The eight team final was won by Hammer and Tongs, who scored six points more than Datta & Co, who ended second at 152 points. Aaj Kuch Chazzy Karte Hain finished second at 145 points. A mere eight points separated the top three teams on the last question.
6. The Gist
• I - Written (8 Qs)
• II - Bounce (15 Qs)
• III - Written (6Qs)
• IV – Bounce (15 Qs)
7. Films and Music
• 8 questions.
• Ten points each (5 per part)
• No negs
8. 1
This song is from a 1964
Joy Mukherjee starrer.
The actor seen dancing (and strip teasing) is
devoid of a characteristic physical trait.
For the wider audience, there’s more or less a
single point of remembrance for him.
Who is he?
Who is the music director?
9.
10. 2
This pop-jazz-rock duo’s cross-genre
2012 album includes pop, ghazal,
jazz, spoken word and the lyrics
“meander through the confessional
and the mundane with ease”.
The album possibly has a double-
meaning name and the cover art
conveys one of the meanings, which
once was an ubiquitous public sign.
Which duo?
What is the name of the album?
11. 3
This is a rendition of Jaat Kahan Ho in
Raag Bhairavi.
Who singing with quite a bit of imagination?
This particular track was considered as the
finest of its kind and thus was the only Indian
recording in a 1977 album.
Which album?
12. 4
The singer, writer and composer of this song was
elected as an independent candidate from
Vijaywada in the 1952 Lok Sabha elections.
One theory behind the name Vijaywada is that a
victorious Durga rested here after slaying the
demon. The other is from its old name Bezawada,
which originates from the story that a female deity
requested Arjuna to make a passage for her and he
made a bezam (hole) through the mountains.
Who is the singer?
Which goddess?
13. 5
This version of the song was
recorded in 1972 and later saw
a bootleg release, along with
four other songs.
You can use this video shot in
the same year as a hint for the
name of the bootleg collection.
Which band?
What was the name
of the album/collection?
14. 6
The author of this book
can be heard in this
audio piece taken from a
documentary made on
him in 2012.
Who is the speaker?
What was he the founder
and the director
of till 1991?
15. 7
This Delhi rock band’s name comes from the
name of something that its guitarist Anup
Kutty was a part of in college.
The band maintains that the physiological pun
is completely unintentional. They have pointed
out how one part of the name is apt for a rock
group considering it’s a button that serves a
dual function.
Which band?
What did the band take its name from?
16. 8
This trio of siblings, seen in the background of
the music video, comprises Sinbad Phgura,
Ammo Too Sweet and Jimi The Quiff.
However, their more memorable appearance
lies elsewhere and in a far more
stylish and dingy avatar.
Who is the singer? OR Name the trio.
Where were they seen
more prominently?
20. 1
This song is from a 1964
Joy Mukherjee starrer.
.
The actor seen dancing is
devoid of a characteristic
physical trait.
For the wider audience, there’s
more or less a single point of
remembrance for him.
Who is he?
Who is the music director?
22. 2
This pop-jazz-rock duo’s cross-genre
2012 album includes pop, ghazal,
jazz, spoken word and the lyrics
“ meander through the confessional
and the mundane with ease”.
The album possibly has a double-
meaning name but the cover art
conveys one sense, which once was
an uquitous public sign.
Which duo?
What is the name of the album?
24. 3
This is a rendition of Jaat Kahan Ho in
Raag Bhairavi.
Who is this quite imaginative singer?
This particular track was considered as the
finest of its kind and thus was the only Indian
recording in a 1997 album of 31 songs.
Which album?
26. 4
The singer, writer and composer of this song was
elected as an independent candidate from
Vijaywada in the 1952 Lok Sabha elections.
One theory behind the name Vijaywada is that a
victorious Durga rested here after slaying the
demon. The other is from its old name Bezawada,
which originates from the story that a female deity
requested Arjuna to make a passage and he made a
bezam (hole) through the mountains.
Who is the singer?
Which goddess?
28. 5
This version of the song was
recorded in 1972 and was later
saw a bootleg release, along
with four other songs.
You can use this video shot by
the band as a hint for the name
of the bootleg album.
Which band?
What was the name
of the album?
