Tag Archives: trivia

9

Cinephilia Quiz- Cycle 2: The Drunken Celluloid Quiz

Hi all,

I am starting the second cycle of Cinephilia quizzes. The cycle will consist of four quizzes and will try to make it an weekly affair.

Today is the Drunken Celluloid quiz. It may be about films where alcoholics are significant characters or about real personalities with liver issues themselves. I’ve always believed that the alcohol issues suffered by some of the brightest of our minds was not their problem but that of the society that was not evolved enough to accommodate them. So I’ll just quote one of the best lines to have come put of Indian music industry in the 21st century and start the quiz.

Rules:

Put your answers as comments.

They are being moderated and will be published only after the deadline.

You can make multiple attempts and in case of conflicts your last answer will be taken as final.

Every question is worth 10 points irrespective of difficulty level (for ease of calculation).

Prizes:

After a complete cycle, the top three cumulative score holders will win Flipkart Vouchers worth INR 300, 200 & 100.

Deadline:

Sunday Midnight.

The Drunken Celluloid Quiz

1. It is a film that has a unique achievement in the festival circuit. Adapted from a novel, it was apparently conceived by the director during a train ride when he purchased and read the novel during the journey. An unusual affair for its times, it also alarmed the lead actor and he was advised against taking up the role. But nevertheless, he went ahead and reaped benefits for the same. Identify the film.

2. He started his career with a prominent auteur of Indian cinema. He soon moved to Bollywood and played several insignificant roles in various Hindi films. But afterwards a certain talent of his got noticed and the same was utilized again and again by various filmmakers. Even till date he is remembered for these roles only.

3. He had an opportunity to sing a particular song that was penned almost 80 years ago. While playback facility was available, he chooses to sing it live and also act on the same, thus making it one of his most memorable performances. Who’s he and what was the song?

4. Apparently this Indian film has only one surviving copy, that too in another country. And even that copy is partially destroyed. Nevertheless, it remains a path breaking film in terms of technique and treatment in the early days of Indian cinema. Identify.

5.

Signs of profound melancholia and unmistakable, self-destructive alcoholism… whose lines are these?

6. X was one of the early directors of Bollywood who achieved significant commercial success early on his career, only to receive setbacks later. The leading roles in almost all of his films were played by the same actor. Y once worked under him in a film but later on achieved success on his own. It is believed that Y’s film Z is inspired by X’s life but one can also find uncanny resemblance of the film with Y’s own life. Identify X,Y,Z.

7. Some of his books were published posthumously after he killed himself. They were mostly completed by one of his relatives. . He even wrote an episode for an animated TV series but he is known for his debut novel published a few years before his death. Who’s he? How does he fit into this quiz?

8. Sitter: The poster of which upcoming film based on a semi-autobiographical novel?

9. Apparently he was never an alcoholic. But still he fits nicely into this quiz. At one point of time he became so popular that he acted in a film named after himself. Legend has it that once he arrived at the sets of a film, showed his acting prowess playing a drunkard and forced the writer/director to change the script to accommodate a new character for him. Who?

10. Deviating a bit… not exactly films… but the events shown here provided fodder for a lot of Hollywood movies. What is happening here or to be precise which era do they belong to?


___________________________________________________

1. Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend (1945). The Lost Weekend and Marty (1955) are the only films ever to win both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival.

2. Keshto Mukherjee

3. K L Saigal…. Babul Mora by Wazid Ali Shah

4. Pramathesh Barua’s Devdas… The only remaining copy is in Bangladesh film archives…

5. Meena Kumari of course. She also recited it and recorder an album called I Write, I Recite.

6. X=Gyan Mukherjee who gave arguably the 1st blockbuster of Bollywood, Kismet. Y=Guru Dutt, Z=Kagaz Ke Phool

7. John O’Brien who wrote Leaving Las Vegas.

8. Rum Diaries based on Hunter P Thomson…. Kinda follow up to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

9. Johnny Walker

10. The Prohibition Era… quite a few crime/gangster films have been based on this period… too many to name…

Thanks for Playing…

9

Parallel Cinema Quiz for Quizcraft

This is the parallel cinema quiz I did at the group Quizcraft. Here I am trying to pay tribute to the Indian parallel cinema movement by moving beyond mere financial considerations. As there are only 10 questions, I have failed to cover all the luminaries of this genre but will try to do the same in the future. Have a look at the questions, the answers have also been provided at the bottom.

