Shock and Awe - A Recap by Assis Sequeira
Neither the continuous outpouring from the skies with the occasional burst of lightning nor the promise of gridlocked traffic could deter the band of a score and ten determined quiz lovers from reaching the fifth-floor auditorium. The incessant rains did delay the start of the proceedings. US returned, long lost Harsh Hegde breezed in to a warm welcome. But Harsh was not the only surprise entrant. Dr. Neil, an orthopaedic surgeon and Maria, his charming wife joined the growing tribe of ‘populi quizzi’.
QM Annie in his trademark loosely hanging outfit, the bloating floating pants, the shirt that is like a wind wane and strokable gentle beard plugged the audience in. His poster, crafted by the genius Srijit depicted an electrified Annie, current emanating from his every pore.
Introductions done, Annie dished out answer sheets to the captains of the six competing teams for a deceptively simple written round based on the algebraic ‘X’. Unfortunately for our team no 5, we couldn’t decipher either the Hindi movie or the cricketer with an ‘x’, pushing us to the bottom of the ladder.
Annie progressed to a round of twin questions, combination of an easy and difficult question that were revealed, once you chose a box from the grid of twelve boxes. The titles were eye-catching; ‘Everything about Turkey’ and ‘What is left’ for instance. Incidentally, Turkey box did not feature Turkish towels and the left meant actual left – sinistra. Team 3 led by Vilas forged ahead, closely followed by Team 2 led by Ira.
This was followed by a list question – with a timer of two minutes, listing as many as possible, the twenty countries with ten letters in their name (single word like Mauritania or a combo like New Zealand). Team 1 with Paul aced this round.
A delectable tea break followed, sweetened by Hershey’s carried by sweet Devika. A fully charged Annie fired us with a volley of infinite pounce and pass questions; many of the questions were a déjà vu of what had been covered earlier. Typical Annie at his best. This was followed by the final round of connect questions.
The tables turned and Team 2 led by Ira emerged the winner closely followed by Team 3 led by Vilas. No one was happier than Magali for being part of the winning team.
In the end, it was the quizzed, who were dazzled by the brilliance of the QM, the intricate connect and linking with the different sets and themes.
Annie left everyone in shock and awe. Even the gods were kind. The rains stopped when the quiz got over.
Submitted by Assis Sequeira
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