30. 6
The author of this book
can be heard in this
audio piece taken from a
documentary made on
him in 2012.
Who is the speaker?
Which institution was he
the founder and the
director of till 1991?
32. 7
This Delhi rock band’s name comes from the
name of something that its guitarist Anup
Kutty was a part of in college.
The band maintains that the physiological pun
is completely unintentional. Another band
member has pointed out how one part of the
name is apt for a rock group considering it’s a
button that serves a dual function.
Which band?
What did the band take its name from?
34. 8
This siblings trio , seen in the background of
the music video, comprises Sinbad Phgura,
Ammo Too Sweet and Jimi The Quiff.
However, their more memorable appearance
lies elsewhere and in a far more
stylish avatar.
Who is the singer? OR Name the trio.
Where were they seen
more prominently?
37. Bounce I
• 15 questions.
• +10/ -5 on pounce – all parts
mandatory on pounce.
• Dynamic scoring.
38. 1
Seeds might have been first sown in 1996-97 with
high-altitude supply and subsequently, with a hospital
that serviced the Northern Alliance till 2001.
A year later acknowledgement arrived, announcing
the of repair something, which stood unused since
the 1980s. However, the private firm failed to deliver
the $10 million contract.
A body formed in 1960, which has often resorted to
quirks throughout its daring journey, was licensed to
finish the job and it has been functional since 2005/6.
Where is this? (4) What distinction does it hold? (3)
Which body was given the final contract? (3)
39.
40.
41. Farkhor Air Base, Tajikistan
India’s only foreign military air base.
Border Roads Organisation
India first began supplying the Afghan
Northern Alliance and later treated the
injured soldiers.
42. 2
The National Center for Performing Arts and the
Mumbai municipality faced a lot of flak last year
for allowing X’s bungalow ‘Mehrangir’ at Malabir
Hills to be demolished. The bungalow was jointly
owned by X and his brother, who donated the
bungalow to NCPA after X’s demise in 1966.
X, is considered to be one of the leading post-
colonial thinkers today. He is now a professor of
English and American Literature at Harvard and
was awarded the Padma Bibhusan in 2012.
Who is/are X?
45. 3
The 40-something tailor’s life went topsy-turvy and
he has mostly been greeted with hostility. He said: it
followed me wherever I went… haunted me, and
drove me out of my job and my state. He moved to
Malegaon but was fired upon discovery. He was then
invited by the WB govt to live in Calcutta but
returned in 2005 to look after his ailing mother.
Having lost many jobs, he runs a small tailoring unit.
Who is he or what “followed him”?
When this guy met a certain homeless cobbler, they
exchanged roses. This person also had his own
share of troubles and has often said how he’s been
victimised and used. Who is this other person?
48. The two faces of the Gujarat riots.
Qutubuddin Ansari and Ashok Parmar.
49. 4
The novel authored by an Indian-born writer
based in Canada was released 1991 and was
nominated for the Booker Prize.
This novel, which follows the life of a Parsi family
in Bombay, came into the headlines in 2010,
when complains were made from the Shiv Sena
for using derogatory remarks against a character
based on Bal Thackeray, as a result of which the
book had to be withdrawn from the syllabus of
University of Mumbai.
Identify the author and name the novel that was
made into a lesser known film in 1998, starring
Roshan Seth, Om Puri and Naseruddin Shah.
52. 5
Spurred by the founder’s personal interest, this
organisation has amassed a huge art collection since
1932. There are over 4,000 paintings worth Rs 350
crore, including Husain, Raza, Gaitonde, Ela Menon.
There are sculptures from 9th century and exquisite
clocks too. They were all meant for display in (mostly
foreign) offices and on menu, greeting cards and
calendars. Most now lie in neglect, some stolen and
the bulk packed away in godowns. Recent events have
once again brought about attention to this collection.
Which organisation? (4)
If one way to acquire them was to commission it,
what was the other? (3)
Jal Cawasji was appointed by his boss, a commercial
director best known for a creation of his own, to set up the
collection. Who is this boss? (3)
53.
54. Air India
Many of these painters paid for their air tickets
through paintings. The tickets were often
recevied to attend exhibitions in Europe
(and other places).
Booby Kooka, who created the Maharaja.
