not so harmless - general quiz

Not So Harmless

Researched and Conducted by :

Abdul Vahid. P. A

Acknowledgments

പടച്ച�ോൻ വിക്കി മോതോവ് ഗൂഗിൾഅമ്മോവൻ ഇന്റർനെ�റ്്റ‌തറവോട്

Round 1

10 Questions : ClockwiseBounce : +10/0Pounce : +10/-10

Lord Mountbatten persuaded Nehru to take up the Kashmir issue to the UN Security Council to which Nehru acceded in 1948. Apart from Indian and Pakistani representatives, the peace talks also had a British representative – X. He supported Pakistan which was accused to be an anti-Soviet war strategy during the cold war.

Identify this personality, who became the only one to achieve a certain feat in 1959 and still holds the record.

1.

Philip Noel-BakerOnly person to win both an Olympic medal and

a Nobel prize.

He started selling cartoons to Punch magazine and the Daily Sketch in 1953. After publishing two cartoons in Tribune in 1956, David Astor, the editor of The Observer, offered him a permanent job as its first ever political cartoonist. He produced a lot of incisive cartoons and once The Guardian described him as the “conscience of the Left and the pea under the princess's mattress.” He later moved to The Guardian in 1966 and also started to contribute a weekly cartoon to the Tribune. In 1968, he edited Verdicts on Vietnam, a collection of cartoons on the Vietnam War.

Identify this cartoonist.

2.

Abu Abraham

Known as Galinjan in North and Aadidevan in South, they go out for grama sancharam in the monsoon period to usher in prosperity and ward of evil spirits in the villages, most importantly to shield the region from epidemics.

Generally from the backward Koppalan, Malaya or Vannan communities, they are boys in the age group of five to twelve.

How do we better know them?

3.

Karkkidaka Theyyams

In 1856, then 18 years old X was given a challenge by his professor August Wilhelm von Hofmann to synthesise quinine. X oxidised aniline using potassium dichromate, whose toluidine impurities reacted with aniline yielding a black solid, suggesting failure of the experiment. X then cleaned the flask with alcohol and noticed purple portions in the solution.

What was thus serendipitously invented?

4.

Mauveine or Aniline PurpleFirst synthetic dye

X – William Henry Perkin

The Battle of X was fought on 4 June, 1859, in the Italian town of X during the Second Italian War of Independence, resulting in a French-Sardinian victory against the Austrians.

In the same year, a synthetic aniline dye was invented. Shortly after the invention, it was named X, as it reminded the colour of the uniforms worn by the French Zouave troops during the Battle of X.

Which colour got its name thus?

5.

Magenta

Notable scholars like EMS and Thakazhi admitted that they could not fully comprehend X’s writings on history ; nor was it acceptable to many of the modern historians.

He tried to draw a parallel between ancient Indian mythology and the Greek and Sumerian mythologies. For him, Olympiad era of the Greek mythology was the Kali or Agastya era of the puranas and Hercules was the Narasimha incarnation of Vishnu. He also argued that Dvaraka was same as Athens, Mithila was Corinth etc.

Though EMS condemned him as a ‘petit-bourgeois intellectual’, he later altered his view and acknowledged the failure of the communist party in Kerala in understanding his greatness.

Who are we talking about?

6.

Kesari Balakrishna Pillai

This 15th-16th century Assamese polymath is widely credited with devising a new form of music (Borgeet), theatrical performances (Ankia Naat, Bhaona), literary language (Brajavali) and the classical dance form X. He is also famous for his Ekasarana Dharma which advocates devotion to a single God who can be worshipped by uttering his various names. In contrast to bhakti forms, it follows dasya attitude (slave to God).

His name hit news in the recent past when Delhi University organised a platform to commemorate him on 12th August 2015. It is also alleged that the BJP-RSS alliance is trying to utilise the iconic status of this socio-religious reformer for electoral gains.

Identify this polymath as well as the classical dance form X.

7.

Srimanta SankardevSattriya

One of the greatest passions of X was Beethoven’s music and X even became a concert manager. After reading Y’s books about Beethoven, X sought and met Y at his residence. It was during this meeting that X got to know about Z. Reading the biography of Z authored by Y convinced X to become a follower of Z. Thus X moved to Z’s country and spent almost 34 years there. After reading a subsequent biography of Beethoven (that too authored by Y), X was convinced to move to Austria and spend the remaining days of her life in the land of Beethoven’s music.

Identify X, Y and Z.

8.

X – Mirabehn (Madelein Slade)Y – Romain Rolland, Z –

Mahatma Gandhi

In 1941, Soviet anthropologist Mikhail M Gerasimov exhumed X’s body from his tomb. He was able to reconstruct X’s likeness from his skull and determined his height as 5 feet 8 inches. He could also confirm X’s lameness thought to have developed by the shot of an arrow.

