India Quiz Prelims organised on the eve of 66th Republic Day at IIT Guwahati

1. THE OCCASION OF
REPUBLIC DAY
Himanshu Upreti

2. Answer Slide

3. 1. The guy on the left , Carl Hertz ,
was an American magician who
used to travel around the world. In
1901, in one of his tours to Asia, he
was approached by a middle aged
man who became his apprentice,
learnt illusory tricks under his
guidance and went on to perform
tricks under the name ”Kelpha”.
Who was this pioneering individual
who was famous in an entirely
different field ?

4. kelpha is an anagram of phalke

5. 2. What am I talking about ?
• Although the etymology of the name _____ is not certain, there exist
a number of possible explanations derived from local legends and
records. According to one legend, a girl from a nearby village and a
youth fell in love. This match was not acceptable to their families,
and the couple disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again,
and the forest was named after them.
• According to another legend, Srimanta Sankardeva , the sixteenth
century Vaisnava saint-scholar, once blessed a childless couple,
and asked them to dig a big pond in the region so that their name
would live on.
• Some historians believe, however, that the name X was derived
from the local word , which means "the village of ____. Among
the locals , ____ is a common name for a girl child .

6. Kaziranga
Girl named Ranga and youth named Kazi

7. 3. Simple one . FITB
• Hindi Cinema – Bollywood
• Bengali / Telugu Cinema – Tollywood
• Tamil Cinema – Kollywood
• Kannada Cinema – Sandalwood
• Oriya Cinema – Ollywood
• Assamese Cinema - ?

8. Jollywood
• The industry was born in 1935 when Jyoti
Prasad Agarwala released his movie
Joymoti

9. 4. Put funda .
The figure depicted in the bas
relief at a monument
in Mahabalipuram has various
legends associated with it .
The legend I am looking for however
is related to the descent of a sacred
entity . If you know Sanskrit , then
here’s a clue – Avatarana , a Hindu
festival celebrated in late May or
early June every year.

11. *5. Ad for Google Chrome that came in late 2011 tells
the authentic story of , G Rajendran, and how he keeps
alive the dying art of a classical South
Indian painting style, which was inaugurated from the
town of Thanjavur . By using Google Chrome, he creates
his own website to facilitate his business/art.

12. Tanjore paintings

13. 6.
• Six children of Brahma jeered at him when he fell
in love with Saraswati - his own creation, and so to
say, his 'daughter'. Brahma became very angry
and cursed these six children to be born in
demonic wombs. They got salvation finally at the
hands of Lord Krishna.
• Who were they?

14. They were Lord Krishna's siblings (children
of Vasudeva and Devki ) who got murdered
by Kansa.

15. 7. Just give me the name of the
structure .
The Sufi saint (on the left) was invited to lay
the first foundation stone of this structure.
Legend has it that a mason adjusted the
position of the stone. The man responsible
for the construction of this structure was
very upset when he came to know of this.
He worried that as the mason had undone
the work just completed by the holy man, a
disaster might come to the structure.
This legend is often cited as an explanation
for the many attacks that have been
launched on this structure.

17. 8.
• The starting track of which series that dramatically
unfolds and explores the five-thousand year history
of India from its beginnings to the coming of the
independence in 1947.
• Its cast include Om Puri, Roshan Seth, Tom Alter .

19. 9. We all are well aware with
Common Man created by
R.K. Laxman ; However very
few of us know about Kakaji
- an iconic creation , by a
person who began his
professional career as
a cartoonist , that aired the
common man’s grievances .
Just give me the name of the
person.

21. 10. "Nghah lou dawr" shops , are common along the
highway in Seling - a place that is about 65 kilometers far
from the capital Aizawl, Mizoram. One can buy various
sorts of Groceries, vegetables, fruits and flowers at these
shops .
What is unique about these shops ?

22. Shops without shopkeepers

23. 11. Aishwarya Parashar, a Class-VI
student then in 2012 of the CMS ,
Lucknow went seeking out answers
through the Right to Information (RTI)
Act. She wanted to know when the
government had issued an order to
announce X. What was the shocking
reply she received, which ultimately
put an end to an old myth ?
One of her earlier queries had revealed
that the government does not have any
specific document to prove whether
Mahatma Gandhi was conferred the
"Father of the nation" title.