Indian Parallel Cinema Quiz:


1. A once made a film B based on a short story by C. The same story was later directed by D in a more glitzy manner with bigger stars and the film was called E. D was also an actor in his younger days was known for his common man acts. Identify all.

2. How are they connected?

3.Set in a decrepit Mumbai slum, this film comes with characters like an attractive widower, her teenaged children and her suitors (one of whom duffers from syphilis, one of the rare depictions of STD in Hindi cinema). True to the ideals of parallel cinema of its times, it is as gritty and realistic as it can be. It was the first and last feature length film of the director as his life was tragically cut short by an accident. It fittingly stars two of the biggest “parallel” stars of those times. So, just name the film.

4.One of the earliest instances of using an inanimate object as a character, this film is the first theatrical release of its director. Noted critic once Jonathan Rosenbaum had once drew parallels to Jacques Tati’s Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot. Full with symbolism and wry humor, this 1958 release still remains one of the lesser known works of this maestro. Name it.

5. Name the lady here…she dint do any of those “parallel” films herself…but there exists a connect somehow…


6. Connect

7. Largely overlooked at the time of its release, this film has gone on to receive cult status over time. This late 80’s film portraying life in a fictional small town in India came out of near oblivion couple of years ago, when an equally rebellious new age director accepted its influence on his latest release. Identify this film. (It might look vague but I would refrain from naming anyone here as it would be a giveaway…or probably it already is!)

8. Connect

9. Exhaustive List…connect

10. Simple one 2 wind up…gimme the cult film…

_________________________________________________

Indian Parallel Cinema Quiz Answers:

1. A= Mani Kaul, B=Duvidha, C=Vijaydan Dvetha. D= Amol Palekar, E=Paheli

2. The connect is Byomkesh Bakshi.
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, the creator, Basu Chatterjee who made the cult serial and Ray who made Chriakhana with Uttam Kumar as Byomkesh

3. Chakra by Rabindra Dharmaraj. One of the lesser known ones of its genre but I was blown away by it. Stars Smita Patil & Naseeruddin Shah among others

4. Ajantrik by Ritwik Ghatak that depicts a man and his relationship with his beloved Taxi, a 1920 model Chevrolet which is in dilapidated condition but is his only companion nevertheless.

5. Hansa Wadkar, a popular actress of Hindi and Marathi films in the 30’s & 40’s & was know to be ahead of her time which also lead to problems in her personal life. Shyam Benegal & Smita Patil brought her back to life through their film Bhumika which is actually the parallel cinema connection in this case.

6. Neecha Nagar, is the connect. Maxim Gorky, Chetan Anand & Cannes film Festival. It is on of the first Indian films to gain international recognition, after it shared the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film (Best Film) award at the first Cannes Film Festival in 1946. It was based on a Hindi story, Neecha Nagar, written by Hayatulla Ansari, which in turn was inspired by Maxim Gorky’s “Lower Depths”.

7. Om Dar Badar by Kamal Swaroop. A certain scene is supposed to have inspired the picturization of Emosanal Atyachar.

8. Movies adopted from Mahashweta Devi’s novels…Sanghursh, Rudaali, Hazar CHurashi Ki Maa…

9. Now everyone has got Ray here…but as I said, it was an exhaustive list. The exact connect is the Original Screenplays or Stories by Ray. Kanchenjunga & Nayak are his only proper original screenplays. Sonar Kella, Hirak Rajar Deshe, Jaibaba Felunath & Agantuk are based on his own stories or novels. All his other works are based on noted literary works by other authors such as Rabindranath, Bibhutibhushan, SUnil Gangopadhyay, Sankar, Premchand etc.

*But I have realized now that Shakha Proshakha is another film that is originally written by him. The ray foundation site says “Only six screenplays of these feature length films were entirely original”…but then it names seven films, which confused me…u can follow the link & see for urself…

10. Jane Bhi Do Yaaron, Kundan Shah, Weekend at Bernie’s which is believed to have been inspired by the same & Blow up which has been referenced in the film.

10

The Independence Day Quiz: Volume Zero

Hi,

In order to celebrate the Independence Day, a dedicated Quiz on Indian History is being conducted here in two volumes. This is the second volume.

