Quiz about India. Covers History, Culture, Sports, Literature and Music

1. LSD’s The Independence Day
India Quiz
By Yogesh

2. Prelims

3. Design
• Teams of three
• 20 Questions, Max Possible Score 26
• Questions 15 to 20 are 2 mark Questions
• Questions 5, 10 and 15 are star marked questions and Sudden Death would be used on these
questions to break a tie

4. 1. A description of What ?
• The upper left hand contains Agni or fire, which signifies destruction. The opposing
concepts in the upper hands show the counterpoise of creation and destruction or the
fire of life.
• The second right hand shows the Abhaya mudra (meaning fearlessness in Sanskrit),
bestowing protection from both evil and ignorance to those who follow the
righteousness of dharma.
• The second left hand points towards the raised foot which signifies upliftment and
liberation. It also points to the left foot with the sign of the elephant which leads the way
through the jungle of ignorance.
• The dwarf on which X dances is the demon Apasmara which symbolises victory over
ignorance. It also represents the passage of spirit from the divine into material.

6. The Nataraja Sculpture

7. 2. Connect
• Kerry Hope
• Andrzej Soldra
• Matiouze Royer
• Alexander Horvath
• Samet Hyuseinov
• Dean Gillen
• Sonny Whiting

9. Vijender Singh

10. 3. Identify the Padamshree awardee Announcer

12. Ameen Sayani
Sayani was conferred the Padma Shri award in 2009
Living Legend Award (2006) from Federation OF Indian Chambers OF
Commerce & Industry, with India Radio Forum
Kaan Hall Of Fame Award (2003) from Radio Mirchi (FM Network of
the Times Group)
Golden Abby by Advertising Club, Bombay (2000 ) for the
OUTSTANDING RADIO CAMPAIGN OF THE CENTURY ( “Binaca/Cibaca
GEETMALA” ).
Hall Of Fame Award (1993) from Indian Academy Of Advertising Film
Art (IAAFA)
Person Of The Year Award (1992) Limca Book Of Records
Gold medal(1991) from Indian Society Of Advertisers (ISA) presented
by Mr. K.R. Narayanan, then Vice-President of India.

13. 4 .Put Funda

16. 5* Give me X
• Born in Amritsar, Punjab, British India . He was awarded the Indian version of the World
Heavyweight Championship on 15 October 1910. Undefeated in a career spanning more
than 50 years, he is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
• On his first London Visit , X issued a challenge that he could throw any three wrestlers in
thirty minutes of any weight class. On the second day, he defeated 12 wrestlers.
• X was pitted against world champion Stanislaus Zbyszko who crafted a defensive
strategy of hugging the mat to nullify X’s greatest strengths and the match was a dud.
• Shortly after his return from England, X faced Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala in
Allahabad. This bout eventually ended the long struggle between the two pillars of Indian
wrestling of that time in favour of X and he won the title of Rustam-e-Hind or Champion
of India.
• X did not have any opponents until 1927, when it was announced that X and Zbyszko
would face each other again. The day finally came in 1928 when both wrestlers met again
in Patiala. The result of the bout was quick when X threw Zbyszko in only 42 seconds.

18. Ghulam Mohammed
(Gama Pehalwan)

19. 6. Who ?
One of his most famous works is an early work based on Edward Fitzgerald’s translation of
Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. It brought him instant fame, and his recitals were met with wild
enthusiasm from large audiences. The poem has 135 Ruba’i (quatrains), and is a
metaphorical work on the complexity of life. The poem was choreographed, performed on
stage, and set to music. A few years after this, he started teaching English literature.
After teaching for 12 years he got an opportunity to visit Cambridge. Although the principal
objective was to study English-teaching methodology at Cambridge, he saw it as an
opportunity to complete his previous studies on the Irish poet WB Yeats.
His acceptance at Cambridge may have rested more on his popular acclaim rather than his
academic qualifications, but while at Cambridge he excelled, achieving his doctorate in
English Literature for his work on Yeats.
He received many honors for his literary and social contributions, and each time he would
famously introduce himself as “A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment’s life – that is
me” [translated].

21. HRB

22. 7. What is the historical Connection?

24. Signatories of Pakistani Instrument of
Surrender, 1971 Bangladesh War

25. 8. What Number ?
I remember once going to see him when he was ill at Putney. I had ridden in taxi
cab number ____ and remarked that the number seemed to me rather a dull one,
and that I hoped it was not an unfavourable omen. "No," X replied, "it is a very
interesting number; it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes
in two different ways.

27. 1729- Hardy-Ramanujan
Number

28. 9. Who?
X was nominated for the Nobel prize for literature in 1984 and won the Sahitya
Academy Award in the year 1985.
X’s autobiography was published in English and vernacular, and evoked violent
reactions of admiration and criticism. The novel created a literary sensation, while
X’s close family tried to stop its publication. X’s English oeuvre is known for the
explicit autobiography & poetry.
X’s open and honest treatment of sexuality, free from any sense of guilt, marked X
as an iconoclast .
Who is this writer, who wrote under different names in English and vernacular, and
is part of a well- known literary family in India.

30. Kamala Das

31. 10.* Who’s the cartoonist
The first-ever series played between India and Pakistan in 1952 had seen thousands of men
and women from across the border cross over to India by road when civic authorities in
most Indian cities went out of their way to welcome the tourists. It was an example of how
sport was used to foster people to people contact in the immediate aftermath of the
Partition.
X however was sure that such bonhomie was more of an aberration and the cricketing ties
soon became an extension of the political ties between the two countries - where
animosity and tension could play out in a non-violent setting.
X’s cartoon's demonstrates this change rather nicely. The bowler on the cover is clearly out
to "destroy" the batsman if his face is any indication and it is evident that by the time the
pamphlet was published India versus Pakistan was far more than a mere cricket contest. It
was subsumed by the broader political discourse of hostility and a loss to India and vice-
versa went far beyond the sporting realm.
Picture on next slide

35. 11. Funda ?

