Portal:India/Quiz/Archive12

[edit] Questions

[edit] Q1

Another mythology question: Which mythological character's name means 'steadfast in battle' but it is probably a record the number of times he fled from the scene of the battle? -- Longhairandabeard 15:18, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Shishupala? -- Samir धर्म 15:24, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Duryodhana? guessing. — Ravikiran 16:08, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Yudhisthira and I am definite. --Gurubrahma 16:11, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Yudhisthira is right.. Congrats for winning the last round, Guru! Your turn.. -- Longhairandabeard 20:17, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q2

Sorry for the delay. Hopefully, this shd be non-googlable. I'm looking for a single word connecting Chess and Jains. --Gurubrahma 14:17, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Shah? — Ravikiran 14:30, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Nope, I am looking for a Sanskrit word, rather two different Sanskrit words, which are spelt the same way in English. The word(s) itself is a combination of two smaller words, the first being the same in both the cases. --Gurubrahma 14:43, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

A really wild guess: are you thinking of Rishbabha and Jaina, that is, Rishabha Jain, a chess player. --Bhadani 15:44, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Let me refine it: Rishbabha Dev, a Jaina Tirthankar and Rishabha Jain, a chess player. --Bhadani 15:48, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

No, not the name of a person. Also, it is one word made up of two small parts, the first part being the Sanskrit word for a number. --Gurubrahma 16:23, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

I have become a gambler in the company of Portal:India/Quiz. Is it Shatrang, also spelt as Shatranga made of two Sanskrit words, Shat (four) and anga means detachment, one of the tenets of Jainism. Chess also called shatranj is derived from Shatrang. --Bhadani 16:48, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

I think I got it. An old Sanskrit name for chess is Ashtapada, and the Jains know Mount Kailash as Ashtapada, the center of the universe, where the first tirthankar, Rishabhdev attained nirvana. I am not sure if they are different words. -- Longhairandabeard 20:04, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

de-indentingGreat guesses by Bhadani. But what I had in mind was Ashtāpada, the old chess board and Ashtapada, the Jain pilgrim centre. LHAB gets it!! --Gurubrahma 07:01, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

I can only guess! . Congrats to Longhairandabeard. --Bhadani 10:39, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q3

This may be tough as I can't find any internet references for it. Here it goes: Which Indian mythological king was killed by a worm in a fruit? -- Longhairandabeard 15:13, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Parikshit -- Lost^(talk) 15:19, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Just about to write that. Lost, you are fast. you should change your name to fastestintherush. --BostonMA 15:21, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

LOL, I remember reading this in good old Amar Chitra Katha once upon a time. Next q later tonight...-- Lost^(talk) 15:25, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Wow! 6 minutes!! That definitely qualifies as 'tough'.. :-P In case you are waiting for my corroboration, Lost, Parikshita is right.. He was cursed that Takshak, the king of snakes, will kill him. To avoid detection, Takshak became a worm and hid inside a fruit (apple?). When the fruit basket reached Parikshit, Takshak changed to his normal form and bit him. (Actually found a reference after I posted the q. [1])-- Longhairandabeard 15:56, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Oops... This is really embarrassing. I was so overconfident that I declared myself to be correct even before LHAB did. Oh well... -- Lost^(talk) 16:13, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q4

Identify this Indian who created a record of sorts earlier this year in adventure sports. His surname matches that of one of the very well known business family's surnames. -- Lost^(talk) 16:51, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Ajeet Bajaj, the first Indian to ski to the North Pole. — Ravikiran 17:06, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Wow, I didnt think it would be that easy!! Over to you Ravi. -- Lost^(talk) 17:18, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

And, I think Ajit Bajaj [2] and the Lost "read" (if they at all read!) in the same school. --Bhadani 17:23, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, Bhadaniji has guessed this unasked part of the question right :) -- Lost^(talk) 17:54, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Sab Google ka Chamatkar hai. I just had to guess the last name of Bajaj and It gave me the answer. And now I have another question I've been dying to ask ;)— Ravikiran 17:40, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q5

Not to create an image for myself or anything, but here is another question related to erotica. Connect a song in the movie Madhumati with Khajuraho. — Ravikiran 17:40, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

