CANNABIS INDICA ASKQANCE 2015The prelims

Navin Rajaram

A Round of Thanks to :

• The Karnataka Quiz Association (KQA)

• Bhargava, Nitish Khadiya & Aditya Gadre for

guinea-pig duties and feedback.

Prelims Rules

• Teams of 4

• 36 Question Prelims worth 46 points

• Qns 1-10 and Qns 21-36 are 1 pointers

• Qns 11-20 are * questions, each worth 2 points

• Top 8 teams make it to the finals

• * QnsSudden death from Qn 1Wrestling duels to

resolve ties, if any

All the best, do take guesses

• A futuristic art installation, this 20 ft by 10 ft installation

was the first commissioned piece at this location.

• The artist drew inspiration from his 20 year old

association with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as a

machinist, bringing the piece together with 55

separate pieces that are used in the industry.

Where are you likely to encounter this installation?

1

Answer

Kempe Gowda International Airport /

Bangalore Airport

• Built by Alice (Ann) Hessing as a resting place for her

husband, John Hessing, a Dutch commander of the

Maratha Armies, this edifice is a lesser known

memorial of love, with genders reversed.

• Of Mughal design, standing on a square platform and

containing a crypt, it is topped by a beautiful dome

and embellished by intricate artwork.

While tourist signs in Agra call it the Catholic

Cemetery, what 2 word moniker is it known by?

2

Answer

Red Taj

• Published earlier this year,

Patrick Jered’s book is

about a European who

arrives in India and

chances upon an

instrument and then travels

across the country and

eventually to Sri Lanka to

trace its origins.

What is the object of his

search in the book?

3

Answer

Ravanahatta

• This is the Sagar Samrat oil exploration rig

off the coast of Mumbai, that disappeared

from our memories after 1994.

How is this rig going to make a comeback,

courtesy a recent announcement by a

financial body?

4

Answer

Reprinting of Re. 1 currency notes

• Initially two envoys – Ali Mardan Khan and Muhammad Ali

Khan were sent to the court of Muhammad Ali with a request

that certain Afghan rebels who were troubling the eastern

provinces not be sheltered.

• When no concrete response was received, another envoy,

Muhammad Khan Turkman was sent to deliver a more strongly

worded protest, but Muhammad Ali’s court wasted time in

discussing how best to address this new envoy respectfully.

• The last straw was the murder of two courtiers, who were sent

to gain news of Turkman’s whereabouts.

What retributive action happened next?

5

Answer

Nadir Shah pillaged Delhi

• While there are many confusing names for basil seeds (eg:

sabja, selasih,takmaria), one way of making sure you will get

basil seeds at a shop is by asking for _______ seeds, referring

to their use in a preparation.

• Their use in this preparation involves dehusking the seeds,

soaking them in water and allowing them to expand.

• An optional ingredient, they contribute absolutely no flavour

to the end product but have digestive benefits and add to the

visual authenticity of the preparation.

What preparation fills the blank?

6

Answer

Falooda

• This 1952 Bollywood film, a first for Indian cinema, was set in a

fictional kingdom that looked like a cross between Rajasthan

and the mad king Ludwig’s Bavaria.

• It featured some of the architectural fantasies of India’s pre-

independence maharajahs and was an over the top operatic

fairy tale described as “Disney animation come to life, but

with eroticism and footwear fetishism”.

• One particular foreign critic who could not sit through the film

described it as “it goes ______ and ______ and _______...”

What film?

7

Answer

Aan

• Instituted in 1984, this medal was famously awarded to the

Indian Air Force for activities during a specific operation in

1984, a race in which India pre-empted Pakistan plans by 4

days.

• Made of copper and nickel, the obverse bears the Emblem of

India and the reverse bears a scene of the operation and a

helicopter.

• Personnel eligible for the medal include all Army, Navy, Air

Force and other armed forces, people physically present, and

even civilian porters who participated in the operation.

Either name the operation OR the name of this medal.

8

Answer

Operation Meghdoot /

Siachen Glacier medal

• A pet project of Indian Railways, it was in the wings for 2 years and

faced teething problems associated with the Thane-CST zone.

• Doing this would have meant trains would have to run at a

maximum speed of 15 kmph between Kurla and Thane – a high

traffic commuter zone while another problem involved the Siemens

coaches of regular passenger trains, which were taller than 4.27m,

the maximum height of trains allowed on this stretch.

• Inspite of these hurdles, the project was finally completed on June

9, 2015 leaving CST-Panvel & Thane-Vashi as the only remaining

islands in India and saving the organization a whopping upwards

of Rs. 50 crore annually.

What are we talking about?

