Witness this popular school quiz make its debut in Mumbai this weekend

There was a time before Google and the addictive ChatGPT that knowing trivia was more than just a party trick Being on the quiz team for an interschool competition would be a studentsrsquo road to stardom ldquoI grew up an avid quizzer myself I consumed everything from pop culture to politics that sparked this interest in quizzingrdquo shares quizmaster and cofounder of Nexus Consulting Venkatesh Srinivasan This Sunday Srinivasan will take the stage to meet and quiz a new generation of such quizzers at the Mumbai debut of the Indica interschool quizVenkatesh Srinivasan Pics courtesyNexus ConsultingldquoWe started out in 2012 and would often host quizzes for corporate events in Bengaluru Soon we launched our own platformrdquo reveals Srinivasan Since 2016 the Indica interschool quiz has been a regular presence across the academic circuit in South India The name itself is a quizzerrsquos homage ldquoIndica was the term the Greek historian Megasthenes used to name the land It is also the binomial to mark out species that are native to Indiardquo Srinivasan remarks In view of this it is almost surprising when the former IIM graduate admits that he did not make it to his own school quiz team ldquoIt was too competitiverdquo he sighs before adding ldquoLife has come a full circle now it seemsrdquoStudents discuss during a previous editionIn 2022 the quiz added Chennai Hyderabad and Kochi to their itinerary before arriving in Mumbai this year Having grown up practising answers on buzzer rounds with Derek OrsquoBrien on television this writer understands the charm of a quiz But in a world of instant information and ready solutions is the thrill still alive among Gen Z ldquoYes Although it is not necessarily translated into popular programming on television or otherwise we have noticed an increasing groundswell across India Even when we conduct sessions outside of the major metropolises in Patna or Guwahati there is an uptick in the enthusiasm of studentsrdquo shares Srinivasan an alumni of the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan PSBB mdash also the alma mater for a certain Sundar PichaiYoung audience members react to a questionMumbairsquos junior quizzers have their task cut out Divided into two sections for Middle School Class 5 to 8 and High School students Class 9 to 12 the quiz will have a written preliminary round followed by an onstage finale for teams from six schools Winners stand to win cash prizes of up to Rs 50000 as well as certificates ldquoEach team can have two members from within their specific class groups The schools can have multiple teams in the competition However they cannot have more than two teams in the finalerdquo the quizmaster explains But it is not just for the childrenA moment from the 2023 finale in ChennaildquoThe quiz is open for anyone mdash from working professionals to academics mdash to come and watch There will be some interactive sessions with the audience as wellrdquo he promises While this Mumbai edition will elect a city champion Srinivasan reveals plans are underway to host a panIndia quiz contest in the coming years ldquoAs it grows we will be looking at hosting a shootout finale of all the city champions from across the countryrdquo he saysSteady on the buzzer thenOn September 14Time 9 am Middle School 1 pm High SchoolAt Nehru Science Centre Dr E Moses Road Worli Log on to indicaconsultnexusin registrations open till September 13