24. Hockey is not our national
game

25. *12. Farkhor Air Base is a military air
base located near the town of Farkhor.
It is jointly operated by the Indian Air
Force in collaboration with the X Air
Force.
Farkhor Air Base is India's first and only
military base located outside its
territory.
In which Country is Farkhor Air Base
located?

27. 13. Who can be said to have made the career ‘debut’
in the Bollywood industry via this song ?

28. Farah Khan (choreography)

29. 14. A brainchild of Pondicherry-based
designer Uma Prajapati who came up with
the idea at a relief camp in Auroville while
she was working with the children affected
by the disaster.
The doll-making began as a post-trauma
empowerment method to keep the
dejected women engaged in something
constructive, but gradually emerged as a
source of income too, as six million of
these dolls were later exported to 80
countries. These dolls were given away as
gifts to people in distress around the world
— setting an example of gift economy.
What are these dolls , which derive
their name from the very disaster that
struck , called ?

30. Tsunamika

31. 15. Kotha Raghuramaiah was an
Indian politician and Member of
Parliament from Tenali and Guntur
constituencies of Andhra Pradesh.
He served as a Union cabinet
minister of Defence, Civil Supplies,
Petroleum and Chemicals and
Parliamentary Affairs among others.
The question however is - which
two teams battle it out for K
Raghuramaiah trophy that has been
named after him?

32. Lok sabha vs Rajya sabha
in cricket

33. 16. Chala Murari Hero Banne is
a 1977 Bollywood comedy film directed by
and starring G. Asrani. The film has many
special appearances including Hema Malini
, Dharmendra , Amitabh Bacchan , Ashok
Kumar , Rishi Kapoor , Sunil Dutt , Kishore
Kumar . The film also boasts of special
appearances by two politicians who may be
termed as ‘forefathers of a certain party’ .
One among them is the only
Parliamentarian to be elected from six
different Constituencies across four
different States while the other is famous for
his autobiography "My Country My Life
“ which became a best seller in the non-
fiction category.
Just give me the names of the two
politicians .

35. 17. The Gosaikunda area has been delineated as a religious site. Hindu mythology
attributes Gosaikunda as the abode of Hindu deities Lord Shiva and Goddess
Gauri. Its holy waters are considered of particular significance during
Gangadashahara and the sacred thread festival Janai Purnima when thousands of
pilgrims from Nepal and India visit the area.
What is the mythological reason given for the origin of this lake ?

36. Gosaikunda is believed to have formed
from the digging of the land by
the Trishul (holy Trident) of lord Shiva.

37. 18. Which ‘region’ am I talking
about ?
• Originally part of the Madras Presidency under the British Raj , it got
transferred to new Union of India in accordance with the Indian
Independence Act 1947, enacted by the British parliament .
• Though the Madras Presidency had an overwhelming Hindu majority, the
region had a Muslim majority. Hence, it seemed possible that the
new dominion of Pakistan might seek to lay claim .
• On the orders of Vallabhbhai Patel , the first Home Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister of India, a ship of the Royal Indian Navy was sent to the
region to hoist the Indian national flag and ensure the region’s integration
into the Union of India. Hours after the arrival of the Indian ship, vessels of
the Royal Pakistan Navy were seen near , but after observing Indian naval
presence they returned back .

38. Lakshwadeep

39. *19. The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded
by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes - With
the death of the last surviving knight, the Maharaja of Alwar, the order became
dormant in 2009.
The "Star of India", the emblem of the order, also appeared on the flag of the
Viceroy of India and other flags used to represent British India.
On the top is the Insignia of a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of
India . Which organisation derives its logo from it ?

41. 20. Anand Mehta is a Gujarati
industrialist and met his British wife
at the London School of Economics,
where they were both students.
Later, his wife started a NGO by the
name Apnalaya. The NGO has
contributed greatly to the cause of
health, education and women
empowerment in Mumbai.
He himself is a seven-time national
bridge champion.
Who is his famous son-in-law ?