The St. Xavier’s Collegiate School Kolkata Old Boys’ Association (ALSOC) brought together alumni teams from various esteemed institutions of Calcutta at Xavier’s Hall at St. Xavier’s Park Street campus to host the All India ALSOC Inter-Alumni Open Quiz, in association with The Telegraph, on May 6. The prestigious event in the Calcutta quizzing circuit made a grand comeback this year with its 12th edition — after a gap of four years due to the pandemic hiatus — with the guidance of renowned quizmaster Abhijit Banerjee.
The event kicked off with a written preliminary round consisting of 25 questions. A total of 30 teams participated, with some institutions fielding multiple teams, showcasing the widespread interest and competitiveness among the alumni community. After a fierce battle of wits, eight teams emerged victorious, qualifying for the final rounds. The successful teams included alumni teams from Calcutta National Medical College, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, La Martiniere for Boys, Nava Nalanda, Jadavpur University, St. Xavier’s College, St Xavier’s Collegiate School, and Heritage Institute of Technology. Additionally, Sikkim Manipal University’s one-man team showcased exceptional performance, narrowly missing out on a spot in the finals but receiving well-deserved recognition through a special prize.
The finals, consisting of 50 questions, tested the teams’ knowledge with a variety of formats, including straight questions, visuals, an audio round, audience questions, and a special round dedicated to The Telegraph. This year, the theme for The Telegraph round was bird names. The Jadavpur University alumni team showcased their expertise and claimed the special prize in The Telegraph round.
The event was not just limited to the participating teams. The enthusiastic audience also had a chance to showcase their quizzing prowess and win several audience prizes. In the end, the St. Xavier’s Collegiate School alumni team, comprising Barry Antunis, Dhruv Mookerji, and Shouvik Guha, emerged as the winner. The La Martiniere for Boys alumni team, consisting of Shayak Chakraborty, Anirudh Chari, and Anil Vaswani, secured second position, closely followed by the IIMC alumni team with Jayashree Mohanka, Sanjoy Mukherjee, and Gautam Ghosh in third place.
The proceedings of the event were inaugurated by ALSOC governing body member Father Peter Arockiam, while ALSOC honorary secretary Sanjay Loiwal presented the prizes to the deserving winners.
A glimpse of the enthusiastic audience members