In case you haven’t seen you can also visit The Indian History Quiz Volume Pi.

Pattern:
There are two rounds with 15 questions each. First volume was posted on 13th night and the answers were posted on 15th night. The second volume is being posted now. So you have a deadline of 48 hours.

Marking Scheme:
Questions will fetch one mark each unless mentioned otherwise. But some of them have multiple variables and hence will fetch as many marks.

Mode of Answering:
Put your answers as comments. They are being moderated and they will not be visible unless they are approved after the deadline.

Warning: Please put your answers in the WordPress comment system at the bottom and NOT as Facebook comments. The FB comment box has been provided for easy interaction but the answers must be moderated and not published directly

Prizes:
There are small token prizes in the shape of Flipkart e-vouchers worth Rs 300, 200 and 100 for cumulative winners in order to encourage participation from younger quizzers. In case you think the amount can be passed off to newer participants, you can mention that you are “Non-Comp” along with your answers.

Request:
Please like the FB page on the right side box or +1 this post to show support so that such efforts can be continued in the future.

A Quiz By
Jitaditya

__________________________________________

Independence Day Quiz: Questions

1. Easy: Translation of a famous stone inscription. Who are they talking about?

2. Situated northwest of Delhi, X is a place of mythological and historical importance mostly known as the ancestral kingdom of a certain Emperor Y who is quite well known. X was a prominent city during the ancient times but after it was sacked by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, it started losing its prominence. By the time of British rule it had been relegated to a nondescript village. But after partition a bunch of refugees were settled around the place and soon it went through a revival of sorts to become a notable commercial town. Now it is a part of a district named after an epic battlefield. Enough clues… identify X & Y. (2 marks)

3.He was of Syrian origin and apparently was only 17 years old when he achieved his most famous achievement. He’s still a popular figure in Pakistan with a port named after him. Nevertheless his success was temporary and he faced defeat soon. Also, due to political changes in his own country, he fell out of favour. There are several controversial accounts about his death, although it is more or less certain that he was only 20 years old when he died/killed. Who?

4. X was one of the most powerful rulers of the 8th century India. According to accounts of various Indian, Tibetan, Turk and Chinese accounts, he not only conquered the bulk of India but also led successful campaigns to different central Asian regions. He is also believed to have conquered regions in Western China and marshalled his troops across Tibet. A twelfth century Indian historian has described his exploits in his magnum opus. Who?

5. Need a bit of explanation here. The gentleman here has made several discoveries with regards to Indian history and archaeology. One particular achievement of his was achieved through the items shown at the bottom and whatever he “discovered” can trace back its origins to the region shown in the map. Identify and explain (2 point)

6. He was a traveller who visited India in the 15th century. He took the sea route and landed on the western coast. He spent a few years in a Deccan kingdom and then tried to return to his place but died before he reached home. A joint production film was made in the 1950’s with a fictionalized account of his travel and affair in India. Among others, the film starred a reigning Indian actress of those times. Identify the explorer.

7. Identify these two and name the more famous one of their kind. (2 points)

8. This is not an exhaustive collection of flags. But they represent something very specific. As shown by the arrow in the middle, they have been arranged following a certain order. The two flags in a row are equal in that regard and it gradually changes as we go downwards. Sorry if it sounds vague, any more clue will ruin the question. Just explain. (2 marks)

9. His exploits were legendary. He expanded the empire of his master at a breakneck speed and British contemporaries considered him to be capable of pushing his boundary up to Europe, only if he had the technology of the Europeans. He apparently died in a winning cause while fighting the Afghans in a critically strategic location. A popular Bollywood song of the 60’s refers to him. Identify.

10. A slight deviation from serious stuff with some indulgent dose of glamour. An Indian royalty, she was considered a fashion icon in the West and was regularly managed get noticed by fashion magazines, photographers and designers. Identify.

11. Sitter again: A trained medicine man from a Brahmin family. What did he start?

12. He sought revenge. It took more than two decades and in between he spent time in Africa, USA and Europe. He also spent a few years in an Indian jail during the period when most of his revolutionary comrades fell. Nevertheless, he finally achieved his goal and he always maintained that his victim deserved it. Identify this martyr.

