Ayodhya to Velankanni Church in Tamil Nadu; Bhadra Fort in Ahmedabad to Patiala — students were quizzed on the heritage of every corner of India and beyond at the second edition of Annual Heritage Quiz 2022 hosted by the Heritage Committee of The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I), in association with INTACH. The Telegraph Edugraph was the digital partner for the event.
The final round of the quiz was held on the occasion of World Heritage Day, which is celebrated on April 18.
The prelims on April 13 saw 600 students from Classes VIII to XII across India and West Asia taking part. The top 40 teams were selected for the semi-finals and only six teams made it to the finals of the online quiz.
Divyanshu Chamoli and Samyak Jain of Delhi Public School, Greater Noida, were declared the winners. Soumaho Mitra and Arijit Chatterjee of Don Bosco School, Bandel, were the first runner-up and Shubham Sharma and Shaurya Aggarwal of Delhi Public School, Rohini, were declared the second runner-up. Devansh Singh & Sarthak Misra of Seth M.R. Jaipuria Schools, Lucknow, were given the special position of the third runner-up for their exemplary quizzing.
“It was an overwhelming experience,” said Chamoli. “A big thanks to our mentors, our school principal, teachers, and everyone who supported us. Also, a very big thanks to The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry for conducting this event and taking us a step ahead in accepting challenges,” Jain said.
The quiz master was Arindam Bhattacharya, founder partner, Cradle Solutions.
“All the teams were good. Some of them couldn't score well and my advice to them will be to read up a bit more on heritage. You people will be the ones to carry our heritage forward. So, it is important that the young ones assimilate and read,” Bhattacharya said.
An avid quizzer himself, Bhattacharya had a few tips to share: “Quizzing is something you absorb by reading and discussing. I started quizzing when I was in Class VIII but the journey started when I was in Class I or II and my father bought me books, atlases and Amar Chitra Katha and I started picking them up. I never had to prepare for a quiz. You don't have to prepare for a quiz. If you have to win, you will win."
G.M. Kapur, chairperson of the BCC&I Heritage Committee and the state convener and chairperson of INTACH, delivered the welcome address. “World Heritage Day is also known as International Day of Monuments and Sites. The day was designated by the United Nations general assembly to create awareness among nations about the rich and diverse cultural heritage. In India, too, we are blessed with rich heritage across all directions. With more than 600 students participating in this quiz this year, it shows that people are taking interest in heritage, especially the young ones. They are the future and it will be their duty to safeguard their heritage and take forward the Indian legacy.”
All participants were awarded e-certificates of participation. The finalists received certificates of special mention and gift vouchers. The winner and runners-up received medals, certificates of appreciation and gift vouchers.
The initiative has been supported by various corporate and educational institutes of Kolkata such Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital Ltd, Tata Steel Downstream Products Limited, Caring Minds, Delhi Public School Ruby Park, Kolkata, RT Network Solutions Pvt Ltd, Sister Nivedita University, Halo Heritage and Hermes Voyages Pvt Ltd.