9

Answer

Conversion from DC to AC

electrification

Most Indian Railways electric lines are powered by 25

KV AC with just 2 islands in the country, that now run on

1500 V DC

• The official process is called the Banajaga Yatra, as part of which

around 120 people, called Daitapatis, would fan out to various parts

of the state and use their dreams to find the right fit neem trees of

Daru type.

• On April 12, 2015, a tree of this type was located at the

Gadakuntunia village in Balakati village and a similar process of

locating 3 other trees was underway.

• Once the trees are identified, barricades are erected until a ritual

cutting, before an elaborate ghata paribartan (transfer of souls)

ritual concludes the process.

What is the purpose of this process, something that occurs once

every 12-19 years (the last instance before 2015 was 1996)?

10

Answer

New idols for the Jagannath Puri temple

Nabakalebara – The process of crafting new idols

of Jagannatha, Sudarshan, Balabhadra & Devi

Subhadra at Puri

• In 1960 when the Assam Government passed an act, the people of

the Cachar district in Barak Valley went all out in protest since the

original district had been a part of a larger division, including

Sylhet, that went to East Pakistan.

• The situation reached a peak on May 19, 1961 when unarmed

protestors at a railway station were fired at, leaving 19 dead,

leading to mass outrage and an eventual amendment in the act by

the state government.

• Today, the Barak Valley celebrates “Unishey May” annually and the

railway station is proposed to be renamed as per this unofficial

signboard.

Where did this incident occur?

What were the protestors fighting for?

11*

Answer

Silchar

Adding Bengali as an official

language of the state

Why were all these ads created?

Which Bollywood actress was chosen to promote this

campaign?

12*

Answer

To improve the population of Parsis

Perizaad Zorabian

• This 1943 film called “Vani” was the only on-screen

appearance of a vocalist, who had a poor opinion of

cinema and hardly saw films.

Identify the vocalist.

Also, identify the violinist, who produced this film and

played a big role in convincing the vocalist to appear on

screen.

13*

Answer

Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar

T Chowdiah

In an obituary for Y, X wrote:

“My most vivid memories of Y have little to do with his prodigious skills,

those that won him multiple Olympic medals. His final Olympic Games –

Rome, 1960 – occurred before I was born. He was a family friend, and I

count his son Brandon as a buddy. More than that, Y was a legend and a

lion of the Anglo-Indian community. He was everything we aspired to

be – successful, genial and unfailingly polite.

Y grew up in a railway colony in Bilaspur, learnt the game in Kharagpur

– before settling in Kolkata. In January 2013, a world Anglo-Indian

reunion was taking place in Kolkata and I suggested they honour an

“Anglo-Indian of the Century”. The choice was unanimous : Y. We

weren’t honouring him; he was honouring us by accepting.”

Identify X, a debatable legend in these circles and Y, a true

legend in his own right.

14*

Answer

Derek O Brien

Leslie Claudius

What specific honour connects these

movies? (the list is non exhaustive)

With reference to the year 2015, which

other movie, apart from Chauthi Koot,

was the recipient of this honour?

15*

ISHANOU(THE CHOSEN ONE)

Answer

Official selection at Cannes Un Certain

Regard section

Masaan

• The name arose at Cambridge during discussions on the

Yukawa particles between Kemmer, Maurice Price and the

individual in question.

• In 1939, the individual sent a short paper to Nature in which he

suggested a shorter name on the following grounds:

The name X’ has been suggested by Anderson and

Neddermeyer for the new particle found in cosmic radiation. It is

felt that the tr is redundant in this word since it does not belong

to the Greek root for middle. It would therefore be more logical

and also shorter to call the new particle X than a X’.

Who wrote the letter?

Identify the terms - X and X’ (no part points here)

16*

Answer

Homi Bhabha

Meson (X), Mesotron (X’)

• The largest of the state’s tribes, the Konyaks are concentrated

around 75 villages, some of which are in current day Myanmar.

• A typical Konyak from the yesteryears is likely to sport a lot of

tattoos on his face, chin and bosom, the tattoos being linked to

a tradition believed to transfer magical forces from one person

to another.

• However, since the 1950s, Christian conversions and

government sanctions have forced the tradition and associated

tattooing to go out of vogue.

Which state are the Konyaks native to?

What tradition was associated with the tattooing?

17*

Answer

Nagaland

Headhunting

The Konyaks added tattoos on their face every time

they scalped a head

• In May this year, the state arm of a worldwide organization applied

for increasing its production output, citing an increase in

membership.

• Critics were quick to jump on the suspect timing and irony, because

the state arm had successfully lobbied with the local government to

restrict the output’s sale, while paying only Rs. 250 as a license fee.

• A spokesman clarified that the output was being produced at 23

plants run by the organization across the state and was needed to

continue long standing traditions.

What organization was at the centre of this controversy?

What specific output, part of tradition, does the organization

produce?