A song Chad gayo papi bichua..., and bichua is an ornament found on the khajuraho sculptures. (I am gambling) --Bhadani 18:52, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Bichua is also name of the small stones found on the roads leading to Khajuraho. I am not sure. Now, I shall sleep and try to dream khajuraho. --Bhadani 18:57, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Well, your gamble proved to be right Bhadaniji! — Ravikiran 19:34, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Fine, thanks. Now that I have been "declared" pass, I can lie that my dreams were also beautiful, and I got up at around 4.00 AM (IST). It seems that I have become highly addicted to wikipedia. I shall wait till early-noon, to do anything here, I mean this page. --Bhadani 22:20, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q6

What was the common name of Kulsum Zamani, a famous person associated with Indian independence movement who became particularly famous during the Quit India movement of 1942? --Bhadani 07:23, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Its tougher than it looks. There are no google hits for the person. Bhadaniji, can we have a hint please? -- Lost^(talk) 17:00, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Hint! Hint! — Ravikiran 10:47, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Sorry friends, I could not access the internet due to technical reasons, and hence the delay in responding. Yes, I do accept that I had to do a little "research" to get this question, and I made it sure that there was no Google hits: only from here (from answer to this question on this page of wikipedia) a Google hit shall get generated: Kulsum Zamani was born a Hindu, and was married to a Muslim barrister; people has described her as a “heroine of the 1942 movement” I think I have made her life story simple. --Bhadani 12:43, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Aruna Asaf Ali! Yes! — Ravikiran 12:47, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Aaahhhhh!! too slow again. --BostonMA 12:53, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Congrats. A book named India's 50 Most Illustrious Women by Indra Gupta (ISBN 81-88086-19-3) informs in an article relating to Aruna Asaf Ali: "after her father died in March 1928, she got married to Asaf Ali in September that year against severe opposition. The marriage took place with Muslim rites, Aruna being named Kulsum Zamani, with only two relatives of Aruna and few common friends present at the marriage. ... Against all expectations their marriage proved to be a great success". Over to Ravikiran. --Bhadani 12:57, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

de-indenting Actually, it was pretty stupid of me not to take a guess right away. I checked the article, did a google search for "Aruna Asaf Ali Kulsum Zamani" and nothing turned up. I thought if google did not know it, it wouldn't be true... — Ravikiran 18:16, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Now it will become a race to see who notices the question first, and who has can type the fastest ;-) --BostonMA 18:20, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q7

Jaya, having more than quadrupled in size, is now known by a familiar name. What is the familiar name? — Ravikiran 18:18, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Amma? -- Lost^(talk) 18:24, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Best. Answer. Ever. In this quiz. I can't stop grinning. But no. Not the right answer. — Ravikiran 18:27, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Can you clarify which Jaya are you talking about. Or is this too a part of the question? — Ambuj Saxena (talk) 18:30, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Maliha? --BostonMA 18:32, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Really something difficult as we have several Jayas? Anyway ... --Bhadani 18:41, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

boiled paddy? --BostonMA 18:46, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

No to all the above. — Ravikiran 18:53, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Is Selvi? (that is, Kumari) - and now I will sleep. Goodnight. --Bhadani 19:05, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Yet again, no. Here is a hint. This Jaya is not a human being. — Ravikiran 19:15, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Mahabharata!! --BostonMA 20:36, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

aaarrghh!! I can't believe I missed this one!! -- Longhairandabeard 00:03, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

I am sleeping shortly. If the baton is ready to be passed, it may be passed to someone else. However, if people are willing to wait 8 hours, I do have a question that I think would be fun -- well for me at least (evil grin) --BostonMA 01:51, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

de-indenting Indeed it is the Mahabharata. It was originally written as "Jaya" by Vyasa. I have heard conflicting numbers as to how many verses were there. The book I have "The Vedic People" says that it had around 8,000 verses, which was expanded to 24,000 and became the Bharata, which was further expanded to more than a lakh and became the Mahabharata (so Maha refers to the size of the work rather than to the greatness of the Bharatas and "Bharata" mentioned there refers to the Kauravas and Pandavas, the descendents of Bharata. )

Now coming back to Jaya, the only reference to her I can find in Wikipedia is in the article Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa (which really needs to be merged with Vyasa. There it says that the 25000 verse work was in fact Jaya, and the 100000 verse work is the Bharata, with the Mahabharata being 1.5 lakh verses long. I don't know which is authoritative. I have also heard that Jaya is one of the Puranas, or may be it is a story within a Purana. I have also heard that in the original Jaya epic, the good guys and bad guys were switched. Anyway, enough of Gyaan. Over to BostonMA. — Ravikiran 08:55, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Dang!! I thought I had it when I gave that answer.;) -- Lost^(talk) 09:34, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

It was an excellent question!