The issue is back in the limelight due to Air
India’s possible sale/privatisation and
liquidation of assets.
55. 6
Before the Le Corbusiers, this Scottish polymath
was noted for his contributions to urban planning
in the early 20th Century.
Even the Calcutta Improvement Trust requested for
his proposal in 1910, but X’s plan which emphasized
the need for attention to underprivileged groups
and advocated little demolition of older structures
was rejected.
A native Indian state in Central India requested X’s
plan for its capital and tried to implement it.
Who was this reputed urban planner and which
princely capital accepted his ideas?
58. 7
Mayureshwar Ganpati in Morgaon, 80 kms from Pune,
is the starting and ending point of the Ashtavinayak
pilgrimage. It’s most prominent faithful is the
Ganpatya sect, followers of a 15th century saint, who
lived for many years at the temple.
The saint’s devotion for Ganesha is so legendary that
he is revered synonymously with the deity and not
just by the members of this community.
Who is the saint? (4)
Name the two figures standing beside the idol? (3)
What peculiarity of the temple is the lasting influence
of the patronage of a Muslim chieftain? (3)
59.
60.
61. Moraya Gosavi – immortalised through
Ganapati Bappa Morya
It is surrounded by a boundary wall with four
minarets in each corner.
Riddhi-Siddhi – consorts of Ganapati
62. 8
The municipality town used to be an important
junction connecting Eastern and Northern India,
and the Ghat here ferrying point for cargo and
essential products. The Ferry Ghat however lost
its prominence when the Rajendra Setu designed
by Visvesvaraya was opened in 1959.
The life here at this ferry junction though
survives in X’s memoir titled ‘My India’, who
worked as trans-shipment officer here during
early 20th Century.
Identify this officer and also the ferry junction
where he served.
65. 9
These two places are geographically
opposite to each other and the locations
shown share the same trait.
Where are these two sites located?
Identify the two sites.
66. The reason this place was chosen was
because it was an alien environment
and inaccessible during the monsoon
months. The picture above was taken
in 2016, to mark a death centenary.
67. This dargah is a popular place of
pilgrimage for a group of people
and it was only in 1991 that some
workers found that the original
burial site is actually 25 feet
away from the marked place.
70. 10
Chittoprasad is still remembered for his
documentation of 1943 Famine through his
woodcuts.
In in his journey was accompanied by an young
photographer, who was instructed by the PC
Joshi to record the horror in his lenses.
Who is this photographer, who became a
documenter of Nehruvian developments as well
people’s resistance in place like Telengana in
post-independece India?
73. 11
A reward for a 2015 visit, which lasted a little more
than a month, was first ingeniously planned to be
made of infused materials procured from two different
locations of the same kind.
However, the idea was soon shot down by the Indian
government, which said defacement of a heritage
property cannot be allowed.
The final choice was black in colour with
brass/golden rings round its body.
What materials was the original idea?
What are the two locations?
74.
75.
76. Rods of the cells in which
Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson
Mandela were imprisoned.
The locations are Yerwada Jail
in Pune and Robben Island,
South Africa.
The object in question is the
Freedom Trophy for the 2015
India-South Africa Test series.
77. 12
The sketch presents one of the earliest studies
of the Kohinoor (the gemstone at the center).
We can see two views of the gemstone from the
side and above.
Which individual now chiefly remembered for a
sporting connection made a series of such
sketches including that of the prized gemstone
while touring an Indian native state?
81. 13
Merwan Sheriar Irani was born in Pune in 1894 and
captained his school cricket team and wrote poems
before being kissed on the forehead by Hazrat
Babajan, a Muslim saint. He now lies buried near
Aurangabad and his iconic house in Pune is under
rennovation after some years of neglect.
For the last 44 years of his life, he always carried this
object with him. What prompted the need for it?
As an extension of the same, he would often hand out
cards bearing his photograph and a four-word phrase,
which entered into popular consciousness in 1988.
What phrase?
84. Meher Baba took a vow of
silence for 44 years and used
an alphabet board to
communicate and deliver
sermons.
His iconic phrase was turned
into a song by Bobby McFerrin.
