came into India around 200 years ago, courtesy 3
Afghan horsemen from the Bangash tribe who are
said to have brought to attention in the royal
courts. Today, it is played with a pick made of
coconut shell, which is referred to as the Jaba.
What instrument?

30. Rakesh Sharma‟s entry to Mumbai International 23
Film Festival was rejected, but went on to win 2
awards at the 54th Berlin film festival. What
approximately 70 year old infamous phrase is
the title of this film?

31. 24
The woman behind this is 23 year
old Shonan Kothari, who was inspired during her
time in London when a supposed art movement
occurred at a grocery store.
She hired Running Cow Films to help her with a
local version of the project and then had a
challenge convincing law authorities who thought
she was absolutely crazy to execute it at the
location chosen.
What was Shonan‟s absolutely crazy plan?

32. 25
**The Malay word for the bird in the picture is used
for a genus, that thrives in the coastal Purba
Medinipur region of West Bengal, alluding to the
similarities between the bird‟s feathers and the foliage
of the genus. Name the genus and the bird.

33. 26
Motivated by their struggle performing in a band
called Impact in the 1980s, Sam Lal and X started
this publication as a way of bringing a sense of
community amidst struggling musicians.
X was affectionately called Papa Rock by musicians
and his untimely demise this year in a drowning
accident at Goa brought forth an outpouring of
tributes from various musicians.
Name X and the publication he started?
(Pic on next slide)

34. 26

35. 27
What sickly term was coined by Ashish Bose
in the 1980s in a paper submitted to Rajiv
Gandhi, with reference to the relative
prosperity of UP, Rajasthan, Bihar and
Madhya Pradesh?

36. Connect (larger pics follow) 28

37. 28

38. 28

39. 29
In 1953, at the end of a flawless Hindolam
rendition by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan performed
at the Music Academy in Chennai, X who was
a legend of the time did something as an
instant show of appreciation for the maestro‟s
performance. The act was widely criticized by
X‟s peers of the time as a show of sycophancy
to the Northern tradition.
Who was X and what did he do?

40. 30
**Cdr. Homi. D. Motiwala and Lt. Cdr.
P.K. Garg are the only two people from
which sport to win the Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna Award?

41. 31
The name of this district of Jammu and
Kashmir is said to come from the Sanskrit
words for Boar‟s Molar from the story of a
demon who was vanquished by Vishnu in the
form of a boar. Coincidentally it also has 12
blocks/tehsils which lends credence to
alternate origin theories. What district?

42. 32
On an aerial tour, Lord
Mountbatten asked his staff
to name the river below at
which point he was told by
an American officer “That‟s
not a river, it‟s the _____
_____”. Originally named
after the man on the left
who was in charge of the
engineers who built it, it
was named after his
superior eventually.
Give either name for it.

43. 32

44. 33
If you were a pilot in Goa, what would
your occupation be?

45. 34
This online game by matchmaker shaadi.com,
inspired by a more popular game, targets illegal
dowry demanding grooms who are attacked
commensurate to the dowry they demand. What
game?

46. 35
**Who composed
the music for this
movie, which
details the story of
a bunch of
travelling artists
who perform
Shakespeare plays?

47. SUBMIT SHEETS, ANSWERS
FOLLOW..

48. The current use of the ancestral 1
home of this royal family that
had roots to Akbar‟s court,
came out of a failed hot air
balloon launch from the
premises of the home, at which
point two travelling English
ladies politely enquired about
a place to stay.
Name the royal family and
what brings them into the
news annually?
(larger pic on the next slide)

49. 1

50. ANSWER

51.  Diggi Family
 Hotel Diggi Palace hosts the Jaipur
Literary festival

52. 2
The Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur finds a place in
this list which includes other examples such as
the St. Peter‟s Basilica, Vatican and the
Statuary Hall in the Capitol, Washington D.C.
Architecturally, all of them share an ellipsoid
hall with a dome/vault on top with an
accessible point at each focus.
What 2 word term would describe the result
achieved by this architecture?