[edit] Q8

For this question I will spend some time in hell. ;-) In the year ________, this person went from Madras to Salem. Although it is known that he was Indian, his exact, or even approximate place of birth is unknown today. His religion is also not known to us. The same for his name. In fact, I have conveyed to you almost the sum total of the biographical information known about him by historians. I know of no ledgends about him. Yet surprisingly, he has merited mention in a number of books. What was the year, and why has this person, about whom we know almost nothing, been mentioned in books?  ;-) --BostonMA 10:20, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Did he have a beard ? :-) Tintin (talk) 10:52, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

He may have, but then perhaps he did not. As far as I know, that detail has not been reported. It certainly is not something that is reported in any google references I have seen (but then again, you may have seen something I have not.) --BostonMA 11:23, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Tintin, I know who you have in your mind.  ;) I don't think it's he because the blank is a year, which is impossible to tell if it involves him. -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 11:33, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Ok :-) Tintin (talk) 11:44, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

I am as good as my google search and my google search is no good on this one :(. So, when's the first hint coming? -- Lost^(talk) 12:35, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Is it 1909? in reference to this? though the place seems to be different, you never know with these apocryphal stories. btw, Sundar and Tintin, who did you guys have in ur mind? --Gurubrahma 13:05, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, no. --BostonMA 13:55, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Thiruvalluvar Tintin (talk) 13:22, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

I thought that is who you were thinking of. --BostonMA 13:55, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Clue: People who have made a similar journey are far more likely to have interest in this person, than those who have not. However, in this case, similar does not necessarily mean from the same start point to the same end point. Very few actually do that. But very many have finished at an end point 40 km away, and an even larger number have finished their journey about 350 km from his finish. --BostonMA 13:38, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Is there a place that is named after him ? Tintin (talk) 13:43, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

His name is not known, but it seems likely that there is not place named after him. --BostonMA 13:55, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

I give up. Tintin (talk) 14:17, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

The next clue will make the question googleable. Is there anyone who would like me to delay giving this clue? --BostonMA 14:44, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

OK, the year was 1790. --BostonMA 15:55, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

servant to John Gibaut of Salem, first Indian to sail thru black waters? [4] -- Lost^(talk) 15:59, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Wow Lost, you are fast. Yes, the earliest Verifiable record of an Indian traveling to US was in 1790! The evil part of my question is that he sailed from Madras to Salem, but you need to look at the link to know what was evil about my question! Over to you Lost! --BostonMA 16:05, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

As I said, I am as good as my google search :). OK, next question either up by midnight IST else tomorrow morning IST -- Lost^(talk) 16:08, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Congrats to both the examiner and the examinee. While I was "ogle-ing", Lost won the game! --Bhadani 16:28, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q9

OK next question up already... _________ was first discovered in India in BC. Its discovery elsewhere did not happen till the 18th century. This was quite a DYK for me but I think others would already know this. -- Lost^(talk) 16:26, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

diamonds? --BostonMA 16:28, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Sigh, I knew it wouldn't last long. Can somebody suggest a title for an article that can take this to DYK. Over to you BostonMA -- Lost^(talk) 16:31, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Actually, could you (or someone else) take the baton. There are other issues that really require my attention, and although this is fun... Perhaps Bhadani? Thanks. --BostonMA 16:34, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Do you want me to se the paper, I mean ask the next question? --Bhadani 16:46, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes please! --BostonMA 16:48, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Ok, fine. Thanks. I will try to make it really simple. --Bhadani 16:59, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

I will be able to do it only in the morning. Regret the delay. Goodnight friends. --Bhadani 18:43, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q10

Sorry for the delay friends: I just got up a bit late. Who is believed to be the first Chinese to have visited the Kumbhamela? I shall be in the office during the day, and may not be able to view the answers until late evening. I think the answer is not difficult, and if answered correctly and confirmed to be so by one or two more friends, the person answering correctly is requested to proceed and ask the next question. I regret the inconvenience. Thanks. --Bhadani 02:49, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Can't be this easy, all the internet sources seem unanimous it is Hiuen Tsang.. -- Longhairandabeard 02:55, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Congrats. So you are really fast, and compensated for the delay arising out of my in-action. Over to you. --Bhadani 03:00, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Thanks! I don't know about fast.. just happened to press that refresh button at the right time, I guess.. Next q in a few mins.. -- Longhairandabeard 03:03, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q11