13. The ruler of this princely state wanted to assimilate with Pakistan. However the Hindu majority populace made it difficult. The Indian government put economic and political pressure and finally occupied the state and the ruler fled to Pakistan along with most of the money in the treasury. The prime minister of the state finally negotiated and completed the formalities of the accession with India. Now, this prime minister was also a prominent personality whose subsequent generations went on to create a political dynasty. Identify the state and the Person mentioned. (Clue: I am not looking for Hyderabad although the initial parts sound like it) (2 marks)

14. A lawyer by profession, he once had the British administration declare a prize on him due to his revolutionary activities. But he is more famous for the role he played more than three decades later during India’s darkest hour. As a matter of fact he achieved a unique achievement during this period and was also involved in a high profile lawsuit. Who?

15. Simple one to end with… who?

Repeat Warning: Please put your answers in the WordPress comment system at the bottom and NOT as Facebook comments. The FB comment box has been provided for easy interaction but the answers must be moderated and not published directly

__________________________________________

Independence Day Quiz: Answers

1. Samudragupta’s exploits as mentioned in Allahabad inscription.

2. X= Thanesar (Thaneshwar) in Kurukshetra district of Haryana, Y= Harshavardhan

3. Mohammad Bi Qasim, who beat King Dahir in 715 AD in Sindh to mark the first successful muslim invasion. He was later beaten by a Rajput Chieftain Bappa Rawal to check his progress and mark his downfall.

4. Lalitaditya Muktapida, as mentioned by Kalhan in Rajtarangini

5. James Princep deciphered the Kharoshthi script using the seal that had Greek inscription on one side and Kharoshti on the other. In a way it can be called India’s Rosetta stone. Kharoshti script mainly developed in the Gandhar (Kandahar) region as shown in the map.

6. Afanisi Nikitin. Film Pardesi (1957) with Nargis as the female lead and produced by Mosfilm and Naya Sansar.

7. French & Dutch East India Company. More famous is of course the British one.

8. Gun salutes is the login behind this order. The princley states were given gun salues based on their stature and importance. Big ones like Gwalior and Hyderabad got 21. The likes of Bhopal and Travancore had 19 and so on…

9. Hari Singh Nalwa. The song Mere Desh Ki Dharti refers to him… “Rang hara Hari Singh Nalwe se.. Rang laal hain Lal Bahadur se” …

10. Sita Devi of Kapurthala

11. K B Hedgewar… RSS

12. Shaheed Udham Singh who pulled one back by eliminating Michael O’Dwyer, who was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab during Jalianwalabagh massacre. Do note that he is often confused with General Dyer who actially ordered the firings.

13. Junagadh in Guajarat. The man is question is Shah Nawaz Bhutto. You can figure out the rest with his surname.

14. Raj Narain who defeated Indira Gandhi in Rai Bareily.

15. Shah Bano.

Scores being counted…. Thanks for playing.

______________________________________

Score Update

Total maximum score 26+20=46

Daktar Vinay (Non-Comp) 10+9=19
Nikhil Kulkarni 04
Harsha VS 9+16=25
Kapinjal Choudhury 7+6=13
Mit Choudhury 1+3=04
Shekhar Shengar 05
Vedanuj Goswami 14+19=33
Anadi Mishra 01
Ritwik K 8+18=26
Arindam Phukan 12+16=28

So, based on the scores in both rounds,

Winner Vedanuj Goswami

Runners up Arindam Phukan

3rd Rithwik

A close miss by Harsha VS!!!

I’ll contact all three with the details after a couple of days.

Thanks

6

The Independence Day Quiz: Volume Pi

Hi,

In order to celebrate the forthcoming Independence Day, a dedicated Quiz on Indian History is being conducted here in two volumes.

Pattern:
There will be two rounds with 15 questions each. First volume will be posted on 13th night and the answers will be posted on 15th night. The second volume will be posted on 19th night and the cumulative winner will be declared on the 21st night.

Marking Scheme:
Questions will fetch one mark each unless mentioned otherwise. But some of them have multiple variables and hence will fetch as many marks.

Mode of Answering:
Put your answers as comments. They are being moderated and they will not be visible unless they are approved after the deadline.

Prizes:
There are small token prizes in the shape of Flipkart e-vouchers worth Rs 300, 200 and 100 for cumulative winners in order to encourage participation from younger quizzers. In case you think the amount can be passed off to newer participants, you can mention that you are “Non-Comp” along with your answers.

