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Picking on brains
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Giri Balasubramaniam on quizzing then and now
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PHOTO: K. RAMESH BABU
Giri Balasubramaniam
“Girls don’t make passes at boys who are quizzards’ was the way it was those days. Hence my very low success rate with girls,” lamented Giri.
He was destined for success in another walk of life though, treading the path of the greats like Ameen Sayani and Siddharta Basu. Giri Balasubramaniam was in Hyderabad to host the Nano Quizzing at the Tata Crucible Campus 2008.
Today, quiz is more engaging, broad based and hence gets wider participation with no monitory or intellectual entry barriers. This change, Giri explained, has happened because, “Our quizzes are not based on the recall ability of the brain but on the application of the human mind,” he said. Rather than questions like ‘What’s the height of Mt. Everest?’ I would ask, ‘Who is the only Prime Minister whose name appears on an Indian Currency note?’ It attempts to bring out your receptivity to the world around you. “Our contents are generation relevant as well. Of course it is still very much about General Knowledge. Just that the term ‘general’ has changed.”
And a quiz is not merely about questions and answers anymore. Corporates have been searching for newer platforms to build their brands on, and quizzing presents itself as a clean platform of entertainment and knowledge, he said.
Has quizzing become too commercial? “Of course.. and why not? Economic viability to a passion is important for its sustainability and scalability,” he stated.
Ameen Sayani’s Bournvita Quiz Contest , Siddharta Basu’s Quiz Time, Amitabh Bachchan’s KBC- is it true that the event gets tagged with the anchor himself? “True. For an anchor to leave a stamp with his individual style is a necessity, not a virtue anymore,” he underlined articulately. “And remember, the quiz master’s objective should be to extract the audience’s knowledge and not to parade his own.”
And about Pickbrain, the person? “I read (obviously), I love ghazals and travelling.” Some parting trivia from Pickbrain as he gets ready for the event later that afternoon - Apart from being Chacha Nehru’s Birthday, what is significant about 14th Nov? Hint – He is a prominent Briton.
But that will be another story…..
BALAJI VITTAL
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