Come June, Kozhikode will host arguably the biggest quiz festival in the world.
The eight-day festival is being organised by Quiz Kerala, the first registered quiz society in the State, as part of the 16th edition of the annual World Quizzing Championship organised by the London-based International Quizzing Association (IQA) from June 2. With this festival, Quiz Kerala is also vying for an official world record for the biggest participation in the championship.
Over the last 11 years, when the city has been the only centre in Kerala for the World Quizzing Championship (which is held in 150 cities across the world), it has become the quiz capital of the State.
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“Quizzers from all over the country, and of all ages and professional backgrounds, come to Kozhikode during the quiz festival every year. The beach, the food and the quizzing form a heady combination. It could even be called quiz tourism,” said Snehaj Sreenivas, secretary, Quiz Kerala.
More than 280 people had participated in the championship in the previous editions in the Kozhikode
“Even London and Paris centres do not have more than 40 participants,” Mr. Snehaj said. “Also no other centre has a festival of this scale,” he added.
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Over the eight days of the festival, 25 different types of quizzes will be held. Government Medical College in Kozhikode will be the venue for the first four days while four different colleges in the city will play host to the remaining four days.
A quiz is posted on the organisation's website every evening during the 50-days countdown which has already begun. Anybody can participate and win cash prizes, which will be distributed during the festival.
An effort is also being made to groom the young quizzers in a camp, ‘Making of Quizzers’, here from April 20 to 22.
Also, an inter-quiz club competition is being held on April 22 to involve the smaller quiz clubs in the State in the run-up to the world championship. “Kerala quizzers have figured among the top 10 quizzers in India. But we are no where in the world level. Our efforts are to get more and more kids involved in quizzing activities so that we may soon have a World champion,” Mr. Snehaj added.