Let’s get quizzical

From formal clubs to informal meet-ups around breweries and WhatsApp group discussions, the quizzing scene has never thrived this well. Originally considered to be the domain of the ‘nerds’ and the ‘geeks’, quizzes —and quizmasters — have become a thing of the cool. 

On one hand there’s Doolally, handing out free beers for correct answers to open quizzes conducted by the Bombay Quiz Club, and there’s quizzing specialist companies like Thinq2Win providing quizzing solutions to eateries and corporate offices. The activity is a hobby, a business opportunity and a chance to hone your grey cells. Explaining how the scene has grown over the past few years, president of BQC and a stalwart in the quizzing world, Rajiv Rai, says that the opening up of information has played a huge role in changing the face of quizzing. “When I first started quizzing in the early ’90s, information was a precious commodity. Not just the Internet, but also a lot of foreign books were not as easily accessible, since they were very expensive. If you had access to the library or had well-to-do relatives abroad then you could tap them as resources for books. Also, there was no multimedia use. Quiz questions were only read out from chits of paper,” he recalls.

The opening up of the information sector and tools like Google search changed the face of quizzing. “Today, you can challenge any information, and gain more in-depth knowledge about a topic than one could gain before. So, though I wouldn’t say that the open quizzing world has changed a lot, the niche quizzes which are interest based, have definitely found a place to thrive,” Rajiv elaborates.

What are these topics, we ask. Treasurer of the BQC, Abhinav Dasgupta, says that quiz topics can be on anything. “While there are conventional quizzes like ones on sports or arts and entertainment, you can host quizzes on just about anything. I hosted one on death, and I attended one which had facial hair as the topic,” he laughs.

“The quizzing scene in Mumbai is flourishing today. As opposed to even a couple of years ago, there are more quizzes being hosted across the city in different venues and not just in formal set-ups. Corporate companies also have quizzes of their own to improve employee connections,” Abhinav adds.

A quiz conducted by the Bombay Quiz Club

One of the formats of quizzing which has become quite popular over the past couple of years is the pub quiz format. Founder of Thinq2Win B.B. Harish explains that it took quite a bit of convincing at first that quizzes could be. “In most pub quiz formats abroad, there’s a formal competitive environment with one winner and people writing down answers. We opened it up a bit more, so that anyone in the pub can answer. The questions are also more fun and not just based on general knowledge but also just fun topics,” he explains.

Abhinav explains further how to create quiz questions that will appeal to a larger crowd. “We don’t encourage the mugging up and spilling out book knowledge that traditional formats adhered to. So, the questions are thought provoking and there are hints, so that even if you don’t know the answer immediately, you can figure it out. The other aspect to keep in mind when formulating a quiz questionnaire is whatever the question, the answer should be relatable. That way, it will grab even a beginner’s interest,” he explains.

Aditya Mattoo, who hosts quizzes regularly at Doolally pub, in associaltion with Thinq2Win, says that the trick is to engage the audience. “While you don’t dumb down the questions, they don’t have to be as serious as the ones asked in more formal quiz 

formats. At Doolally, at least, people come by to take part in a fun interactive night. The thing about quizzes is that, unlike a stand-up night or open-mic event, which are other options for the post-office pub-goer. With quizzing you’re also a part of it, and people seem to love that aspect,” he concludes.