<p>Neil O'Brien, a pioneer of quizzing in India and leader of the Anglo-Indian community, passed away in Kolkata on Friday. He was 82.</p>
<p><img title="Neil O'Brien" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/24-Neil-obrien.jpg" alt="Neil O'Brien" /><em style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Neil O'Brien. Pic/All India Radio</strong></em></p>
<p>His son and Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien announced the news in a tweet.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saddest tweet I've ever written. Dad Neil O'Brien gone.Passed at home Kolkata,quiz pioneer, ex ICSE chief, AI community icon, educationist</p>
&mdash; Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) <a href="https://twitter.com/quizderek/status/746292412062982144">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">When the Great Questioner in the Sky asks u that Final Question even a quiz legend does not have an answer.Neil 0'Brien my dad. My champion</p>
&mdash; Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) <a href="https://twitter.com/quizderek/status/746293376480215040">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<p>Brien is survived by his wife Joyce and three sons, Derek, Andy and Barry.</p>
<p>Neil O'Brien was an early pioneer of quizzing in India. O'Brien conducted the first well-organised, formal quiz in 1967 at Christ the King Church Parish Hall in Calcutta (now Kolkata).</p>
<p>O'Brien had been exposed to the pub quiz culture in England which resulted in him bringing quizzing first to the Anglo-Indian community before it became popular among a wider audience. O'Brien remained active in quizzing, later hosting popular quiz show broadcasts, including the 'North Star Quiz.'</p>
<p>A former member of Lok Sabha, Neil O'Brien was also a three-time nominated Anglo-Indian MLA in West Bengal and an educationist. He was the chairman of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and managing director of Oxford University Press, India.</p>
<p>As a leader of the Anglo-Indian community, he was the president-in-chief of All-India Anglo-Indian Association and headed the Frank Anthony group of schools.</p>
<p>Earlier on June 17, he took to Twitter asking people to keep his ailing father 'in their thoughts'.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">When the Great Questioner in the Sky asks u that Final Question even a quiz legend does not have an answer.Neil 0'Brien my dad. My champion</p>
&mdash; Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) <a href="https://twitter.com/quizderek/status/746293376480215040">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p>West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Suhel Seth and Twitterverse condoled the demise of the visionary on Twitter.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Extremely saddened to hear about the passing away of the very talented Neil O'Brien. He will be missed by lakhs of quiz fans across India</p>
&mdash; Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/MamataOfficial/status/746294167504977920">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Neil O'Brien, a pioneer of quizzing in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash">#India</a> passes away in Kolkata at 82. <a href="https://t.co/Oju1j2uiv9">pic.twitter.com/Oju1j2uiv9</a></p>
&mdash; All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) <a href="https://twitter.com/airnewsalerts/status/746326068701728768">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Devastated to hear of the passing on of Neil O'Brien. I grew up in Calcutta and he was the cerebral voice we would always hear. <a href="https://twitter.com/quizderek">@quizderek</a></p>
&mdash; SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/suhelseth/status/746320209238196224">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rest in peace Neil O' Brien, the true father of Indian quizzing. Privileged to have attended a few quizzes hosted by you over the years.</p>
&mdash; Soumyadipta Chanda (@rkpeepo) <a href="https://twitter.com/rkpeepo/status/746335084374958080">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">May God give all the strength to Joyce Ma'am, Barry Sir and Derek. Must be so difficult to lose a man like Neil O'Brien. Rest in peace.</p>
&mdash; Pratim D. Gupta (@PratimDGupta) <a href="https://twitter.com/PratimDGupta/status/746332994353270784">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just learnt that Neil O'Brien, doyen of India's quizzing world, now rests with the ages. RIP</p>
&mdash; Siddhartha Basu (@babubasu) <a href="https://twitter.com/babubasu/status/746335850212917251">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just learnt that Neil O'Brien, doyen of India's quizzing world, now rests with the ages. RIP</p>
&mdash; Siddhartha Basu (@babubasu) <a href="https://twitter.com/babubasu/status/746335850212917251">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Neil O'Brien, a pioneer of quizzing in India and leader of the Anglo-Indian community, passed away in Kolkata on Friday. He was 82

Twitterati mourn demise of India's original quizmaster Neil O'Brien

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<p>Neil O'Brien, a pioneer of quizzing in India and leader of the Anglo-Indian community, passed away in Kolkata on Friday. He was 82</p>

Twitterati mourn demise of India's original quizmaster Neil O'Brien

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Twitterati mourn demise of India's original quizmaster Neil O'Brien

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