Sorry about the delay. I had to take care of something urgent. Here is a question that should be vague enough to be ungoogleable: The brand name X of a famous Indian product is an acronym, that stands for phrase Y in an Indian language, which roughly translates to 'The Shop of the Magnanimous'. What are X and Y? -- Longhairandabeard 05:44, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

No guesses? Would it help to know the Indian language is Punjabi and it's a three letter acronym. -- Longhairandabeard 13:32, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

MDH Masala? I don't know the Punjabi phrase though. — Ravikiran 14:19, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

MDH is right.. But since I asked both in the question, I am going to wait a while to see if someone can come up with the phrase. -- Longhairandabeard 14:27, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

The phrase is Mahasheyan di hatti, but Ravi should get this one -- Lost^(talk) 14:28, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm ok.. Ravi gets the point and the baton. -- Longhairandabeard 17:16, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Thanks Lost, for this magnanimous gesture :) I just thought of a question that should be interesting. — Ravikiran 18:13, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q12

This should be an interesting, but easy question... What do Madras, Calicut, Thane and Khambat have in common? — Ravikiran 18:13, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Portuguese? -- Lost^(talk) 18:19, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Nope. — Ravikiran 18:24, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

All except Thane were ceded to the British through treaties. Not sure if this is what you are looking for. -- Longhairandabeard 18:37, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Infact if Thane wasnt part of the question, my guess would've been that all had their names changed from the anglicised version to the Indian ones -- Lost^(talk) 18:42, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

1)All 4 are known for their own uniqueness: Chennai for Auto industry (Detroit of South Asia), Thane for Lakes (City of Lakes), Khambat noted for the extreme rise and fall of its tides, calicut for folk songs or ballads known as Vadakkan Pattukal. 2) All are reknowned in history for their trading ports. Vivek1402 21:09, 20 September 2006 (UTC)vivek1402

No to all the above. Here is a hint. The order is significant. — Ravikiran 05:49, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

de-indenting I realise that this is very difficult as it has absolutely no references other than the one I have, so lemme give another hint. It is someone's journey. — Ravikiran 07:54, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

On the trail of Marco Polo suggests that it is Marco Polo. --Gurubrahma 09:06, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

That's correct! I did not expect that it would have no references at all other than this. Over to you Gurubrahma. — Ravikiran 10:00, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Let me *try* to answer this one(I'm from Thane). The first rail line was laid here, connecting Bombay(Bori Bunder/VT/CST). So I'm assuming all these cities were the first to have railway lines, in the country? EDIT: Our answers came out at nearly the same time. :/ BTW, I'm a newbie here... can i join in?

Amogh 10:04, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

You are welcome, Amogh. In fact, you may even want to check the talkpage of this article for red links (that is, articles not yet created) and make them blue (that is, create them); do read WP:YFA as it is helpful. --Gurubrahma 15:38, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q13

X Y is acknowledged a great writer in language V and also won the Padma Vibhushan. Surprisingly, X is the name of a famous work in language V written by writer W before X Y became a writer. Find X, Y, V, W. --Gurubrahma 15:38, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

the square of the hypoteneuse? I have to work out what you are saying here ;-). --BostonMA 15:59, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Really, a mind blowing question indeed! --Bhadani 16:10, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Well, I'll give a hypothetical example. The example is as follows: - Marthanda Raja is acknowledged a great writer in language Konkani and also won the Padma Vibhushan. Surprisingly, "Marthanda" is the name of a famous work in Konkani written by writer Dhanaraj before Marthanda Raja became a writer. So, here, X, Y, V and W would be Marthanda, Raja, Konkani and Dhanaraj. Clear now?? --Gurubrahma 16:16, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps: Nirmala Nirmala Deshpande a recipient of Padma Vibhushan, and Nirmla, a book written by Premchand, a Hindi writer. So sequesnce is perhpas: Nirmala (X) Deshpande (Y) Nrmala is a famous novel in Hindi (V) by Premchand (W). --Bhadani 17:05, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Good guess! However, Nirmala Deshpande is famous as a gandhian, not as a writer/novelist. Thus, not the answer i'm looking for, I'm afraid --Gurubrahma 17:10, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

I agree. I was also thinking that I missed something. --Bhadani 17:11, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

How about XY =Amrit Kaur aka Amrita Pritam. Famous work is Amrit Bani, and W is Guru Nanak Dev? Language would be punjabi of course -- Lost^(talk) 17:49, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

de-indentingOk, I'd have given it if the name of the work was Amrit or Amrita. To give you one hint: XY was born 7 years before W's death. --Gurubrahma 17:57, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

