Open quizzing in India turns 60 in 2027. The year-long celebrations fittingly began in Calcutta — the cradle of open quizzing in India — on Wednesday.

The stage was that of the marquee event in the city’s open quizzing circuit, the Kolkata International Quiz Festival (KIQF), held in association with The Telegraph.

The festival — being held from January 5 to 11 in multiple formats — turns 12 this year.

“Calcutta is where open quizzing began in India. The quizzing fraternity in the city has taken the lead in celebrating the milestone of 60 years. We launched a logo to mark the occasion. The celebrations will involve quizzing circles in other cities as well,” said Samrat Sengupta, a marketing professional and co-founder of the KIQF.

A T-shirt to commemorate the milestone was unveiled at Wednesday’s programme, held at the Freemasons’ Hall and lawn on Park Street. A panel discussion followed.

Ian Zachariah, veteran quizzer; Atri Bhattacharya, senior bureaucrat; Shouvik Guha, retired IRS officer; Jayashree Mohanka, IIM alumnus and a leading quizzer of the country; Puhomi Dassani, college quizzer; and Sengupta were on the panel.

The discussions centred on Calcutta’s role in the evolution of quizzing in India. It was moderated by Aanton Mookherjee, an advertising communication specialist and co-founder of the KIQF.

The school and college quizzes, part of the ongoing KIQF, followed the panel
discussion.

Close to 400 students, split into three-member teams, took part in the school quizzes. The college quizzes involved some 90 participants, also split into teams of three.

The highlight of KIQF will be the on-ground quizzes at the Calcutta Rowing Club lawns on January 9, 10 and 11.

There will be several segments, from pop culture and fandom to history and heritage.