From one of the sessions conducted by Quizforya at The Reading Room, Cheruvaikkal
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
There are neither nail-biting moments nor are there prizes to be won. It is all about spending time with a group of people who love quizzing. That is Quizforya for you, a platform for quizzers from across Thiruvananthapuram and other districts.
From one of the sessions conducted by Quizforya at The Reading Room, Cheruvaikkal
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Quizforya, the latest addition to quiz clubs in and around the district, conducts informal quiz programmes every month. Formed in November 2023, it is a quiz community under What’s Happening in TVM! (WhT!), the social media handle (@whats_happening_in_tvm) that gives an update on the events in Thiruvananthapuram. “WhT! has a discussion forum called Tatvika Avalokanam. The idea about an informal quiz club was put forward during one of its sessions,” says Swathy SB, who runs Quizforya with Adithyan DM.
QPositive is another informal quiz community in the capital city that has been around for nearly a decade now. Both Swathy, a graduate in Economics from Mar Ivanios College, and Adithyan, an undergraduate student at the same college, have been active participants at QPositive’s sessions.
Swathy SB
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Swathy says she has been a quizzer since Class VIII, thanks to her father, Santhakumar S, a quiz enthusiast and quiz master, now working at the Kerala Legislative Assembly. “Informal quiz events are interesting. There is no competition involved. But you learn a lot and meet new people,” Swathy adds.
Among the regulars at Quizforya’s sessions are school and college students, those appearing for Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, and professionals. “We split those who turn up for the session into teams. Usually, there are around 20 participants,” she adds.
Topics are announced in advance. “Quiz masters are invited from across the State, especially from Kochi and Thrissur, which boast a thriving quiz culture. Those preparing for the UPSC exams have also conducted the quiz on certain occasions. Sometimes quiz enthusiasts from other districts also participate in Quizforya,” she says. Last month Quizforya hosted MahaQuizzer and AsiaSweep, two prestigious annual competitions conducted by Karnataka Quiz Association.
Adithyan DM
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“Being at an informal quiz session is a different experience. Usually, for a quiz contest, you study by heart. But the approach here is different. Logic and thinking come into play. It is all about disseminating knowledge,” says Akshay Sreyas, a UPSC aspirant and regular at Quizforya’s events. “I even got the opportunity to conduct a quiz. I was thrilled when one of the first-timers told me that he enjoyed it so much,” Akshay says.
Sarath VR, currently employed with Kerala Public Service Commission, is another regular. A quizzer since his school days, this Kollam-native says, “After I got the job I have not been able to dedicate enough time to follow my passion. However, I have attended most of Quizforya’s events over the last one year since they are conducted on weekends.”
From one of the sessions conducted by Quizforya at The Reading Room, Cheruvaikkal
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Sarath adds, “It is a collective of like-minded individuals. The best thing is that there is no age limit. It creates an opportunity to make friends since the group has people from all walks of life, such as IT professionals, government servants, those retired from government service, students and the like.”
Quizforya meets at The Reading Room, Cheruvaikkal, once a month. Next event is on January 12 at 10am. There will be a quiz on Thiruvananthapuram followed by a general quiz. Quizmasters are Akhil R Nair, who is in the government service, and Sachin Ramesh, a civil services aspirant. Contact: 9633179684
Published – January 07, 2025 01:12 pm IST