C'mon guys, this is simple actually. Would it help if I were to say that bothe these authors have decent articles on WP and that both of them are women. No more hints, it should be easy if you are cat enough or follow cats ;) --Gurubrahma 07:44, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

Got it. Mahasweta Devi, Bengali, Kamini Roy -- Lost^(talk) 08:21, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

Yup. Your go. Something tells me that Dwaipayan wd hav got it in a jiffy, w/o recourse to any clues ;) --Gurubrahma 11:52, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q14

He has a temple after him. Even his assistant has a temple after him (the assistant). He died before after independence. At the peak of his work, his actual followers numbered a mere 17. Name him and the assistant. Hint to begin with: The answer is there on google. But dont look for the usual suspects -- Lost^(talk) 03:02, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Here goes the first guess: Sri Aurobindo, although I am not sure about the number of followers during his lifetime. There were 26 of them when he established Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Assistant would be The Mother, I suppose. I further suppose that the 'him' you have used for the assistant (which I just noted) is a typo.. -- Longhairandabeard 04:23, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Well, as I said, dont look towards the usual suspects. Some out of the box thinking is needed here ;) -- Lost^(talk) 04:29, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

OK hint, he died in the 1950s... -- Lost^(talk) 08:43, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Whats up people? Everybody enjoying the weekend or watching Sunfeast Open? Another hint: the person has also been featured in Time magazine -- Lost^(talk) 12:08, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

I am trying to get the answer. It looks tough. --Bhadani 13:11, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

I am not getting any ... giving up. --Bhadani 13:48, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Ok, another hint then... He did not die a natural death but was killed -- Lost^(talk) 14:41, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

A really wild guess: Syama Prasad Mookerjee. --Bhadani 16:07, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

No.. making my previous hint clearer: he was shot dead. Plus another big hint: The man who got him killed was a minister. And according to Time magazine, thousands came to the spot when he died. -- Lost^(talk) 16:37, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

I'm completely lost. Lots of clues around, but google baba does not seem to be in a generous mood today. All my excursions out of the box have not been helpful either. Plan of action: wait for the giveaway clue and snatch it! :-D -- Longhairandabeard 17:13, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Oh come on guys!! Well, here's the giveaway that should put all my above hints in perspective. This person was on the wrong side of the law -- Lost^(talk) 17:37, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Speedy guess, Daku Mansingh --BostonMA 17:45, 23 September 2006 (UTC) Looks like it [5]. Assistant named Roopa. --BostonMA 17:52, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Yup, definitely looks like it.. Here's the Time article: [6].. -- Longhairandabeard 18:01, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

(edit conflict)Indeed... He was the original legendary dacoit till Phoolan Devi and Veerappan came on the scene. Here's the Time article [7]. The credit for the question goes to Dwaipayanc who wanted an article on Bahadur. It was while digging up stuff on him that I came across dacoity which is a very poor stub and Man Singh (Dacoit) which doesn't exist at all. Over to you BostonMA -- Lost^(talk) 18:05, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

It looks like I've moved among the leaders. I guess there is something to be said for being sick at home and little to do but go online! ;-) --BostonMA 18:13, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q15

Probably easy. Connect Nancy Keir with Ludhiana. --BostonMA 18:38, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Does it have something to do with Roma people--nids(♂) 18:53, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, no. --BostonMA 18:54, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

My bad. I would like to change the connection start point from Nancy to Keir. There is still a connection with Nancy, but according to Wikipedia, the better connection is with Keir. This should be a huge hint. --BostonMA 19:16, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Anything to do with bicycles? Keir has its inventor and Ludhiana has these big factories of cycle tyres -- Lost^(talk) 19:36, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes, you have it, although I messed up. There are conflicting reports on Wikipedia regarding bicycles. According to the Pierre Lallement article, Lallement invented the pedal bicycle in Nancy. However, according to the Bicycle article, the bicycle was invented by Kirkpatrick Macmillan who hails from Keir. However, the Kirkpatrick Macmillan says this claim is doubtful. Arrgghh. I should have left my original question alone! So either Nancy or Keir is the birthplace of the pedal bicycle. Ludhiana is the home of what is reputed to be the worlds largest manufacturer of bicycles, Hero cycle. Over to you Lost.