It is reported that X’s tomb had this inscription - "Who ever opens my tomb, shall unleash an invader more terrible than I.” Interestingly, Gerasimov’s exhumation began the same day Adolf Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa. And X was re-buried with full religious rituals in November, 1942, just before the Soviet victory at the Battle of Leningrad.

Identify X.

9.

Timur

On whose death on 21st February, 1960, did the parliament of India offer condolences for the first time in its history?

10.

Edwina Mountbatten

Round 2

10 Questions : Anti-clockwise

Bounce : +10/0Pounce : +10/-10

After the declaration of emergency, the Indira Gandhi government launched this programme in much haste.

Different tactics were used in different states. In Madhya Pradesh, irrigation water was withheld from village fields. In UP, teacher’s lost a month’s salary if they refused. People in Rajasthan were denied government jobs. Food rations were denied in Bihar and Health Department officials in UP had their pay withheld if they didn’t give in.

What programme is being mentioned?

1.

Forced Sterilization

X Syndrome refers to an injury that results from the entanglement of an article of clothing or hair in a piece of machinery or moving object. It is very common in India where flowing garments become entangled in the wheels of rickshaws and machines.

Identify X.

2.

Isadora Duncan Syndrome

She died while travelling in an open-air vehicle in 1927, when her scarf got entangled with the open spokes of the wheels and rear axle.

She was one of the pioneers of modern dance.

X literally means ‘owner of the cattle’. X Y gets its name from the fact that cattle owners used to bring their cows to be bathed in the waters of the Y.

What is the significance of X Y in Indian history? Also give its new name.

3.

Gowalia Tank Maidan OR August Kranti Maidan

QUIT INDIA Movement

FITB and tell me the significance of the company.4.

First coir factory in Kerala

Once X was gifted with a Y by a Hungarian diplomat. This gave him the idea of collecting Ys from the countries he visited. He often held exhibitions of these items for the poor children. Once Nehru visited such an exhibition accompanied by her daughter Indira. This inspired Indira and together with X, established Z in 1965.

Contibutions to Z came from Nehru, subsequent prime ministers, diplomats from various countries etc. Z is divided into two halves, one dedicated to Europe, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Common Wealth of Independent States and the other to Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa and India.

Identify X, Y and Z.

5.

Shankar’s International Dolls Museum, Delhi

Jimmy Zhingjack-agent of D.I.S.C.O is a one-shot comic strip written by Saurav Mohapatra with art by Anupam Sinha. It was originally published by Virgin Comics in 2008 with UTV Spotboy.

A parody of the 80s Hindi cinema fascination with disco and Hindi movies of the period, it deals with the rise of Jimmy, a young dancer who helps defend India from Sir John and his dreaded organization F.I.R.A.N.G. He is helped by Col. Jaani of the Department of Internal Security and Covert Operation (D.I.S.C.O.).

Who is this character modelled on? Image follows

6.

Mithun Chakraborty

Sir Robert Peel established the Metropolitan Police Force at Scotland Yard, London in 1829. They were affectionately called ‘bobbies’ or ‘peelers’. This earned him the title ‘the father of modern policing.’

He went on to become the prime minister of UK twice. In 1834, he issued the Tamworth Manifesto as a policy statement for the election held in January 1835. This document laid down the principles on which the modern X is based. Peel is often considered as the founder of X.

Identify X.

7.

British Conservative Party

The British Conservative Party was founded in 1834 replacing the old Tory Party.

Hence Conservatives are also called Tories.

Ricin is a naturally occurring highly toxic protein produced in the seeds of castor oil plant Ricinus communis. It is highly poisonous so much so that even a few grains of it can kill an adult human. It is a banned chemical weapon.

Muhammad Ali, a UK based software programmer was arrested in late July, 2015, for possessing ricin. He struck a deal with a dealer in US to buy 500mg of the poison for $500. Unfortunately he didn’t know that the dealer he was communicating with was an FBI agent.

What inspired Ali to buy this toxic substance?

8.

Breaking Bad

These paintings were put to auction by Christie’s ‘Green Auction : A Bid to Save the Earth’ in 2010.

Identify the painter who is known to us in a different field.

Images follow

9.

Sridevi

Arthur Conan Doyle had given up his lucrative writing career by the 1910s in order to lecture about spiritualism around the world. He befriended X in 1920, who dismissed spiritualism as a blunder. X was delighted to learn that there was at least one intellectual who believed in spiritualism. He tried to convince Doyle that all his abilities were trickery and illusions. However, Doyle believed that X possessed supernatural powers.

Identify X.

10.

Harry Houdini