The Hindu Business Line : Chemplast Sanmar duo wins <I>Business Line</I> Quiz

The winners of the Ad Club-Business Line quiz held in Chennai on Friday, Mr Ram Kumar (second from right) and Mr Kesari Prasad (extreme right), from Chemplast-Sanmar, greeting the runners-up Mr Ajay Kasargod (second from left) and Mr Mitesh Agarwal (extreme left), from Cipher . The Quiz Master, Mr Suresh Kumar (centre), looks on. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai , May 7

THE Chemplast Sanmar duo of Mr A.H. Kesari Prasad and Mr Ramkumar Shankar finished a perfect day of quizzing, first winning the Chennai city finals and then clinching in style the grand finale of the Business Line Quiz 2004, presented by the Union Bank of India. The winner's purse of Rs 50,000 went to the two, apart from a host of other prizes.

It was an impeccable performance from the experienced duo, especially in the grand finals as they lead from the start and, though during certain parts of the quiz squandered away the lead, never lost grip of the proceedings.

Even around the halfway mark of the six-round finals, it was apparent that Chemplast was in the best position to clinch the number one spot. But big occasions are rarely bereft of excitement; today, it was a three-way tie for the second spot — unprecedented in the 10-year history of Business Line quizzes — that had everybody on to their edge of their seats.

In the end, Cipher Consulting, consisting of Bangaloreans Mr Ajay Kasargod and Mr Mitesh Agarwal, came on tops after two tie-break questions. i-flex, represented by Mr K. Prasanna Kumar and Mr U. Damodharan, and Bhilai Steel Plant, represented by Mr Sanjay Shamkuwar and Mr C. Chandrasekhar, who were the other teams tied for the second position, eventually ended third and fourth, in that order.

The Quizmaster, Mr Suresh Kumar lived up to his promise of "raising the bar" by posing quite a few toughies in the finals. One question was a visual on a first-of-its kind stamp bearing the image of a media personality. The answer to the question, which went unanswered by the finalists, as also by the audience, was Dainik Jagran's Narendra Mohan.

This was a question that turned the other way! A googly, in quizzing jargon. Which is the biggest advertiser in China's Tiananmen Square? Coke, said one team; Pepsi, said another; both were wrong, the answer is that ads are banned in Tiananmen Square.

There was also a round on marketing jargons and management-speak. In fact, this round, sponsored by Amity (the academic partner), was when Chemplast established a clear lead over its rivals, cracking three of the six questions on offer. A sample: You have heard of `word of mouth', what's `word of thumb'? Chemplast's Mr Ramkumar answered it simply, saying it's marketing by SMS. Neat answer!

The other two teams that made to the finals were the FACT-TCS combine and Vanish.

Earlier, the Chennai leg of the quiz kicked off with the prelims, out of which six teams were selected for the city finals. There was no dearth of creative names as teams such as `Bizmissed' and `Buddha Smiles Again' made the grade, along with Hertz and IIM-K. Of course, Chemplast and Vanish ended winners and runners-up, and thus gained an entry into the grand finals, which was held immediately after the city finals.

Quiz enthusiasts turned up in healthy numbers, including a number of veterans who are active in the Chennai quizzing circuit, and it was hardly surprising that not many questions went unanswered. Correct audience answers were rewarded with gifts from regional sponsors such as Mahavir Optics, UniverCell, Vision Healthsource, Eagle Diaries and Durian.

The co-sponsors for the event were Amco, Reynolds, ITC, Club Mahindra and Titan. Hotel Savera was the hospitality partner.

The Hindu group's Editor-in-Chief, Mr N. Ram, its Joint Managing Director, Mr N. Murali, and the Executive Editor of The Hindu Business Line, Mr K. Venugopal, gave away the prizes.

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Chemplast Sanmar duo wins Business Line Quiz