“Teaser Questions”

1. “Teaser Questions” “India Unplugged – The India Quiz”, 2011 (Chennai) on 6th February, 2011 “India Quiz”, Mukti, NIT Durgapur, 2011, 5th February, 2011

2. Rules • 1 point for each question • Self-Scoring  • Each question is followed by the answer in the immediate next slide 

3. Question 1 • According to the Indian Railways, the advertisement (shown on next slide) depicting a twig of a plant with the faces of students embedded in it, was actually meant to signify the fact that students are the saplings for the future of this nation and it is the moral duty of the government to nurture these saplings in order to lay the foundations of a strong and vibrant India. But this ad created a furore in Indian Politics when released. Why?

5. And the answer is… • It created a political controversy because the twig of the plant shown was strikingly similar to the poll symbol of the Trinamool Congress (shown below), which is headed by the Railways Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee.

6. Question 2 • Identify these child actors

7. And the answer is… • By close observation, you must have seen that they are none other than Shahid Kapoor and Ayesha Takia 

8. Question 3 • This person may not be an Indian, but his work has helped India more than the work of any other known American. • He’s one of only five people in history to score the feat of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal – placing him in the company of the Rev Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Elie Wiesel. • He’s also a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour. He died very recently. • Name this distinguished scientist and visionary.

10. And the answer is… • He is Mr. Norman Borlaug, who passed away in Texas on 12th Spetember, ’09.

11. Question 4 • A survey was conducted in the late 1980s to find out what Bollywood heroine did the public perceive the various beauty and skin-care brands to represent. The survey results were interesting:  • The survey analysts felt people associated Nivea with her as she represented “Timeless Beauty”. But, according to the public, Nivea represented her as she was “Always desirable; Never attainable” (Nivea, in those days, was priced at a 40% premium). Which heroine was Nivea supposed to represent?

12. And the answer is… • Rekha 

13. Question 5 • Javagal Srinath recalls: • “My first and only hundred came 18 years ago in the Pentangulars. That hundred, which went to the score-books, ball by ball, was entered by a young X. That was way back in 1988, when Mysore zone was playing against the Bangalore zone. X was 15 years then the youngest in the side. He was not happy with that job given to him.” Who is X?

14. And the answer is… • Rahul Dravid 

15. Question 6 • In 1890 pharmacist Lunsford Richardson took over the retail drug business of his brother-in-law Dr. Joshua and began marketing “X” Family Remedies. The most popular remedy was Croup and Pneumonia Salve, which was first compounded in 1891 in Greensboro and rebranded as “Y” in 1912. The flu epidemic of 1918 increased sales of “Y” from $900,000 to $2.9 million in just one year. In 1985, the entire company was sold to Procter & Gamble and P&G has since marketed the product as “The only thing more powerful than a mother's touch”. “Y” is currently manufactured and packaged in India and Mexico. • Identify the name “X” and the brand name “Y”.

16. And the answer is… • That was Dr. Joshua Vick • X = Vicks and Y = VapoRub.

17. Question 7 • We can all recognize this famous Indian on the Google Doodle below. But Indians (like Sir Rabindrabath Tagore) had already featured on Google Doodles before this one. Why was this Google Doodle unique among the other Indo-centric doodles?

18. And the answer is… • This was the first Global Google Doodle that was Indian-Centric. Till then, all Indian-related Google Doodles were restricted to “www.google.co.in” pages. This was the first Indian Doodle to feature on the global “www.google.com” page.

19. Question 8 • Identify the gentleman and the lady. • Clue: This Indian gentleman was awarded the highest award in another country, which is a rare distinction ever granted to a foreigner by that country.

20. And the answer is… • Biju Patnaik and Gyan Patnaik

21. Question 9 • It seemed to have originated at Golconda in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It has belonged to various Mughal, Persian and British rulers who fought bitterly over it at various points in history and seized it as a spoil of war time and again. It was finally seized by the East India Company. What am I talking about?

22. And the answer is… • The Kohinoor Diamond 

23. Question 10 • Lets end with another railways question. In 2009, the Indian Railways Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee announced the launch of a new type of train in India. These trains would have no stoppages in between and will have only two or three technical halts. These trains will travel as fast as Rajdhani express and being non-stop, will take less time to cover the distance. They will have new-age stainless steel coaches having distinct colour. The maintenance of these trains has been outsourced on PPP (Public-Private Partnership) mode to private players, who will be allowed to display their advertisement inside the coaches. Name the type of train in question.

24. And the answer is… • Duronto 

25. Thank you for trying… • The next presentation is up… Answers for the next one will be out by 4th February, 2011 midnight 