37. Pellet gun use in J&K

38. 12.What is the occasion?
The tickets for the last ride were priced as high as Rs 10,000, with the funds collected set to be
given to the drought-hit regions of Maharashtra.
The Central Railway had organised an elaborate cultural event that saw dance performances by
various groups, dhols and bands playing across stations and a flash mob at CST.
CR General Manager Sunil Kumar Sood was present at the event. There was an atmosphere of
celebration and nostalgia with passengers and ticket collectors cherishing their last ride on this
much-loved local train.
Cultural Secretary, Central Railway, Sulekha Doshi said, “This is a historical event for India. X will stop
plying now and we had to make this last ride special for all passengers. The cultural team put in a lot
of efforts for the same.”
A lot of people were emotionally attached to this rake. For many, the X was their first encounter
with trains.
Picture on next slide

41. Kurla To CST Grand Farewell to Last DC (Direct
Current) Local After 91 Year of Service

42. 13. What is this doodle commemorating ?

44. Pakistan’s 70th
Independence
Day

45. 14. What is being talked about?
From 1950, India ran continued trade deficits that increased in magnitude in the 1960s.
Furthermore, the Government of India had a budget deficit problem and could not borrow money
from abroad or from the private corporate sector, due to that sector's negative savings rate.
As a result, the government issued bonds to the RBI, which increased the money supply, leading to
inflation. In 1966, foreign aid, which had hitherto been a key factor in preventing ________, was
finally cut off and India was told it had to liberalise its restrictions on trade before foreign aid would
again materialise.
The response was the politically unpopular step of ______ accompanied by liberalisation.
Furthermore, The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 led the US and other countries friendly towards
Pakistan to withdraw foreign aid to India, which necessitated more ________.
Defence spending in 1965/1966 was 24.06% of total expenditure, the highest it has been in the
period from 1965 to 1989 (Foundations, pp 195).
Another factor leading to _______ was the drought of 1965/1966 which resulted in a sharp rise in
prices.

47. The dramatic devaluation of rupee
from Rs 4.76/US $ to Rs 7.5/US $

48. 15.* Identify the singer and the form of music
(1+1)

50. Ustad Bade Ghulam
Ali Khan
Thumri- Yaad Piya ki
Aaye

51. 16. Give Y and Z (1+1)
• “X does not bear alone the responsibility for every tragic mistake that occurred
with Y and its passengers, but X’s government was without question responsible
for the laws that prevented these passengers from immigrating peacefully and
securely, for that, and for every regrettable consequence that followed, we, are,
sorry," Z said.
• "First and foremost, to the victims of the incident, no words can erase the pain
and suffering they experienced," ."Regrettably, the passage of time means that
none are alive to hear our apology today, still, we offer it, fully and sincerely, for
our indifference to your plight, for our failure to recognize all that you had to
offer. For the laws that discriminated against you so senselessly, and for not
apologizing sooner. For all these things, we are truly sorry."

54. 17 What Event and Who is X? (1+1)
According to popular opinion first such Event was organised by Raja Nabakrishna
Deb of the Shobhabazar Rajbari in honour of X. The Event was organised because X
wished to pay thanks for his victory in the Battle of ____. He was unable to do so in
a Church because the only church in the city at that time was destroyed by Siraj-ud-
Daulah.
Indeed, many wealthy mercantile and Zamindar families made British officers of
the East India Company guests of honour in the event. The hosts vied with one
another in arranging the most sumptuous fares, decorations and entertainment for
their guests. This was deemed necessary since the company was in charge of a
large part of India including Bengal after the battles of Plassey and Buxar.

56. Durga Puja and
Robert Clive

57. 18. Give X and Y (1+1)
X is the recipient of national and international awards, including an honorary
citizenship of the city of Baltimore, USA, in 1985, the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award in 1986, the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.
In 1967, he teamed up with flautist Y and Brij Bhushan Kabra to produce a concept
album, Call of the Valley (1967) which turned out to be one of the greatest hits in
Indian Classical Music. X has composed music for many Hindi films in collaboration
with Y starting with Silsila (1980).
Some of the movies they composed music for that were big musical hits are Faasle
(1985), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991) and Darr (1993).

59. X= Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma
Y= Hari Prasad Chaurasia

60. 19. Give X & Y
X was a prominent general of Y. He led three campaigns in Southern India from 1294 to 1316 AD,
and set the stage for the consequent arrival of the Madurai Sultanate.
X was originally seized by Y’s army after the army conquered the city of Khambhat. It is theorized Y
fell in love with the effeminate beauty of X, castrated and converted him to Islam. The sultan had
homosexual relation with X.
X was also called “Hazaar Dinari", probably the amount paid by sultan for his possession. X quickly
came to play an important role in the Sultanate, and was consequently made a Military General,
earning the title "Naib"—an honorific title for a military commander as noted by Ziauddin Barani.
In 1294, X led the Sultan's army for attacking the capital city of the Yadava kingdom of Devagiri,
which was ruled by Ramdeva. In 1305, X defeated the Mongols at the Battle of Amroha.
X masterminded the death of Y in 1316 and was later murdered by soldiers of Y’s grandson.

62. Malik Kafur
Allaudin Khilji

63. 20. Identify the two people in the picture (1+1)
"New crowns for old ones!"

65. Benjamin Disraeli &
Queen Victoria