Request:
Please like the FB page on the right side box or +1 this post to show support so that such drives can be continued in the future.

A Quiz By
Jitaditya & Vikas

__________________________________________

Independence Day Quiz: Questions

1. Connect

2. X & XY both are mythical entities. XY is more popularly known by his surname Y. But there is a theory that X is the same person as XY. But it may also be a coincidence that they shared the same first name. X was a celebrated monarch who is said to have divine protections and his son was the victor of a famous battle among Vedic tribes. On the other hand XY is the founder of certain branch of practical knowledge and learning that has endured the test of time till date. Identify X and XY. (2 marks)

3. P is a peculiar entity in Indian mythology who has seen a fall from grace over ages in his own pantheon. During the early days, P is also supposed to have aided X from the previous question in vanquishing his arch rival by demolishing multiple fortifications and thus earning the epithet, Q. P and some of his cognates also find mention in other ancient mythologies and was a major deity in the pantheon of R, an ancient state that is believed to have flourished somewhere in Asia Manor and Levant. Identify P, Q and R. (3 marks)

4. A Google friendly one. Three major trade routes passed through this ancient city.

• The northern road which connected Gandhara in the west to the kingdom of Magadha in the Ganges valley in the east.
• The northwestern route through Bactria, Kapisa and Pushkalavati
• The Sindhu route from Kashmir and Central Asia to the Silk Road in the north and also to the Indian Ocean in the south.

This city was also a capital of the state that supported Alexander against Puru during his campaign. Nevertheless, it is more famous till date for another reason. Identify.

5. There is no clear information about the rise of this important center of trade in ancient India. Some experts claim that it existed as early as the 7th century BC although the claims lack material evidence. But even Mahabharata mentions the place on various occasions, thus suggesting its antiquity. Even Periplus Maris Erythraei attests its burgeoning trade with China and South East Asia. It slowly began losing its prominence due to various factors and finally went into oblivion. It is generally agreed that a nondescript present day town with less than 50000 populations is the site of that legendary spot. Which place?

6. Just connect (exhaustive list)

7. It is considered to be a masterpiece in Arabic literature although it was actually a translation. The Arabic version differs considerably from the original book owing to the cultural and religious differences between two countries and the fact that Arabic version was never directly translated. The Arabic version was the source for all European versions until 18th century. Parallel versions exist in Tibet, China and much of South East Asia. What am I talking about?

8. Certain places have been depicted here either through maps or historical monuments. They follow a chronological pattern as suggested through arrows. Explain how they are connected.

9. A certain new testament apocrypha mentions the meeting of X and Y that lead to an event that was “first” of its kind in the subcontinent. But archeological and numismatic evidences suggest that actually X might have predated the event and it may be one of his successors adopting the same name. Identify X and Y. (2 points)

10. This historical site derives its name from Sanskrit word Nagar. Now serving a different religion than what it was built for, its design was based on a certain geographical entity in Indian mythology. It has such a passionate connect with its people that recently a rumor about the site caused riots in the country. Identify.

11. X is believed to be one of the earliest as well as celebrated dramatists in the history of Sanskrit literature. Not much is known about his early life but his oeuvre is replete with classic tragedies. As his works do not always follow the rules of Natya Shastra, we can assume that he even predated Bharata Muni himself. Y is arguably his most famous work which was believed to have been lost forever till it was rediscovered in Kerala in the early 20th century. X & Y? (2 points)

12. Identify the three characters.

13. X and Y differ by approximately 134 years and were started to celebrate two similar events. Still much in use in South Asia and officially endorsed by two different countries, they also gave birth to parallel traditions in India and South East Asia. What are X & Y? (2 points)

14. During his heyday, X was considered to be among the greatest rulers of the ancient world along with his Chinese, Byzantine and Caliphate counterparts by some of the travelers. He belonged to the Y dynasty and is believed have one of the longest reigns in history. X & Y? (2 marks)

15. P was a lesser known frontier king who is known to have prevented at least two invasions from powerful western invaders, finally succumbing to a third one. While much information about him is not available, he is believed to have used scorched earth policy to weaken Q’s army before getting into a real battle and defeating Q comprehensively. This incident finds mention in a rock inscription that is named R after a certain local myth regarding Lord Krishna. The event is also described by historian S in his seminal work T which is considered one of the major sources of those times. Identify P, Q, R, S and T. (5 marks)

____________________________

The Answers:

1. A generic connect to start with. The Indust Valley Civilization.

First train of East Indian Railway, Pashupatinath Temple and Ghaggar-Hakra River basin.
It was during the laying of Lahore-Karachi railway line by East Indian Railway company, ancient ruins of Indus Valley Civilization were found in city of Brahimabad.
One of the seals of the civilization has been interpreted as that of Shiva (Pashupatinath) although its debated by some historians.
Ghaggar-Hakra river basin is believed to be the remnant of dried up Saraswati river by many Historians. The drying up of Saraswati river is considered one of the reasons of the ultimate downfall and end of it.

