Battle of the brains

(From top) Suvan Khuntia (second from left) and Subhashree Jena (second from right) of Mother’s Public School, Bhubaneswar, the winners of the Bhubaneswar leg of the Bournvita Quiz. Contest.Parash Biswal (left) and Swayambodha Mohapatra of Mother’s Public School won the regional finals of Funancial Quest-II.

Who is the only Indian Prime Minister to have his signature on Indian currency notes? Which is the only planet where the sun rises in the west and sets in the east? Who is the first cricketer to score 1,000 runs in the history of Indian Premier League? If you answered Manmohan Singh, Venus and Adam Gilchrist, in that order, pat yourself on the back.

For, answering such difficult posers as these helped Suvan Khuntia and Subhashree Jena of Mother’s Public School, Bhubaneswar, clinch the Bhubaneswar leg of the Bournvita Quiz Contest on September 12. Suvan is a Class VII student, while Subhashree is his senior by a year. They have qualified for the semi finals, which would be a written test. Five teams from each zone will be called then for the grand finale or the television round. Two other schools from Bhubaneswar — BJEM and DAV (Chandrasekharpur) — finished second and third, respectively.

The Bournvita Quiz Contest, which went off air in 2007, made a comeback on television after a group of youngsters started a campaign “Bring BQC back” on a social networking site.

Earlier, another team from this school aced the regional finals of Funancial Quest-II, an inter-school financial quiz competition organised by the National Stock Exchange in collaboration with a television news channel to inculcate a sense of financial awareness among the youth.

The confident duo from Mother’s Public School — Swayambodha Mohapatra and Parash Biswal — exhibited an amazing depth of knowledge as the quizmaster threw a variety of questions on finance at them. And as expected, they won the title. A team from DAV Public School (Chandrasekharpur) came second. The national rounds will be held in Mumbai in December.

Grand gesture

Students of Bachpan Playschool, Rourkela, celebrate Grandparents’ Day on Sunday. Pictures: Uttam Kumar Pal and Telegraph picture

Lolling on the lap of grandparents and listening to bedtime stories are perhaps the best things about growing up. To show that grandparents’ love has no substitute, students of Bachpan Playschool in Rourkela organised a range of fun-filled activities to make Grandparents’ Day special for their dada-dadis and nana-nanis.

With musical chairs to nail painting competition, the kids, in partnership with the teachers, made sure that their grandparents became kids again. Each of the senior guests had to narrate a short story or share a fun memory from their childhood. Later, the kids surprised them with music and dance performances.

“I am overwhelmed by the gesture. Children, these days, do not generally find time for the elderly and keep to themselves. But I feel proud that these little boys and girls are learning to value grandparents,” said the grandmother of a student.