[edit] Q16

OK, I dont have too many hints for this one. So I'll try to make it straight enough: He was involved during the actual process of partition of India. Later he became a minister and then moved to the judiciary. Who am I talking about? -- Lost^(talk) 10:51, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Sardar Gian Singh Rarewala?

Amogh 12:14, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

nope. As I said I am short of hints but here's one. He has a college named after him -- Lost^(talk) 13:33, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps: Mountbatten and The Mountbatten School And Language College. --Bhadani 15:19, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

No, he was Indian -- Lost^(talk) 15:23, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Baldev Singh?--Dwaipayan (talk) 16:10, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

No, you are very close though. Baldev Singh was not part of the judiciary as far as I know -- Lost^(talk) 16:18, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

R. K. Shanmukham Chetty.--Dwaipayan (talk) 16:28, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Nope, no mention of the partition or judiciary in the article. OK giveaway hint: he reached the highest echelons in the judiciary -- Lost^(talk) 16:31, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Is it M.P. Shastri.nids(♂) 16:36, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

No he was never a minister -- Lost^(talk) 16:42, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Mehar Chand Mahajan.--Dwaipayan (talk) 16:43, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. He was prime minister of Kashmir province immediately after independence. Later went on to become Chief Justice of India. The college named after him is MCM DAV College for Girls in Chandigarh -- Lost^(talk) 16:51, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q17

Connect: A regular pilot for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; and Maneka Gandhi.

Can't find anything solid... I found someone who fits the bill of 'regular pilot' for Patel, but can't link him to Maneka Gandhi.. hints? -- Longhairandabeard 21:42, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Was Sanjay Gandhi the pilot? Bakaman _Bakatalk 02:07, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Hint: Maybe working the other way round will generate easier way. Start with Maneka Gandhi. And direct googling may not provide the answer.--Dwaipayan (talk) 04:36, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Wild guess, but I believe I'm on the right track, no refs though :(. Maneka's Dad is Col. T. S. Anand. Could he or any of his relations be the "regular pilot"? --Gurubrahma 07:06, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

No...Guru is not right.

Hint 2: Think of activities of Maneka Gandhi. The thing that strikes your mind first. Start with that (may be word tweakings would be necessary)--Dwaipayan (talk) 15:20, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Captain V. Sundaram and his wife Usha; they set up an animal center in Chennai and are instrumental behind Blue Cross. [8] and [9]. Maneka Gandhi is in the forefront of animal rights today. --Gurubrahma 18:34, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Ok, Guru is right this time. Captain V. Sundaram established Blue Cross India in 1959, a pioneer institution of animal welfare in India.--Dwaipayan (talk) 14:06, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q18

Identify. Was Chief Minister of a state in India for some time. He was one of the players of the Aya Ram Gaya Ram during Indira Gandhi's tenure as PM. Before he became the CM, he was education minister and ridiculed because he was an illiterate (media reportedly called him anpadh and angoota chhap). When he became a CM he had a huge cabinet of over 70 ministers which was dubbed as an airbus cabinet by media. Who am I talking about? --Gurubrahma 15:54, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

K. Kamaraj?? -Natrajdr 00:43, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Nope, this person wasn't a CM of Tamil Nadu but the state he was CM of, is close enough to Tamil Nadu. --Gurubrahma 04:51, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

S. R. Bommai? --Longhairandabeard 05:26, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Nope, guess he was from Janata, not Congress and definitely after Indira Gandhi. btw, you got the wrong state. --Gurubrahma 07:13, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

S. R. Kanthi? --BostonMA 11:38, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Nope, I said Karnataka is not the state in the previous post. This person has an entry on WP. His apparent insult by Rajiv Gandhi in full glare of media (Indira was still the PM then) supposedly helped the emergence of a new political party as a strong alternative in that state. --Gurubrahma 14:54, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

T.Anjaiah? and the party mentioned - TDP? Kollfan 19:07, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Tanguturi Anjaiah to be more precise. Kollfan 19:30, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, Kollfan and welcome to the quiz! just saw ur userpage, great to see your interest in the India quiz. Go on and ask a question related to India ASAP. --Gurubrahma 04:50, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q19

After this Indian politician had received an international award, one newspaper wrote something like "____ should be pleased, given that previous recipients included Kofi Annan and Vladimir Putin, though they, in turn, may feel different". Kollfan 12:14, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Natwar Singh?? — Ravikiran 12:18, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

