Giri Balasubramanium

Giri 'Pickbrain' Balasubramanium is the founder and chief executive officer of Greycaps claimed to be India's largest on stage quizzing and knowledge service provider . He is nicknamed Pickbrain.^[1]

Early life and career

Giri has an MBA in Media Management and a master's degree in Gandhian Philosophy and Thought.^[2] Giri is alumnus of Harvard Business School (2017). ^[3]

Giri started his career in 1992, with The Economic Times, and was later part of the team responsible for successful relaunch of the The Bangalore Edition of the Times of India in 1996. He then worked with Walt Disney group for three years before serving as the youngest Vice-President in-charge of Content and Strategy for Indiainfo.

Thereafter, he founded Quizbrain.com, in 1999 and later launched his own company Greycaps India Pvt. Ltd..^[2][4]

Work

Giri is a noted quizmaster and author of several quiz books. He is also the mind behind the Global Awareness Program (GAP) one of India’s first focused, structured knowledge enhancement programs for school children and Knowledge‐Hub & Global Business Review (GBR) for management students. He has pioneered a program on Values Education in schools called "Keystones". Over 2,50,000 children are part of these programs. He and his team have presented close to 3000 shows across 84 destinations of India, Sri Lanka, Oman, Singapore, London and United States to emerge as one of the fastest growing quiz hosts from the region.

He is a regular guest speaker and advisory panel member at several B‐schools, educational institutions and corporate houses in India. During his visits to Muscat, Oman; Sri Lanka ‐ he has been invited regularly by leading schools in that country to address their students.

In 2007, as recognition of his growing popularity and contribution to learning and development The Times of India identified him amongst ‘Potential Future Leaders of India’ as part of its Lead India Initiative. Late Dewang Mehta of Nasscom fame had once remarked about him ”We are moving into an era where education and knowledge will carry great value and people like Pickbrain will be the icons of that generation”.

He has been working with Tata Consultancy Services since 1998 and is the quizmaster of their national quiz TCS IT Wiz, claimed to be India's biggest inter-school IT Quiz. He is also the quiz master of Tata Crucible, the college counterpart of TCS IT Wiz.

Accolades

• APJ Abdul Kalam : The former President of India, has appreciated and recognized the work done by him and his team from Greycaps and has given them the honour of being associated with his new project for children in India titled “Billion Beats”.^[5]

• Dr. Edward De Bono: Dr. Edward De Bono remarked humorously about him,

 :Subsequently, Peter De Bono (Edward’s brother), also came to India and witnessed his show and said “Brilliant is his middle name (Pickbrain)”.

• Prof. CK Prahalad : He appreciated the work done by Pickbrain and his team in rural areas of India and gave the quizmaster an audience to understand the quiz initiatives in these areas better.

Awards

• Nominated the Global Innovator Award 2005‐06 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States.
• Recipient of seven Limca Book of Records for quizzing achievements .
• Nominated for an Internet Oscar in 2001 at the Asian Internet Awards, Singapore.
• CM Asia Award 2004 and 2005 .
• Nomination to the prestigious Dewang Mehta Award given by the Ministry Of Information Technology, Govt. of India.

References