One good quiz for all

Murugappa Group’s quiz this weekend on the theme of ‘be good, do good’ is one that can be enjoyed by all, not just quizzers
One good quiz for all
One good quiz for all

Be good, do good’ is a good mantra for anyone to live by; for an individual to find peace, an organisation to effect positive change and the whole world to find harmony. But how do you fit that into a context of a quiz and make it fun too? A lot of effort and a whole lot of love for the game just about does it, finds ace quiz master Dr Navin Jayakumar. This weekend, he’s all set to host The Good Quiz on behalf of the Murugappa Group. And there’s something in it for everybody, assures Navin. 

Finding the good in every subject

Crafting this event has been quite a challenge, he begins. “This is a general quiz but it has certain restrictions. The one commandment given by the Murugappa Group, which ties in with their theme of the year, was basically ‘be good, do good’. Using that particular theme, we decided to do something about all positive things around the world; not just humans, it could be nature or other activities…see which things had a positive impact on people. One very easy example would be to do a couple of questions on Nobel Peace prizes. Only thing is, you have to cast your mind a little more broadly to find a whole lot of topics around which you can actually set a quiz,” he explains. A lot of research and 50 questions in, the quiz is shaping up very interestingly, he reveals. 

If it seems all too overwhelming for you, just go the way the quiz master did to prepare for it, suggests Navin. “I learnt a lot by merely researching the whole thing. I had to see how to set a history question with the motto ‘be good, do good’. How do I set a geography or a travel or sports question with this? If you just go out on a list of eight topics, say literature, music, entertainment, culture, and lifestyle, and use this particular motto for each and then see if you can come up with something, it gives you a wonderful spread of information. This is the way to go about the quiz,” he offers.

And for that reason, this quiz is for everyone, he points out. “I’ve tried to make this quiz accessible, easy and friendly for everyone. Even if a kid is taking part and his mom and dad want to join in also, they can do it together. No harm done. If more people join together, enjoy the quiz and learn something new, what we set out to do will be more than amply done. I’ve pitched the quiz at a school level; so, even people who are not quizzers can really enjoy themselves. I can clearly say that this quiz is not a quizzer’s quiz,” he declares.

The blessing of virtual goodness

The event will be held virtually on Saturday, from 11 am onwards. From the preliminary round, 200 participants will be selected for a live final round the same day. This may persuade more people to join in but does this take away from the rush of a true blue offline quiz event? Navin is not so quick to judge. “I think they are completely different experiences and each one has their own positives. We have all been — over several decades — used to seeing each other face to face and sitting around tables, seeing slides and answering questions. Now, the pandemic has made us all move online. I would look at it as a new opportunity because here I am able to attract people from around the world. It allows us to interact with quizzers around the world and it’s a real eye opener,” he elaborates.

His experiences through the quiz leagues he is part of — particularly the Asian Quiz League — offers him the pleasure, it seems. He has had the chance to connect with teams from Australia or Philippines or Singapore. “Who would want to meet other people with the same interest from around the world?” he asks, adding that even when the return to our offline lives post pandemic, this online quiz is here to stay and that indeed is a blessing. 

Register for the quiz at murugappa.com/thegoodquiz

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