No. The awarding took place before the Walker report was revealed, so, had it been Natwar Singh, the newspaper wouldn't have had any reason to write in such ironic way.Kollfan 12:29, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Jayalalitha. [10]. --Gurubrahma 12:55, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Wow. That edit is classic sarcasm! — Ravikiran 12:58, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. Poor Jayalalithaa is not very popular among reporters. Kollfan 13:01, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Methinks she got it for improving the status and safety of women folk in Tamil Nadu. --Gurubrahma 13:09, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q20

This Indian became a citizen of USA in 1944. As a member of the US Army Airforce, he also won gallantry medals for his performance in the battlefield. Who am I talking about? --Gurubrahma 13:09, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Sabu Dastagir? --BostonMA 13:31, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Selar Shaik Sabu?Amogh 13:47, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Lol. That is a very good response to my guess! It is said that Sabu Dastagir's actual name was Selar Shaik Sabu! If I win, you may have the baton for giving a more correct answer! :-) --BostonMA 13:58, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

I pass, you ask the next question. :P-Amogh 14:28, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

I shd have made it ungooglable - probly. the second easiest question I've asked! BostonMA gets it and that makes it a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard. btw, someone pl. update it. Your go, BostonMA! --Gurubrahma 14:35, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q21

In ancient location X, there is a famous depiction of someone doing penance. The figure doing penance is usually said to be A. However, this famous depiction also shows a boon received by B. And so, the figure doing penance is sometimes said to be B. As a result, this famous depiction has two different names, sometimes after A, and sometimes after the boon received by B. Place X was in world news a few years ago. Supply X, A and B (I'm looking for a specific answer) --BostonMA 18:18, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

X is Mahabalipuram, now known as Mamallapuram. A is Arjuna; B is Bhagiratha. [11] Nice question, and the place came into news due to the 2004 Boxer Day Tsunami. --Gurubrahma 19:09, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Very good. The depiction is sometimes called as Arjuna's Penance and sometimes as The Descent of Ganga. Incidentally, there is an unusual figure in that bas relief who also appears to be doing penance. A cat. I would have given that as a clue if you had not been so clever. Over to you Gurubrahma.

[edit] Q22

I don't have a clue about Dead Poets Society or what it stands for; nor does my question have anything to do with that film. However, someone in India has formed a "dead people society" that has 20,000 members and was also presented an international award for his activities - this also resulted in some press coverage. Who am I talking about? --Gurubrahma 16:47, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Lal Bihari [12]

This was a good question for Did You Know, but it was quite googlable. The association is for people who are "dead" according to one or another record, but who are still quite alive.

--BostonMA 17:01, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Well, back to you, then. --Gurubrahma 17:39, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q23

Relate a practice in the South of India during this time of year, with another practice in the Northeast of the United States slightly later. (The practices may actually be more widespread geographically, I'm not sure) --BostonMA 14:12, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

• Going around in a weird costume from door to door? In South India, they go around in a tiger costume, in the US, they have Halloween... — Ravikiran 15:02, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

You are close to what I was thinking of. It does have to do with Halloween. --BostonMA 15:38, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

During Dasara or Vijaya Dasami, we have something called Dasara Mamool, something similar to trick-or-treating where kids go home to home - it started as a practice where kids go to each home to collect snacks for themselves and money for their teachers. A song in Telugu goes "Ayyavaarikivvu aidu varahaalu, pilla variki chaalu pappubellalu" - 5 bucks for the teacher and dal-jaggery sweet for kids. Of course, today it has degenerated into all sorts of service people collecting tips during Dasara. --Gurubrahma 15:49, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

Both Ravikiran and Gurubrahma have given answers that are correct as far as my question goes. I really did not give a specific enough question, so by rights I should award this to Ravikiran. This is really a quiz and not 20 questions. But I will give one more hint to what I have in mind. The connection that I am looking for is botanical. ;-) --BostonMA 16:20, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

The pumpkin! — Ravikiran 16:34, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes! Perhaps not the best question. For Halloween, children in US Northeast create faces on pumpkins. These are sometimes smashed by hooligans. In Tamil Nadu, and perhaps elsewhere, pumpkins with faces are smashed. I am led to believe that this custom was promoted as an alternative to animal sacrifice, but I have not been able to find Reputable sources to support that claim. Over to you Ravikiran!