53. ANSWER

54. Whispering Gallery

55. 3
X‟s original promise was:
“I will make the roads of ____ as smooth as
Y’’s cheeks”
When people demanded roads after his
victory, his blunt rebuttal was : “You only
need roads if you have a car.”
Name X and Y

56. ANSWER

57. X: Laloo Prasad Yadav
Y: Hema Malini

58. 4
From Guha‟s A Corner of a Foreign field, describing events
outside Brabourne during a 1960 India vs Pakistan Test
“That eatery had been chosen by the leader, ______, for a press
conference. Now, ____’s pet hates were X , the English language,
and the game of cricket, generally in that order. To a group of
acolytes and left wing journalists, ____ thundered on about how
the game of cricket symbolized our continuing colonialism, and the
how the last Englishman to rule India was complicit in this.
Throw out X, he said, and we can all happily play kabbadi.”
Immediately after the journalists departed, ___ walked to the
nearest paanwaala, asked for a paan, and while chewing it
continued: “Kya Hanif (Mohammad) out ho gaya kya?”
Identify the leader and his pet hate, X.

59. ANSWER

60. Ram Manohar Lohia
X: Jawaharlal Nehru

61. 5
**A landmark judgment in 2001 in response to a
petition filed in Calcutta High Court ruled the
closure of National Highway 223 citing reasons of
protection. Eleven years since, fresh evidence has
proved that the route continues to be used and
further development of the highway may lead to
exploitation.
What is NH223 better known as and what was the
original issue?

62. ANSWER

63. NH223 – Great Andaman Trunk Road
Sightseeing on this road has led to
contact with the Jarawa tribals and
their subsequent exploitation

64. 6
Among the 12th century stalwarts, this radical
mystic‟s challenge to patriarchal dominance
stands out in the way she memorably used the
image of her genitals to convey her
understanding of the Bhakti tradition with the
words
“Not one, not two, not three or four, but through eight
four hundred thousand vaginas have I come. I have
come through unlikely worlds guzzled on pleasure and
pain.”
Who?

65. ANSWER

66. Akka Mahadevi

67. 7
X:The name of the open court of the sultan, led by
the Grand Vizier at the Topkapi Palace. It got its
name from the entrance to the palace where the
sultan greeted foreign dignitaries. X served as the
inspiration for what landmark structure in a state
capital?

68. 7

69. ANSWER

70. Rumi Darwaza, also called Turkish
Gate, in Lucknow. Inspired by Sublime
Porte

71. 8
Known for its horticulturists who cultivated the
popular figs called the ____ Anjura, this town near
Srirangapatnam had talented artisans and stone
cutters who have now found a way to exhibit their
art more profitably. What brand takes its name
from this town?

72. ANSWER

73. Ganjam

74. 9
One of the stories goes that this community of
emigrants into Tamilnadu created the sambhar
when an unsuspecting ruler Sambhoji substituted
tamarind for kokum into the recipe. They‟ve also
been credited with introducing the poli/boli to the
Tamil cuisine as well as the poi-kaal kudirai (false
legged horse) dance to the culture.
What 2 word moniker describes this emigrant
community?

75. ANSWER

76. Thanjavur Marathis

77. 10
**His inveterate hatred of all things foreign led
him to term the street on which he lived as a sort
of double bridge between white town where the
British lived and black town where the natives
lived.
He designed a mythical map for the children’s book
Putur Boi using real names of places in Calcutta
showing a city divided between British and natives
along a main artery, with a white island in the
middle of Lal Dighi.
Who?

78. ANSWER

79. Abanindranath Tagore

80. 11
This gap in the Western ghats is the lowest pass
through the mountain range and is said to have
been caused due to rivers flowing in the opposite
direction. The gap allows moisture laden Southwest
monsoon winds into the Coimbatore region, thus
moderates temperatures and generates greater
rainfall relative to the rest of lowland TN.
Name this gap and in terms of cultural influence
what demographic shift was it responsible for?
(Pic on next slide)

81. 11

82. ANSWER

83. Palakkad Gap
Enabled the migration into Palakkad of
Tamil Brahmins, such as ancestors of one of
the QMs.

84. 12
Referred to as the Military Brahmin or Magadha
Brahmin, these descendants of the original
Brahmins get their names from the
mythological event wherein they abandoned
their priestly functions and began owning land
granted by Parashurama after killing the
Kshatriyas.
Name them or the (now) banned organization
they founded in Ekwari village.

