Neil O’Brien DI Open Quiz

It rarely gets as good as this. The packed Indoors@DI with a record number of registered participants and an even more number of eager quiz enthusiasts assembled punctually for the 49th edition of the Neil O’Brien DI Open Quiz for the Errol Cowper Trophy to get underway. A convincing indicator that the Dalhousie Institute was, is and shall remain the foremost abode of serious quizzing in this part of the world. Started over five decades ago in the year 1967 by the man whose name the event bears, this was the first time that his wife Joyce O’Brien was missing from the audience. As a mark of respect to her and all other recently departed parents, a minute’s silence was observed at the outset.

In the preliminary round the 52 participating teams had to field thirty questions, the first ten and last ten from Quiz Master Derek O’Brien and the middle section by Raisa O’Brien. The very first question went unanswered: Built in 1926 by Gent’s of London, what became a meeting point for commuters in Calcutta? A: The Boro Ghori (Big Clock) at Howrah Station. In 1957, in which sport did an Indian team win the World Championship in France? A member of the audience gave the right answer: Polo. Raisa had her own set of googlies. What is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta more popularly known as? A: Lady Gaga. Audience members too got a chance to participate after the teams were given a chance to answer. Right answers fetched generous prizes, e.g. breakfast/lunch for 2 at Flury’s or DI and more.

The written answers to the preliminary round were corrected in quick time and eight 4-member teams made it to the finals: Quiz Lovers of Kolkata, McGuffins, Byapak Betha, Shaukeens, Prajapati Biscuits, DI-A, Ump Bump Fizz and #That. Before the finals started, quite appropriately and deservedly, Derek O’Brien who had taken quizzing to a different level and made it an exciting and viable career option, was inducted into the Neil O’Brien Hall of Fame by Club President Jayajit Biswas and announced by Barry O’Brien.

For the finals, 8 rounds were envisaged, after which an elimination process would set in. Raisa O’Brien took the first three rounds. There were visuals to connect, audios to identify, seemingly facile questions but elusive answers. Even guesses had to be worked out in a logical manner. What is the Merriam-Webster word for the year 2019? A: They. During World War II the US rationed a lot of things, but one product was encouraged to be worn (by women). What? One of the teams got it. A: Red lipstick – to be put as a mark of love and encouragement on letters to be sent to the soldiers fighting at distant places.

For Round 4 Francis Groser, a compatriot of Neil O’Brien since the early years, was given the honour of posing the questions, which he did in vintage style. Which actress was nominated for the Oscars 7 times but never won it? A: Glenn Close. In which area do the protagonists refer to each other as baniyas and ravans? A: Siachen area

From round 5 Derek O’Brien took over. The questions poured in fast and straight. Quite a few of them were framed in the hallmark Neil O’Brien style. In retrospect, even the participants felt that some of them could have been worked out. Why are wine bottles stored flat? A: To keep the cork from drying out. What are stroodles? A: straw made of pasta noodles. What is the one question a lady would ask her prospective partner? A: Do you live alone or in a joint family?

At the end of round 8 some teams had to quit. For the remaining teams the questions were tricky and the ones who were quicker on the draw got the opportunity to answer. However, a wrong answer also meant negative points. It was getting tense and exciting. Finally only two teams were left in the fray. A wrong answer decided the fate and Quiz Lovers of Kolkata (Jayashree Mohanka, Samanway Banerjee, Subhendu Roy and Ashoke Sanyal) ended up as the winners with 110 points. Macguffins (Dr Subhadra Chakraborty, Souvik Guha, Ashia Grace and Angshuman Pal) were the first runners-up with 90 points. Shaukeen were the 2nd runners-up. There were generous hampers and prizes for all the winning teams.

During the course of the evening Member Kumar Mitra was acknowledged for dutifully keeping scores for this quiz for the last three decades. At the end of it all one left with a feeling: The more one learns the more there is yet to learn. And what better way to learn than through some fun quizzing?

[Picture Credits: Shubham Poddar]