85. 14
The film faced serious resistance from the local
media for highlighting caste issues in that
particular region. Two local newspapers, Nai
Duniya and the Chronicle tried to gather public
opinion against shooting of this film, until the
state government intervened and allowed the film
crew to continue their work.
The resistance again came to fore when the film
was telecast on Doordarshan, protests mostly
from the upper caste forced Doordarshan to
telecast ‘Maa’ a film starring Dharmendra and
Hema Malini instead, at that particular center.
Which movie?
88. 15
Brindleberry or Malabar tamarind is a green-
coloured fruit, which looks like a small pumpkin.
A sour and pungent ‘vinegar’ called kachampulli
is extracted. This jet-black liquid is added to
infuse colour and trademark taste to a hilly and
rainfall-heavy region’s most iconic meat dish,
which is typically paired with steamed rice balls
called kadamputtu. It could also be thought that
traditionally, the strong flavours of this helped in
countering the gamey taste.
Which dish?
The origins of this community consuming a this
meat is believed to have come from their
elimination of what problem?
89.
90.
91. Pandi Curry / Coorgi Pork Curry.
Killing wild boars, which would often
wreck their farms.
ANSWER
93. 1
Since 1921, the American Library Association awards
the John Newbery Medal to the “the most significant
contribution to American literature for children.”
In 1927, the award went to a work titled Gay-Neck:
The Story of a Pigeon, an autobiographical book
based on the author’s experiences with his pet
pigeons during his childhood in Calcutta.
Brother of a prominent member of the Jugantar Party,
this author later also wrote on the plight of child
prostitutes during the Great Depression before
himself becoming a victim of it, ending his life on
14th July, 1936.
Name this forgotten figure of Indo-English literature.
94. 2
The role of Allied soldiers from the Indian
sub-continent have been sidelined in the major
narratives of WWI, despite thousands of Indian
soldiers laying down their lives in some of the
major theaters of the western-front.
One of these sites was a little village at Pas-de-
Calais department of France, where a monument
was dedicated in memory of 4,742 Indians who
died there.
Identify this First World War battlefield.
95.
96. 3
The Ballyanahinch Castle in Connemara region of
Ireland has been converted to a high-end hotel.
Situated on the bank of a lake, salmon-fishing is
of particular attraction to the tourists visiting
Connemara. The Irish Tourist Department in its
advertisements plays up Ballyanahinch or the
region’s connection with a well-known Indian who
visited the castle in the 1920s for salmon fishing
and eventually went on to buy it.
Name this Indian, who thus briefly became the
‘Maharaja of Connemara’?
97. 4
Sheikh Dean Mahomet is considered to be one of
the first non-European immigrants to the Western
world. He is also one of the earliest to publish a
book in English. Mahomet is also associated with
two more ‘firsts’.
Belonging to the Barber caste, Mahomet had
exposures to the techniques of Mughal alchemy
and founded two ventures in England which were
of great success and they still make him a part of
UK’s popular culture.
What were these two ‘firsts’ that Dean Mahomet
is associated with?
98. 5
In 2016, he penned a series for The Hindu in
collaboration with the Humboldt University.
It follows Brighu Sen, a young urbanite and
self-described collector in Berlin combining the
city’s history and the author’s own experiences.
Who is the creator of this work?
99.
100. 6
The English Heritage has announced that it will
unveil a blue plaque at the residence of this
personality at Wimbledon in London in
October 2017.
Mamata Banerjee is likely to be present on that
occasion. This will be the second blue plaque
dedicated to this individual, the first was unveiled
at the birthplace in the town of Dunganon,
Ireland in 2015.
Which person?
102. 1
Since 1921, the American Library Association awards
the John Newbery Medal to the “the most significant
contribution to American literature for children.”
In 1927, the award went to a work titled Gay-Neck:
The Story of a Pigeon, an autobiographical book
based on the author’s experiences with his pet
pigeons during his childhood in Calcutta.
Brother of a prominent member of the Jugantar Party,
this author later also wrote on the plight of child
prostitutes during the Great Depression before
himself becoming a victim of it, ending his life on
14th July, 1936.
Name this forgotten figure of Indo-English literature.
104. 2
The role of Allied soldiers from the Indian sub-
continent have been sidelined in the major
narratives of WWI, despite thousands of Indian
soldiers laying down their lives in some of the
major theaters of the western-front.