18*

Answer

Catholic Church (in Kerala)

Sacramental Wine (accept wine)

• Terminalia elliptica, or the Asna/Saaj tree is native to southern

India’s dry and deciduous forests.

• Due to the similarity of appearance of the tree’s bark to

something else from fauna, it is also called the “_________

bark tree”.

• A trait that this tree shares with the baobab is put to good use

by the tribal folk of the Bandipur forest.

Fill in the blanks above with the alternate name of the tree.

How does the tree benefit the tribals?

19*

Answer

Crocodile bark tree

Tap water for drinking from the stem

• On the 27th September 1914, they were diverted to a small

municipal harbour at the mouth of the Hooghly but were not given

any opportunity to express their grievances on the ill treatment.

• As they waited, they sat down to pray and recite the Ardas

(supplication to God), but the District Magistrate disturbed their

prayers, desecrated their scriptures.

• When an individual tried to restrain him, the Magistrate shot him

down, prompting others tried to tie him down, at which point British

troops opened fire killing 19 and injuring 23.

What repetitive name was this riot known as, in reference to

where it occurred?

Who were the rioters?

20*

20*

Answer

Budge Budge riot

Passengers of the Komagata Maru

• Saccharum spontaneum, or kash, is a perennial grass, native to

the Indian subcontinent, that grows up to 3 metres in height.

• A certain ‘project’ commenced on October 27, 1952 in a field

full of such white kash flowers, near Boral in eastern India.

• When the parties involved in the activity returned after a

week, the flowers had been lost to grazing cattle and what

greeted them was uninviting brownish grass.

• Not one to abandon things midway, the man in charge

decided to come back after a year when the fields would

bloom again to maintain consistency.

What project was thus delayed by a year, due to grazing

cattle?

21

Answer

Pather PanchaliThe fields scene was shot over a period of a year

• As part of its 2015-16 revenue generation plan, this organization has

come up with a unique sales initiative to coincide with the festival

of Pushkaram from July 14 – July 25.

• The Pushkaram festival occurs annually, each year by rotation at

shrines located on the banks of 12 holy rivers, and this year is the

turn of Godavari.

• The organization has tied up with Sapphire, an ISI-certified firm for

purification and bottling of Godavari water and plans to market it

as GOD-JAL to people who may not be able to make the trip and

partake of a holy dip.

Which organization, that also plans to get into marketing audios

of AIR speeches and Bible society literature?

22

Answer

India Post

• She figures occasionally in Hindu scriptures and is said to

represent all the bad astrological influences caused by the

Navagrahas (9 planets).

• Certain fancy back stories about her origins talk about how she

was actually Shani (Saturn) in the guise of a woman, who tried to

charm the celibate Hanuman, but the monkey god trapped her

under his leg.

• This possibly explains the recurring motif of showing her under

Hanuman’s feet and people praying to Hanuman to remove her evil

influences.

What name, that has come to be a part of our colloquial Hindi?

23

Answer

Panoti/Panvati

• Earlier this year, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval raised a few

eyebrows, when he told a gathering of BSF officers that “we also

have a 106 km long non-contiguous border with Afghanistan that we

must factor in”.

• The reference was to a disputed territory, that was surrendered to

Pakistan in 1947 by then governor Brigadier Ghansar Singh, ceded

by India as part of a 1950 arrangement.

• In 1970, Pakistan detached this territory from Azad Kashmir and

while the former got a semblance of constitutional government, an

election proposal in the latter is just about beginning to ruffle a

few feathers.

What hyphenated territory, that is referred to by Pakistan as

Northern Areas?

24

Answer

Gilgit-Baltistan

• While this cricketing innovation has been attributed to

someone from another Asian country, Ranji stories

attribute it to Iqbal Khan, who used it to good effect in a

match against Saurashtra in 1991.

• In an interview Iqbal said that he perfected this when he

was toiling away in the lower levels of English league

cricket, where playing on the front foot was not an options

because the pitches were slow, low and the ball didn’t

come on to the bat too nicely.

What innovation?

25

Answer

Scoop shot/Dilscoop

• Snippets from a 2006 documentary titled Cherub

of the Mist based on the life of Mini and Sweety,

who were released into the Singalila National

Park in Darjeeling after being in captivity.

Identify these endangered creatures.

26

Answer

Red Panda

• In the story The Bride’s Progress, Rudyard Kipling describes an

irritating young Englishwoman who says at the end of her visit

to a city “Oh! You horrid people! Shouldn’t I like to wash you.”

• Kipling then goes on to invent a false etymology for this city

and says that it takes its name from a combination of words for

“without” in Urdu and the word for “nostrils” in Latin because

of the extreme filth and insufferable odours here.

• Kipling and his character’s sentiments were upheld by Gandhi

in a speech here in 1916, where he advised the residents to

clean up.

What city?

