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A question of answers

Let's get quizzical Some of the members of K-Circle before their weekly session at YMCA, Secunderabad

A non-descript room in YMCA, Secunderabad, comes alive each Saturday evening. A staff member rolls out the projection screen, sets the table in position for the laptop and V. Lathish runs a final look at the slides on his PowerPoint as members of K (knowledge) Circle begin to trickle in. Lathish is the quiz master for the session and the members, many of them regulars, waste no time in picking up the question sheets and organising themselves into different groups.

K-Circle is the city's oldest quizzing group, formed in 1972, by a motley group of people from different walks of life, bound by the passion for quizzing. YMCA Secunderabad has been their adda since the inception of K-Circle. The club is now a mix of old and new members — seniors like T.P. Devarajan and N. Srinivasan, and Krishna Akhil, a FIITJEE student.

We stay glued to the first round of the written quiz, where questions ranging from the origins of Ratatouille to semi conductors come up to keep your grey cells ticking.

Talking to us a while later, T.P. Devarajan, one of the initial members of K-Circle, rewinds, “When we started in 1972, the idea was to have a forum with participation of people from different walks of life; a forum where people can find role models/ mentors/ draw inspiration. Incidentally, we also conducted quizzes.”

As director-investments, InvAscent Advisory Services India, Devarajan is happy that the club is abuzz with activity today, drawing researchers, Googlers, students and retired professionals. “At a given time, there are 200 to 250 active members and each session has an attendance of at least 40 to 45 members. Though we are an informal club, a board of members decides activities for the year,” he shares.

These activities range from their weekly sessions, quizzes that K-Circle conducts for school children and general public, and district, state and national-level quizzes that members of K-Circle participate in.

If the purpose of K-Circle has been to learn from each other, it has worked. Srinivasan, who has been active with the group since 1970s, recounts how the organisation has at times structured quizzes specifically for a few IAS aspirants. “Though we stick to having general quizzes, on a few occasions we have deviated when a member is preparing for a specific competitive examination. It has helped the others also learn. We like to challenge one another,” he says.

Not everything has been hunky dory, though. Today, if the weekly meets draw a packed hall, there have been lean phases when the number of members at a meet did not even touch double digits. That's when Devarajan and other senior members felt the need for a rethink. “We used to meet on Friday evenings. We changed that to Saturday to allow more working members to be able to attend. And we became more prominent on the Net and the social media (a dedicated FB page included) to reach out to more youngsters,” he says. The move worked.

Lathish, an adwords associate at Google, chips in, “We have hit a purple patch now; the challenge is to keep these numbers coming in each week and consolidate our position. Some of us are associated with this club for emotional reasons. For some, quizzing is a hobby and for others it is a passion.”

J.K. Lakshmi, a senior lecturer at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, feels being part of a quizzing group boils down to curiosity. “We are here to validate our curiosity. All the information that we gather here may not immediately get tangible results. We learn fascinating things, make connections and leave on a happy note,” she says.

This observation draws more than a nod from Krishna Akhil. “Oh yes, you can walk in blank and leave smarter.” As one of the youngest members in the club, he has been with K-Circle for two years and been a quiz master thrice. “It was a bit unnerving initially to pose questions to an audience that's older than me. But in a few minutes I felt at ease. I worked around my pet topics.”

Members of his age group, he points out, are often questioned by parents about the use of a quiz group. “My mom keeps asking me if all this will help in my IITJEE preparations. When I answer in the negative, she thinks I am wasting three hours of my time each week. This is a primary concern more of parents than the students themselves. I look at it as the only break I get from preparing for competitive studies.”

Lakshmi has a word of consolation for him when she says, “You should tell your mom that quizzing helps you indirectly. The human brain can get fatigued doing the same thing; a break — maybe football or quizzing — will help you rejuvenate and study better.”

To those who think quizzing is only for geeks, Krishna Akhil has this to say: “The first time it is tough to come and sit through; then you get hooked and you keep returning for more each week. Now I have a group of friends coming here.”

Devarajan adds, “The group gives you confidence to walk in and address a new group, strike a conversation and learn. For instance, a researcher like Lakshmi can learn something here and apply it some time later in her work. A lot of benefits are subtle. I can say this confidently because it has helped me many a time. The fundamental skills come to use.”

A few of the youngest members are 8, 11 or 12 years old, he mentions. “If they are any younger we scare them away,” adds Lathish.

Some of the K-Circle members are professional quizzers, travelling to take part in national quizzes — the Landmark quiz, Mahaquizzer, World Quizzing Championship and more.

Lathish sums up, “This is a group you can be part of if you like anything quiz worthy.”

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