One of these sites was a little village at Pas-de-
Calais department of France, where a monument
was dedicated in memory of 4,742 Indians who
died there.
Identify this First World War battlefield.
107. 3
The Ballyanahinch Castle in Connemara region of
Ireland has been converted to a high-end hotel.
Situated on the bank of a lake, salmon-fishing is
of particular attraction to the tourists visiting
Connemara. The Irish Tourist Department in its
advertisements plays up Ballyanahinch or the
region’s connection with a well-known Indian who
visited the castle in the 1920s for salmon fishing
and eventually went on to buy it.
Name this Indian, who thus briefly became the
‘Maharaja of Connemara’?
109. 4
Sheikh Dean Mahomet is considered to be one of
the first non-European immigrants to the Western
world. He is also one of the earliest to publish a
book in English. Mahomet is also associated with
two more ‘firsts’.
Belonging to the Barber caste, Mahomet had
exposures to the techniques of Mughal alchemy
and founded two ventures in England which were
of great success and they still make him a part of
UK’s popular culture.
What were these two ‘firsts’ that Dean Mahomet
is associated with?
111. 5
In 2016, he penned a series for The Hindu in
collaboration with the Humboldt University.
It follows righu Sen, a young urbanite and self-
described collector in Berlin combining the
city’s history and the author’s own experiences.
Who is the creator of this work?
114. 6
The English Heritage has announced that it will
unveil a blue plaque at the residence of this
personality at Wimbledon in London in
October 2017.
Mamata Banerjee is likely to be present on that
occasion. This will be the second blue plaque
dedicated to this individual, the first was unveiled
at the birthplace in the town of Dunganon,
Ireland in 2015.
Which person?
116. Second Bounce
• 15 questions.
• +10/ -5 on pounce – all parts
mandatory on pounce.
• Dynamic scoring.
117. 1
This extravagant royal palace is considered to be
one of finest specimens of Indo-Saracenic
architecture in India. However, what makes the
palace unique is the location of an international
cricket stadium at its vast grounds.
In which city would one come across this palace
and also name the cricket ground.
121. 2
Mr Kapasi, a 40-something driver-cum-tour guide, also
works under a doctor, who gets a lot of Gujarati
patients. He helps in solving issues like pieces of
straw stuck in the throat, belly cramps, spots on
palms that changed color, shape, or size.
However, he actually wanted to work for diplomats
and resolve conflicts and settle disputes. He meets Mr
and Mrs Das, who live in New Jersey and were visiting
Konark. Mrs Das gives him a three-word moniker.
What moniker?
Ten years after this moniker came about, what weaved
together experiences at the Massachusetts General
Hospital and historical perspectives of procedure?
122.
123. Interpreter of Maladies
The Emperor of All Maladies
Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer for Fiction
Siddhartha Mukherjee for it for Non Fiction
ANSWER
124. 3
The fort looking over the Son valley became a
major stronghold during the reign of Sher Shah
Suri. The fort made into the headlines a few years
back, when it was finally wrested from the
control of the Naxalites after decades.
Sher Shah constructed another fort by the same
name near the town of Jhelum in modern day
Pakistan, to subdue rebellious local tribes. The
fort became a part of the UNESCO World Heritage
Sites in 1997.
Name these two architectural legacies of Sher
Shah sharing the same name.
127. 4
The Niroshta raga in Carnatic music is said to
have been invented by
Harikesanallur Bhagavathat.
It employs the use of the Sa Ri Ga Dha Ni Sa
notes and its from this bereft pecularity that this
raga gets its name in Sanskrit.
Explain the name through the pecularity.
128. Niroshta means “without lips”.
The raga does not use the Ma and Pa
notes, to pronounce which the upper and
lower lips need to come in contact.
ANSWER
129. 5
Thota Vaikuntham, is a painter based in
Karimnagar District, present day Telengana.
Vaikuntham is particularly known for his colorful
depiction of Telengana women, with particular
use of bright reds and yellows. Deccan Chronicle
last year published a report suggesting a
development which would make Thota
Vaikuntham’s work accessible to the ordinary
people who can’t afford his original art pieces.
