After a decade of encouraging quizzing among students in South India, the Indica 2025 inter-school quiz makes its Mumbai debut this weekend
Representation Pic/Istock
There was a time, before Google and the addictive ChatGPT, that knowing trivia was more than just a party trick. Being on the quiz team for an inter-school competition would be a students’ road to stardom. “I grew up an avid quizzer myself. I consumed everything from pop culture to politics that sparked this interest in quizzing,” shares quizmaster and co-founder of Nexus Consulting, Venkatesh Srinivasan. This Sunday, Srinivasan will take the stage to meet and quiz a new generation of such quizzers at the Mumbai debut of the Indica inter-school quiz.
Venkatesh Srinivasan. Pics courtesy/Nexus Consulting
“We started out in 2012, and would often host quizzes for corporate events in Bengaluru. Soon, we launched our own platform,” reveals Srinivasan. Since 2016, the Indica inter-school quiz has been a regular presence across the academic circuit in South India. The name itself is a quizzer’s homage. “Indica was the term the Greek historian Megasthenes used to name the land. It is also the binomial to mark out species that are native to India,” Srinivasan remarks. In view of this, it is almost surprising when the former IIM graduate admits that he did not make it to his own school quiz team. “It was too competitive,” he sighs, before adding, “Life has come a full circle now, it seems.”
Students discuss during a previous edition
In 2022, the quiz added Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kochi to their itinerary, before arriving in Mumbai this year. Having grown up practising answers on buzzer rounds with Derek O’Brien on television, this writer understands the charm of a quiz. But in a world of instant information and ready solutions, is the thrill still alive among Gen Z? “Yes. Although it is not necessarily translated into popular programming on television or otherwise, we have noticed an increasing groundswell across India. Even when we conduct sessions outside of the major metropolises, in Patna or Guwahati, there is an uptick in the enthusiasm of students,” shares Srinivasan, an alumni of the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (PSBB) — also the alma mater for a certain Sundar Pichai.
Young audience members react to a question
Mumbai’s junior quizzers have their task cut out. Divided into two sections for Middle School (Class 5 to 8) and High School students (Class 9 to 12), the quiz will have a written preliminary round, followed by an on-stage finale for teams from six schools. Winners stand to win cash prizes of up to Rs 50,000 as well as certificates. “Each team can have two members, from within their specific class groups. The schools can have multiple teams in the competition. However, they cannot have more than two teams in the finale,” the quizmaster explains. But it is not just for the children.
A moment from the 2023 finale in Chennai
“The quiz is open for anyone — from working professionals to academics — to come and watch. There will be some interactive sessions with the audience as well,” he promises. While this Mumbai edition will elect a city champion, Srinivasan reveals plans are underway to host a pan-India quiz contest in the coming years. “As it grows, we will be looking at hosting a shoot-out finale of all the city champions from across the country,” he says. Steady on the buzzer, then.
On September 14
Time 9 am (Middle School); 1 pm (High School)
At Nehru Science Centre, Dr E Moses Road, Worli.
Log on to indica.consultnexus.in (registrations open till September 13)
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