85. ANSWER

86. Bhumihars/Babhans/Bhuin-hars
OR
Ranvir Sena

87. 13
Describing this new arrival, a twitter follower
@RoflIndian said “The _______ twitter account is
a brilliant attempt to tweet silence in 140
characters”
What was the context?

88. ANSWER

89. PM/Manmohan Singh joining Twitter
as @PMOIndia

90. 14
Located near Nasik, this hill station was once a
transit camp, from where British soldiers
would await ships back to Britain after
completing their tour assignments. Anxiety in
the men waiting at this town to return home is
said to have given an adjective in the English
language meaning “madness” or “eccentricity”.
Name the town and adjective.

91. ANSWER

92. Deolali, Doolally

93. 15
**The loosely polygamic/polyandric Jaunsaris
and the strictly monogamic Bawaris are the
two main tribes to be found in the Tons valley
of Uttaranchal. Historically both tribes have
never mixed with each other and refuse to
mingle in common occasions of gathering or
eating citing irreconcilable differences.
Why?

94. ANSWER

95. Jaunsaris claim to be the descendants
of the Pandavas, while the Bawaris
claim to be the descendants of the
Kauravas

96. 16
In the title of this novel set during the 1857
mutiny , what was the job of the nightrunners?

97. ANSWER

98. Messengers who distributed
chapatis/food to the mutineers the
night before the 1857 mutiny

99. 17
While colored threads were used earlier, a
number and a letter is used today. At 12 „o‟
clock is the origin, at 3 „o‟ clock is the
destination, at 6 „o‟ clock is the owner‟s name
and at 9 „o‟ clock is the return route.
But the number „9‟ is never used.
What system and why is the number „9‟ never
used?

100. ANSWER

101. Mumbai Dabbawalas coding system
Because „9‟ might be muddled with the
Marathi „6‟, which looks a bit like a “9”
with a tail.

102. 18
In 2002, the Indian Railways planted a million
seedlings of this poisonous scrub weed along the
unused land stretch aligning the tracks between
Mumbai and Delhi, consequently using the extract
to power the Shatabdi from Delhi to Amritsar.
Godrej acquired land in Mizoram to get into this
business.
If the common name is physic nut, what is the
genus name?
(Pic on next slide)

103. 18

104. ANSWER

105. Jatropha

106. 19
Logo for?

107. ANSWER

108. State airline of Portugese India (Goa,
Daman and Diu)

109. 20
**Louis Mountbatten called this incident the
turning point of the Burma campaign and
called it the British Indian Thermopylae which
prevented Japan from entering India.
Forced to take defensive positions in Charles
Pawsey‟s bungalow near Kohima ridge, British
and Indian troops defended against Japanese
fire to the last man. The moniker the battle got
came from the location near the bungalow
where the troops barricaded themselves.
What moniker?

110. ANSWER

111. Battle of the Tennis Court

112. 21
Traditionally made during Durga Puja, this
dessert literally means burnt cheese and was
created serendipitously when a Bidyadhar
Sahoo added sugar and seasoning to leftover
cottage cheese and left it in a warm oven
overnight. It is now the subject of a massive
push by the local state federation after it lost
rasagolla to another state. Name the sweet.
(Pic on next slide)

113. 21

114. ANSWER

115. Cheenapoda

116. 22
Commonly believed to have originated in the
Afghan Rabab, this lute-style instrument was
played while marching or riding into battle.
It came into India around 200 years ago, courtesy 3
Afghan horsemen from the Bangash tribe who are
said to have brought to attention in the royal
courts. Today, it is played with a pick made of
coconut shell, which is referred to as the Jaba.
What instrument?

