Iftikhar Ali Khan, the eighth Nawab of Pataudi, is the only cricketer to have played Test cricket for both England and India. On his birthday on March 16, a quiz on people who straddled nations.

Sans borders

1 He was born in Opole, Poland. His father was a professional footballer while his mother played for the national handball team before they migrated to another country. Starting from the seventh division, he worked his way to becoming one of the most feared strikers in the world. Identify this footballer.

2 Though he was born in the UK in 1889, he rose to fame only after being signed by the Fred Karno company, which took him to the US. Though he was a leading star in the 1920s, he got his only Oscar in 1973. Name him.

3 This leading thinker was forced to leave his country and work in France because of his seditious writings. On August 28, 1844, he met a fellow thinker at the Café de la Régence and started a lifelong association that changed world politics. Name this philosopher who is buried in London’s Highgate Cemetery.

4 He was born in San Biagio di Callata in Italy in 1922, but his parents migrated to escape fascism. He revolutionised European fashion and first caught international attention with his bubble dress. Who is this iconic designer?

5 Dirk Nannes has many skills, excelling as a freestyle skier before beginning his cricket career. He also played for another country before representing Australia in international cricket. Name the other country.

6 Born in a country which was then part of the Russian empire, she followed her sister Bronislawa to study in another European country where she made her name. But she taught her daughters her mother tongue and named her first major discovery after her country of birth. Name the scientist.

7 One of the major poets of the 20th century, he was born in St Louis in the US in 1888 and moved to his adopted country at the age of 25, where he later took citizenship. While he also wrote some acclaimed plays, he first caught public attention with a poem in 1915. Who is this talented writer?

8 Simon Bolivar is one of the most revered figures in South America with a country, Bolivia, named after him and at least five others owing him their freedom from the Spanish. Which South American country was he born in?

9 She was born Margaret Elizabeth Noble in Ireland. In 1895, she met Swami Vivekananda in London and decided to move to Calcutta. She gave her life to teaching and the national movement and was one of the major influences behind the Ramakrishna Mission. By which name is she better known in India?

10 Osmany Juantorena is an Italian volleyball player, a silver medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games. Which country did he represent before moving to Italy, a country that his uncle Alberto also represented with distinction?

Answers

1 Miroslav Klose of Germany

2 Charlie Chaplin

3 Karl Marx. He met Friedrich Engels in Paris

4 Pierre Cardin, originally Pietro Cardini

5 The Netherlands

6 Marie Curie. She named polonium after Poland

7 TS Eliot, who took British citizenship and wrote The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock in 1915

8 Venezuela. He helped liberate Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Bolivia

9 Sister Nivedita

10 Cuba. His uncle Alberto Juantorena won the 400m and 800m gold medals at the 1976 Montreal Olympics

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster;

Twitter: @joybhattacharj

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