Arul Mani
Lecturer/ writer
The beginning: My journey in quizzing began as a teenager and I was drawn to events conducted by the KQA since they were organised well. When we started, quizzing was very basic and quizmasters read questions from sheets of paper.
Evolution: In the early 90’s, though they were expensive, audio visuals made an appearance. Once the KBC phenomena took the country by storm, things changed a great deal. Now, power-point, flash and other software tools have made quizzing very different. The questions have become more detailed and specialisations have gained a bigger audience.
Bengaluru as a quizzing capital: I think two factors played a vital role. Bengaluru was a university town and saw a lot of young quizzers make a mark nationally. The IT boom bought many young professionals into the city and the quizzing culture evolved as a result of these changes. I think a show like KBC went a long way in getting people more interested in quizzing.
Going online: The internet has always played an important role. I do not think that online apps and platforms will change quizzing in any dramatic manner.
T.C. Venkat Subramanian
Business development manager
The beginning: I began quizzing as a college student at a time when quizzing was considered the nerdy thing to do and quizzers were seen as bookish people. It has changed a lot since.
Evolution: Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) made quizzing go mainstream and got people interested in quizzing. It helped that many corporate chains such as Tata and Landmark started quizzes with huge prize money. Open quizzes became popular. The internet has resulted in change in content and form of the questions and answers. You would no longer get straightforward trivia questions. Open quizzes still rule the roost and remain very popular.
Bengaluru as quizzing capital: The title is claimed by Chennai but I think that Bengaluru has a slight edge owing to a younger quizzing population and being a more cosmopolitan city, with a multitude of perspectives. The large number of educational institutions also make the city very popular in the quizzing circuit.
Going online: I do not think serious quizzing will shift online. It helps to have a personal connect when you are quizzing. It is not the same when you are playing a computer. It is no fun playing alone.
Raj Dam
Owner, Quizworks
The beginning: I began quizzing in school and remained an avid quizzer. The idea to create a company that uses quizzing to manage corporate functions and as a learning tool came during the explosion of the social media in the late 2000s when quizzing also underwent many changes.
Evolution: I feel the big change happened from 2010, when we started to see companies use quizzing for a range of activities such as raising awareness about company policy. Corporate and media backing also helped a great deal and as did creating quizzes for different age groups.
Bengaluru as a quizzing capital: Kolkata ruled the roost in the quizzing circuit till the late 90’s when Bengaluru caught up. I think the main reason was the creation of a quizzing culture by groups such as the Karnataka Quiz Association (KQA). The vast, educated, migrant population that made the city their home post the late 90’s also contributed to the rise of Bengaluru in the quizzing circuit.
Going online: I think we should move with the times and ensure that quizzing becomes more popular as a hobby. It is important to get quizzing to the masses, something that a show like KBC did so well. I do not agree with the puritan view that serious quizzing needs to be kept offline.
Gautam Shenoy
Advertising professional
The beginning: I used to read a lot in school and had a sense of curiosity to learn more. I started quizzing in school and followed it into college as well. I have always remained interested in it.
Evolution: It is no longer only about answering some random trivia based questions. It has become more analytical and often one question deals with a variety of themes, rather than a straightforward answer. Though open quizzes are still very popular, specialised quizzing has also picked up and has ensured that more and more people become hooked on to quizzing. The corporate support has also helped quizzing grow.
Bengaluru as a quizzing capital: Bengaluru is seen as a quiz capital because of the quizzing culture that organisations such as the Karnataka Quiz association have created over the years. The vibrant college circuit also helps it become very popular as a quizzing destination as well.
Going online: I do not think online platforms will be successful in the long run since active quizzing needs team support and a sense of competition that is tough to find in online games such as quizup. The temptation to cheat also increases when one uses online apps. In the long run, I feel people would prefer playing games rather than serious quizzes on their mobile devices.