117. ANSWER

118. Sarod/Swarbat

119. Rakesh Sharma‟s entry to Mumbai International 23
Film Festival was rejected, but went on to win 2
awards at the 54th Berlin film festival. What
approximately 70 year old infamous phrase is
the title of this film?

120. ANSWER

121. Final Solution

122. 24
The woman behind this is 23 year
old Shonan Kothari, who was inspired during her
time in London when a supposed art movement
occurred at a grocery store.
She hired Running Cow Films to help her with a
local version of the project and then had a
challenge convincing law authorities who thought
she was absolutely crazy to execute it at the
location chosen.
What was Shonan‟s absolutely crazy plan?

123. ANSWER

124. Mumbai CST Flash Mob

125. 25
**The Malay word for the bird in the picture is used
for a genus, that thrives in the coastal Purba
Medinipur region of West Bengal, alluding to the
similarities between the bird‟s feathers and the foliage
of the genus. Name the genus and the bird.

126. ANSWER

127. Casuarina, Cassowary

128. 26
Motivated by their struggle performing in a band
called Impact in the 1980s, Sam Lal and X started
this publication as a way of bringing a sense of
community amidst struggling musicians.
X was affectionately called Papa Rock by musicians
and his untimely demise this year in a drowning
accident at Goa brought forth an outpouring of
tributes from various musicians.
Name X and the publication he started?
(Pic on next slide)

129. 26

130. ANSWER

131. Amit Saigal, Rock Street Journal

132. 27
What sickly term was coined by Ashish Bose
in the 1980s in a paper submitted to Rajiv
Gandhi, with reference to the relative
prosperity of UP, Rajasthan, Bihar and
Madhya Pradesh?

133. ANSWER

134. BIMARU – referring to the bimar (sick)
state of the GDP of BIhar, MAdhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh

135. Connect (larger pics follow) 28

136. 28

137. 28

138. ANSWER

139. Anthony Gonsalves
o The nonsense lyric to the song inspired by
Anthony Gonsalves came from a remark
made by Benjamin Disraeli to William
Gladstone
o The comic superhero Anthony Gonsalves
was a tribute to the composer
o Nikhil Dwivedi plays the character Anthony
Gonsalves in the 2007 flop “My Name is
Anthony Gonsalves”

140. 29
In 1953, at the end of a flawless Hindolam
rendition by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan performed
at the Music Academy in Chennai, X who was
a legend of the time did something as an
instant show of appreciation for the maestro‟s
performance. The act was widely criticized by
X‟s peers of the time as a show of sycophancy
to the Northern tradition.
Who was X and what did he do?

141. ANSWER

142. X- G N Balasubramaniam
He fell at Bade Ghulam Ali‟s feet

143. 30
**Cdr. Homi. D. Motiwala and Lt. Cdr.
P.K. Garg are the only two people from
which sport to win the Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna Award?

144. ANSWER

145. Yachting

146. 31
The name of this district of Jammu and
Kashmir is said to come from the Sanskrit
words for Boar‟s Molar from the story of a
demon who was vanquished by Vishnu in the
form of a boar. Coincidentally it also has 12
blocks/tehsils which lends credence to
alternate origin theories. What district?

147. ANSWER

148. Baramullah

149. 32
On an aerial tour, Lord
Mountbatten asked his staff
to name the river below at
which point he was told by
an American officer “That‟s
not a river, it‟s the _____
_____”. Originally named
after the man on the left
who was in charge of the
engineers who built it, it
was named after his
superior eventually.
Give either name for it.

150. 32

151. ANSWER

152. Pick‟s Pike, Stillwell Road or the Ledo
Burma road

153. 33
If you were a pilot in Goa, what would
your occupation be?

154. ANSWER

155. Motorcycle taxi driver

156. 34
This online game by matchmaker shaadi.com,
inspired by a more popular game, targets illegal
dowry demanding grooms who are attacked
commensurate to the dowry they demand. What
game?

157. ANSWER

158. Angry Brides

159. 35
**Who composed
the music for this
movie, which
details the story of
a bunch of
travelling artists
who perform
Shakespeare plays?

160. ANSWER

161. Satyajit Ray