2. X= Dibodasa, an ancient kind mentioned in the early vedic literature. He was the father of Sudas, the victor of the Battle of Ten Kings.
XY= Dibodasa Dhanvantari, more popularly known as Dhanvantari, the founder of Ayurveda

3. P= Indra, the powerful vedic deity who no longer enjoys the prominence in Hindu pantheon.
Q= Purandar (Destroyer of the cities). Apparently Indra destroyed a hundred fortifications belonging to Divodasa’s enemy who was apparently a non-Indo-Aryan entity.
R= Mittani, a Hurrian speaking state that flourished for a short period around 1200 BC in Syria and Anatolia. They surprisingly worshipped deities such as Indra and Varuna and thus giving rise to a speculation that the local population was ruled by an Indo-Aryan ruling class.

4. Takshashila/ Taxila.

5. Tamralipti, a port city that flourished in the ancient times due to the maritime trade with the South Eastern markets but got buried under silt over time and lost its importance. Present day Tamluk in West Bengal is supposed to be the same place.

6. Symbols of 24 Jain Tirthankaras. The number 24 was the key here in case people counted.

7. Panchatantra. Arabic version is named as Kal?la wa Dimna. Arabic version was adopted in 750 AD from Persian translation that happened in 570 AD. It was exported (probably both in oral and literary formats) north to Tibet and China and east to South East Asia by Buddhist monks on pilgrimage. These led to versions in all Southeast Asian countries, including Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian, Javanese and Lao derivatives.Intrestingly, a German translation, Das Der Buch Beyspiele, of the Panchatantra was printed in 1483, making this one of the earliest books to be printed by Gutenberg’s press after the Bible.

8. Locations of The four Buddhist Councils.
Rajgriha. The map shows the present day Rajgir, which used to be Rajgriha, the first capital of Magadha.
Vaishali. The pic shows ruins of the single lion capitol of Ashoka in that place.
Pataliputra. The pic of ancient remains near Patna.
The location of the fourth is unsure. It is believed to be Jalandhar or somewhere in Kashmir.

9. X= Gondophares, the Indo-Parthian King, the first Indian royalty to have converted to Christianity.
Y= St. Thomas
Mentioned in the Acts of Thomas, the 3rd century New Testament apocrypha.

10. Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Angkor is derived from Nagar. A temple complex built by King Suryavarman II in 12th Century, now it functions as a Therveda Budhdhist temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology. It is cultural symbol of Cambodia and appears on its national flag. Cambodians are so attached to it that in 2003 riots started in Phnom Penh when a false rumor circulated that a Thai soap opera actress had claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.

11. X= Bhasa, Y= Swapnabasavadutta, He was also known for certain tragic plays such as Urubhanga, a sympathetic tale of Duryodhan.

12. OM in Balinese, Tamil Grantham and Tibetian scripts.

13. Vikram Samvat(started 56 BC) and Saka Samvat(also known as Shalivahan Samvat and started 78 AD). Vikrama Samvat was founded by the emperor Vikramaditya of Ujjain[1] following his victory over the Sakas and the Satavahana king Shalivahana is credited with the initiation Saka to celebrate his victory against the Sakas in the year 78 CE. Vikaram samvat is official calendar of Nepal and Saka of India.

14. X= Amoghavarsha, Y= Rashtrakuta. Certain travelers of those times considered him to be the fourth greatest monarch in the world after the Roman
Emperor in Constantinople, The Chinese Emperor and the Khalifa of Baghdad.