[edit] Q24

Connect Q9 of this round and the Bible. — Ravikiran 10:53, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Not sure what you are looking for. Diamonds appear to be mentioned three times in the Bible:

• Ezekiel 3:9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
• Zechariah 7:12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
• Jerimiah 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;

The word diamond appears in the Hebrew as Shamir (or maybe Samir? which is a name used in India.) --BostonMA 12:50, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Another possible stone that may be diamond is mentioned as "yahalom". This appears in exodus 28:18 and 39:11,

• And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

--BostonMA 12:56, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Another angle. There have been Jews living in India since BC, but a commuity descending from these Jews was only recognized by the western Jewish community in recent years. [13]. --BostonMA 13:07, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Use of diamonds declined in Europe because early Christians used to reject diamonds as they were used in amulets. Also, the Arabic traders restricted the flow of trade between Europe and India-- thunderboltz^(Deepu) 14:35, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Sorry if the question was too cryptic. But I will make it clearer. The connection is through a particular technology. And it involves India a little more than just "Diamonds used to come only from India". — Ravikiran 14:42, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Use of diamonds to drill holes was known long ago in India, and is now a technology used in modern manufacture? --BostonMA 17:27, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Where does the Bible come into the picture? — Ravikiran 17:33, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

I realized I was missing the bible connection after I posted. --BostonMA 18:07, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

OK. Another "hint" is that the answer will not involve literal diamonds. — Ravikiran 18:24, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Am I allowed to guess again? --BostonMA 19:15, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Of course! — Ravikiran 19:27, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

OK, Diamond Sutra, written in India (Nepal?) was one of first printed books, and is the oldest printed book which is definitevely dated. (Existing printed version printed in China). Bible is oldest printed book in Europe by Gutenberg. --BostonMA 19:31, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

That is correct! BostonMA gets to ask the last question of this round. — Ravikiran 04:12, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Q25

This is a bit of Original Research on my part, but I am hoping someone will have Reliable Sources. Name the (existing) states (if any) for which article 356 has not been imposed. (There may need to be discussion to declare the winner). --BostonMA 18:43, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

delhi? Chhattisgarh? Jharkhand?? Uttarakhand?? All probably because they haven't been a state for long... --hydkat 19:03, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

I think I will give this to you, since you have four, but can you think of another? --BostonMA 19:19, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Haryana?-Amogh 19:43, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, no. My understanding is that article 356 has been invoked thrice for Haryana. --BostonMA 19:46, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Technically, Jammu and Kashmir because art.356 cannot be imposed there; which is why it had governor's rule, followed by president's rule as per art.370. Apart from what hydkat said, Tripura never had art.356 imposed. Same is the case of Arunachal Pradesh which almost ended up under art.356, very recently - as was the case with Jharkhand. I think I've done a reasonable survey of all the states and believe I'm correct. Am willing to stand corrected though ;) --Gurubrahma 10:38, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

My answer. There were five states for which I failed to find a news article stating that article 356 had been invoked. delhi, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. Of course my failure does not mean the list is accurate, and I will accept anyone contesting the result. With regard to Jammu and Kashmir, according to this site J & K's special status is described thus:

in the case of Jammu and Kashmir Governor's Rule for a period of six months is imposed under the provision of Section 92 of the State Constitution and the Proclamation to this effect is issued by the Governor only after the consent of the President of India has been received. The State Assembly is either kept in suspended animation or dissolved. If it is not possible to restore the Constitutional machinery before the expiry of this six months then, provision of Article 356 of the Constitution of India are extended and President's rule is imposed in the State.

According to website of government of Jammu and Kashmir, article 356 was invoked in September 1986 after 6 months of governor's rule. Wikipedia really could use a good write-up of usages of article 356, but the sources available seem to be very scattered. Anyway, despite lack of Sikkim, I am awarding the baton to hydkat. --BostonMA 11:40, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

??I didn't expect to be right! BostonMA, can you plz take the next question? too busy at the moment --hydkat 11:40, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

I propose that to honor Gurubrahma for his work on the quiz, as well as his work on Wikipedia generally, he be given the honor asking the first question on the next quiz before his semi-retirement. If you are not too busy, please accept. --BostonMA 13:11, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Bump. Someone please take up the next question. Let not PINQ die an untimely death. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:Ravikiran r (talk • contribs).

Will you take the honor Ravikiran? --BostonMA 16:54, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

I think Ravikiran would have taken it up if he had a question ready. I'll take this seemingly unwanted honor.. Give me about 15 minutes to archive this round and post the next question.. *sigh* there goes my post-lunch siesta... -- Longhairandabeard 17:15, 6 October 2006 (UTC)