Ready to quiz?

Coimbatore has always had a great bunch of quizzers, many of whom have stayed together as a team since school or college. And so, it is of little wonder that it has an active quizzing circle. The city used to have a chapter of the Quiz Foundation of India, and after it wrapped up, members met informally during quizzing events or at public places.

All that changed in 2008, when a group of about 40 people formed the Coimbatore Quiz Circle and held their maiden meeting at Oxford Bookstore, Trichy Road. They teased each other’s brains, and the atmosphere was charged with the love for knowledge and trivia. Soon, they grew in strength and “outgrew our store,” recalls Rajeev Kamineni, who used to run Oxford (it has since closed). They met in Sarvajana School before moving on to their present venue — PSG Institute of Management.

The fortnightly Sunday meetings sometimes see as many as 200 people, including those who travel from Tirupur, Palghat and Pollachi, turn up for an afternoon of trading knowledge and the happy high that quizzing provides, says quizmaster M. Rangarajan, who is also the CQC president.

Says Senthil Kumar, secretary, CQC: “Nothing is taboo, nothing is sacrosanct. Every topic under the sun is subject matter and there are no bad answers, just different ones.”

The CQC is made up of a motley bunch of students, businessmen, professionals, teachers, and more. This adds a lot of diversity to the group and brings in variety in quizzes. So far, the club has hosted three annual open quizzes and its members conduct events across in the Southern States. Many of its members have won top billing in contests and one of its most enduring jodis, Arul Saravanan and Yogesh Pai have been crowned national champions at the Tata Crucible business quiz. Another couple is Sheilendra Bhansali and his wife Priya — they are regulars in many quiz finals.

Sheilendra, vice-president of the CQC, says that the biggest joy of the Sunday meetings is meeting and sharing information with youngsters. “We have a good system. The winner of a quiz gets to conduct the next one. A lot of kids get to host quizzes. They learn to be confident, to research well, and how to make a question more interesting. The focus is more on actual knowledge than mere general knowledge. Interacting with so many children also allows us a chance to feel young,” he says.

It is this bonhomie that sees Arul drive down from Tirupur to take part in the CQC meetings. He also attributes a lot of his success to the group. “I travel a lot on work, and these fortnightly meetings are a great way to stay in touch with what’s happening in the world, because so many topics are discussed. And wherever we go and win prizes, this will always be our home ground.”

The CQC also does it bit to promote the tradition of quizzing — it has conducted special quizzes for children from Government and aided schools.

On September 13, the Coimbatore Quiz Circle will turn up in strength for Biz Trac, organized by the Department of Corporate Secretaryship, PSG College of Arts and Science. If you want to become a part of this buzzing group, just mail [email protected] and register yourself. The CQC does not charge admission or membership fees.