So what was the development that made
Vaikuntham’s art-works more easily available to
the enthusiasts?
133. 6
The Phoenicians, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and
Romans all came for trade at this port, dealing in
items such as spices and precious stones. It also
served as a doorway for Arabs, Chinese, Jews,
thus paving the way for cultural exchange.
It was often called the greatest port in the East
but for centuries was lost after being flooded until
recent excavation efforts at Pattanam have
brought about call for heritage restoration.
Beginning in 2012, what was named after this
port to create more awareness and symbolise the
link between the new and the old?
136. 7
Rajshahi district in Bangladesh was traditionally
noted for the production of something, which earned
the region the name of ‘______ mahal’. The British
Government realized its revenue potential a bit late,
which delayed in bringing it under governmental
regulation in the 1870s
The producers were one firsts to introduce
co-operative structure that not only uprooted the
problem of money-lending but also allowed utlisation
of the profit for social development schemes like
establishment of schools and hospitals.
What was the cause behind
this economic success in Rajshahi?
139. 8
The Paliyans are Dravidian Adivasis living in
parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They lead
nomadic hunter-gatherer lives and are
dependent upon natural resources.
One of the few commercial activities they
indulge in is selling surplus forest honey.
How do they calculate their age?
What gets its name from the same?
140. Blooming of the kurunji flowers,
which happens once in 12 years.
Nilgiri Hills
ANSWER
141. 9
Edinburgh historian Peter Lamont dismissed it as
a hoax in a book published in 2004. He showed
that it was nothing but a myth developed in 1890
by John Elbert Wilkie for the Chicago Tribune.
He pointed out that in subsequent years the
surveys and open challenges made by Charles
Bertram, Jasper Maskelyne and John Booth in
1950 failed to offer any positive result.
What was thus concluded to be nothing more
than a popular lore created at a much later date?
144. 10
Identify the breed
of dog from this
late Company
School painting
Locals claim to be
a cross between
tiger and dog,
which makes it
both ferocious
and loyal.
147. 11
In the present day district of Meerut, there flourished
a little-kingdom in the late 18th Century. Unlike most
other princely kingdoms in India this kingdom was
founded by a catholic warlord from Luxembourg,
named Walter Reinherdt Sombre.
After Sombre’s death in 1778, the kingdom passed on
to the hands of his able wife Begum Samru who
converted to Christianity and also attainted
approbation from the Pope. This only catholic princely
state in India however folded up immediately after
Samru’s death in 1842.
Name this lost kingdom, about 100 km north of Delhi.
150. 12
This little town in Dhar district of Madhya
Pradesh is known for its series of Buddhist rock-
cut caves, carved out in the 5th Century CE.
The town is also noted for hand block textile
prints, mostly geometrical and floral patterns of
vegetable colors with red or black set against
white background. These local hand block prints
received the GI tag on 1999.
Identify the town, which also gives its name to
the caves and the hand block prints.
154. 13
After the defeat of the Nizam’s troops at the hands
of the Marathas in 1795, a community of
construction workers and skilled labourers moved
to this city and settled in an area, which was
eventually named after them. They found quick jobs
as the city had just started expanding its limits.
With the development of the city, several individual
business establishments started setting up at this
area and it saw a steady influx of British troops,
Europeans and natives alike. The British soon
regularised these businesses, handed out licences
and asked them to display an object to indicate
they had permit and that business was on.
Which community/area? What did they have to do?
157. 14
According to myth, this religious figure was born in the
8th century and was found floating on a lotus leaf in the
kingdom of Oddiyana in Swat Valley but some point out
that he was from what is now Odisha. He introduced
Tantric Buddhism to Tibet.
Two sites of religious importance and tourist interest
are related to him.
One is where he reached on a flying tigress and
meditated at the remote location.
The other is a geographical feature, which was named
after him following his visit, which made it holy. It is
located at 17,800 ft and spread across 290 acres.
Who is this person? What are the two sites?
161. 15
These start-ups provide hyperlocal services and
hence, they seem to share something in common to
drive home that point, but all in their different ways.
Possibly, the most well-known among them is one
that has a name meaning “something unbelievably
legit and real”.
What commonality? Which is the other one?