27

Answer

Benares

from ‘be’ (without in Urdu) + nares (nostrils in Latin)

• This red sandstone structure in the heart of Agra and another

similar one in Delhi have been in neglect for the last few years, with

parts of the structures having been encroached by traders.

• In their heyday, the structures were centres of excellence with airy

shelves for books, natural light/air filters and tastefully painted

halls where saints and scholars met and debated in the spirit of

secular exchange.

• Historians opine that these places may well have served as the

locations where important classical treatises such as the

Upanishads were translated to Persian.

Who ran both these libraries and learning centers?

28

Answer

Dara Shikoh

• Recorded as a preparation of the Savaras, an ancient Eastern

tribe who offered it to their deity in a cave, it passed on to the

Kalinga kings who offered it as part of the six different meal

offerings during the day.

• As a tradition, potatoes weren’t allowed by priests and hence

elephant yam, eggplant, shallots and pumpkins were used as

replacements and the recipe evolved with the use of panch

phoran spices and a dollop of ghee as a topping.

• Some Brahmins often relate the story of Bheema as well being

the true creator, but Avial fans may dispute this.

What preparation?

29

Answer

Dalma

From Lonely Planet Goa:

“________ is a term that often crops up in Goa. To a Goan, ______ is an

attitude along the lines of relax and enjoy life while you can. It is a

philosophy of not getting overwrought if the work takes a day longer

than planned, of making an appointment for 10 am knowing fully well

the other party wont turn up until 10:30 am, and of taking time to sit and

gossip. The original Portuguese root word meaning “quiet” may have

been used more by the Catholic community than the Hindus, but the

Goans are alike in their understanding of the word.”

What word, that Rajiv Gandhi described as “a Goan’s inherent

non-acquisitiveness and contentment with what one has” ?

30

Answer

Susegad

from socegado

• He was either gifted by the King of Cochin or purchased by Alfonso

Albuquerque for King Manuel I for Portugal, who then in a tradition

of circulatory gift-giving, gave him to Pope Leo X.

• He purportedly refused to get on the boat to Rome because his

Indian keeper had fallen in love with a Portuguese girl, but finally

boarded the ark when King Manuel I threatened to kill the keeper.

• His arrival at Rome in 1514 drew huge crowds and when he was

presented to the Pope on Lent, Portuguese envoys are said to have

remarked how “India was placed at the feet of the Pontiff”.

Who was this gift, who took his Anglicized name from the

Malayalam word for his kind?

31

Answer

Hanno the white elephant

from aana

• Arriving at Mumbai by steamer in 1873, he criss-crossed India

travelling to Varanasi, Calcutta, Darjeeling, Agra-Delhi, up to the

Tibetan border and so on.

• He loved the country side, was reminded of Cumberland in the

Himalayan foothills, of Cambridgeshire in Pune, Bournemouth in

Coonoor and of Calcutta his notes said “Thick haze – Manchester”.

• The trip produced many watercolours and a poem with newly

learnt Indian words titled “The Cummerbund” with lines such as:

She sate upon her Dobie,

She heard the Nimmak hum,

When all at once a cry arose:

'The Cummerbund is come!‘

Who?

32

Answer

Edward Lear

• An alternate history website “______less World” explores what

would have happened if a certain pistol had not jammed :

“Without _______, the British cannot stop the French becoming the

dominant power in India. At the same time the French cannot stop the

Anglo-Prussian alliance removing them from North America, leading

to an earlier but less successful American Revolution. Over the

decades, the French Empire has become the dominant world power

(analogous to the British Empire of the real world), with the Union

(the descendant of the Anglo-Prussian alliance), a resurgent Ottoman

state, the Dutch Empire and the Russian Empire as the lesser powers

of the world. Colonialism has taken a very different route to the real

world. “

Whose early death does this website visualize?

33

Answer

Robert Clive

• Identify the lady in the video that follows – a related clue

is the man posing with Aamir Khan in the picture.

34

Answer

Geeta Phogat

• This R K Laxman cartoon makes a reference to something

that happened in 1989 for the first time in Indian electoral

history. What?

35

Answer

Hung Parliament/

No single party or alliance had an absolute

Majority

• In 1894, in response to a sustained temperance campaign by

Mark Stewart in the British Houses and questions on a revenue

of Rs. 1 crore the Bengal government alone earned, the Indian

____ Commission was setup to make an objective research on

the matter.

• Interviewees included civil and medical officers, asylum

inmates, missionaries, traders and an ambiguous category of

“professional men”.

• The commission concluded that many asylum members were

improperly classified as lunatics, and instead of a ban, a

higher tax rate might work.

What was this commission researching on?

36

Answer

Hemp

(Accept Cannabis/Bhang/

Ganja/Charas/Marijuana )

No points for Opium

Finals in a while..