New Quiz series soon

A black chair illuminated by a bright spotlight, a volley of questions fired by a disembodied voice and the task: a battle of the intellect, where there can be only one winner....sounds intimidating? That's what you have to face to be a ``Mastermind Indian''.

A show that has come to enjoy the reputation of being one of the most arduous and formidable quiz contests on television, Mastermind India, presented by quizmaster Siddhartha Basu, is a challenge that most quizzers dream to be part of. For the ardent quizzers, the good news is: Starting August 9, a new series of the show that is certainly worthy of being described as herculean, will be aired on BBC World, at 10 p.m. every Thursday. Also, soon to hit the bookstores is the third edition of the book, Mastermind India.

To give the media a ``hands-on'' feel of the show, BBC World today staged a mock ``Mastermind India - Media Special'' hosted by Siddhartha Basu, a quizzing activity exclusively for members of the media. Entirely a ground initiative, representatives from leading publications of the Capital as well as famous personalities were invited to take the famous black chair. The format of the quizzing event was similar to that of the original serial; two rounds of questions, one centred on the subjects chosen by the participants and the other on general knowledge.

Participants from the various publications including T.R. Vivek, Business Today; Vidya Despande, Financial Express and N. Chandra Mohan from the Financial Express. Vivek, who secured the highest score in this group despite a bad start, says ``I was a quizzer during my school days and I enjoy participating in such events.''

The second group comprised advertising entrepreneur, Suhel Seth; editor of Pioneer, Chandan Mitra, and television host, Roshan Abbas. Answering almost all the questions on ``Films of Amitabh Bachchan'' -- his chosen subject of specialisation -- Roshan set the pace that Chandan Mitra and Suhel Seth could not defeat.

For once, the spotlight was on the media, literally. ``I am really nervous. My hands are clammy and my heart is racing! If I was hosting the show, I would have no problem. But it is entirely different to be on the other side,'' says Roshan Abbas. And as Vivek put it: ``It feels so awkward to be posing for photographs. I am so used to standing on the other side and asking questions!''.

By Anjali Malhotra

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