The witty quiz master Giri Balasubramaniam kept the audience at ‘Cerebration’ in rapt attention with his inimitable humour, wonderful insight and tricky questions with no straight answers.

“I started quizzing from 4th standard in school but professionally we have been in the quiz business for 9 years,” he says.

Sharing his insights on the way quiz culture has evolved in India over the years, Giri gets nostalgic: “Quizzing in India has evolved like cricket over the years. With increasing popularity, the economics of cricket has improved and the same has happened with quizzing. Quizzing has transformed. In my days it was about 20 teams and winning pencils and erasers in prizes. Today we are talking of entry fees and some 70-odd teams. Besides, teams travel from distant places/other cities and stay at their own cost. These are people from small towns, committed professionals who are passionate about quizzing.”

“We had quality participants this year and I am thrilled that a quality paper like Business Line is taking this quiz across the country and ensuring participation in a much bigger way,” added Giri.

On his striking resemblance with acclaimed musician Shanker Mahadevan, who he is often mistaken to be by the audience, he chuckles: “I often get mistaken for him and he says the reverse happens to him too.”

On a lighter note, he admits getting the once over or twice over from prospective in-laws looking out for an intelligent son-in-law! “These are things that come with being in the public life,” he adds laughingly.

Pointing out that quizzing still needs greater involvement from corporates, Giri was effusive in his praise for the sponsors for hiking the prize money and making it attractive for competing teams. He was also quick to take on the offer made by Ajai Kumar (CMD of Corporation Bank) to support such initiatives by his bank.

> deepa.nair@thehindu.co.in

> manisha.jha@thehindu.co.in

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