15. Had to ask an Assam related question and this was it. Din’t expect too many cracks and in fact it goes uncracked. My intention was to shed some light to the matter as it is largely unknown and neglected.
P= Prithu
Q= Bakhtiya Khilji, the conqueror of Bengal.
R= Kanai boroxi boa xil (The rock where Lord Krishna fished)… The rock-inscription found in north Guwahati records the defeat of the Turuska or the Turks in the hands of the local ruler of Kamrupa on March 27 in 1206 AD.
S= Minhaj-i-Siraj
T= Tabaqat-i-Nasiri
Some more info can be found here. Start with Page 133.

Thanks for playing. The scores will be counted after the second volume next weekend.

________________________

Scores after the first volume:
(I’ve been lenient unlike most of the teachers and professors I’ve endured)

Total Marks: 26

Daktar Vinay 10
Nikhil Kulkarni 4
Harsha VS 9
Kapinjal Choudhury 7
Mit Choudhury 1
Shekhar Shengar 5
Vedanuj Goswami 14
Anadi Mishra 1
Ritwik K 8
Arindam Phukan 12

2

Cinephilia Quiz 5: Doordarshan

Hi all,

Today’s quiz dedicated to the nostalgic memories of Doordarshan. Have faced a hard time finding pictures and information due to traditional systematic apathy of the organization towards its own heritage. It’s been created in collaboration with Vikas Tripathi.

Rules:

Put your answers as comments.

They are being moderated and will be published only after the deadline.

You can make multiple attempts and in case of conflicts your last answer will be taken as final.

Every question is worth 10 points irrespective of difficulty level (for ease of calculation).

Prizes:

I have decided to finish this cycle with this quiz. For this cycle, due to extreme poverty, I will give only one prize worth Rs 500 to the cumulative winner. More plans are on regarding the next phases and hope we’ll be able to dole out more prizes next cycle onwards.

Deadline:

24 hours from the moment of publishing.
______________________________

1. A sitter to begin with…. Connect them and give me a classic DD serial.

2. How can you connect this logo with the person below? (Please ignore the third finger, it is purely coincidental)

3. Identify this Maharashtrian politician who started his career with the newly found Socialist party at one point of time but later on changed his allegiance. Also explain why he is in this quiz.

4. This guy is related to these three films but he is more famous for his exploits in the field under discussion here. Who’s he?

5. A recent ad that is a throwback to the golden age of DD. Identify the advertiser and also identify the two personalities.

6. Connect and give me the personality.

7. Identify the people being interviewed here and also the interviewer. What distinction does the interviewer hold?

8. X did something in the year Sholay released. Popularity of X’s act was so much that an encore was done after 10 years. Who is X? What am I talking about?

9. Connect

10. Connect (not exhaustive)

__________________________

Answers:

Here are the answers:

Maximum number of page visits for this quiz but miniscule participation. Only 7 unique entries is disappointing.

I will update cumulative scores later on.

1.Buniyaad: The writer Manohar Shyam Joshi and directors Ramesh Sippy & Jyoti Sarup
2.Jungle Book: Logo of Nippon Animation which adapted Jungle book into an anime version. It was later dubbed in hindi by doordarshan where Nana Patekar voiced for Sher Khan.
3.Vasant Sathe: As Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting he initiated the process which led to Indian television(DD) moving into colour broadcasting for the Asian Games 1984 and Hum Log the first colour Indian soap-opera.
4.Master Manjunath acted as a child artist in these films but he was more famous as Swami of Malgudi Days. He did not pursue an acting career later on.
5.Ads by Ebay: Features 80s popular hosts Dr Narrotam Puri and Komal GB Singh as themselves.
6.Bhisham Sahni: Acted in Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!, Tamas and Little Buddha and in fact Tamas was based on his novel of teh smae name.
7.Pratima Puri(First newsreader on Doordarshan) interviewing Yuri gagarin in 1965.
8.The iconic LIRIL Ad featuring Karen Lunel, an airhostess with Indian Airlines in lime green bikini.It was first shot in 1975 and then again in 1985 considering its enduring popularity.
9.Surabhi: The Amul ad with clips from Manthan featuring Smita Patil was especially made for Surabhi. The competition postcards were also introduced for Surabhi as its weekly quizzes became too popular.
10. I wanted a specific answer for this one. Characters played by Om Puri in Bharat Ek Khoj. Ashoka, Rajaraja Chola, Krishna Devraya, Aurangzeb. He played some more but I could not verify all of them due to lack of online resources on the topic.