Meet the top 5 champions of ClassAct 2023 – The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz
ClassAct 2023-The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz concluded with a resounding success with the Grand Finale held on 5th February. The quiz, conducted on Zoom by two most revered quizmasters of the country, Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Mr. Avinash Mudaliar, saw the top 100 finalists selected from the Prelims battling it out for the winning spot, while giving one another a tough competition. Notably, the preliminary round, conducted on 26th January, witnessed 21,540 participants, a number that surpassed last year’s figures (19,625). The previous edition of ClassAct held last year, grabbed the world record for “Maximum Participants in an Online School Quiz”.
This record-setting mega quiz, meant for students of grades 1 to 12 was a great platform for budding quizzers to test match their wits with the nation’s best. The winners of ClassAct 2023 have been announced on the official website. While all of them are basking in the glory of success, HT School engaged in a free-wheeling chat with the top 5 champions. Here is a peek into the minds of these brilliant ‘quizzards’.
B.Sri Shivendra,
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, Chennai,
Grade 9
Rank 1
Shivendra is a seasoned quizzer. With a passion for quizzing from a very young age, this aspiring doctor has a knack for medicine or health related topics. “I think I would like to see more of occupation-based and career-driven quizzes in HT School,” he shares. In fact, it was an ophthalmology quiz where he won for the first time. However, sports is a genre he usually likes to avoid. “The day I came last and scored poorly in a sports quiz is still the biggest lesson in my quizzing journey so far. It was then I realised that not all genre is for everyone,” says the 9th grader.
ClassAct 2023, where Shivendra is the 1st place holder was a quizzing competition where the topics had a wide-ranging variety, starting from science, history and entertainment to food and geography among others. That is one of the reasons why Shivendra enjoyed his journey in this mega online school quiz. For him, the Finale was like a do or die situation. “The pressure build-up in the final round was more intense than the Prelims round, which again was more elaborate,” he adds.
For this young quizzer, winning is not what matters every time. “Something is always better than nothing. Even if you don’t win every time while quizzing, you gain a lot of perspective and a bucket full of knowledge. That’s all that matters,” he says. Apart from knowledge, quizzing has also lent him quite a few life skills too. “Humility, persistence and adaptability are some crucial life lessons that quizzing has taught me,” he shares.
What if he has to step into the shoes of a quizmaster someday? “I would like to be cordial with the participants, yet maintain a certain distance with them like an ideal quizmaster does,” says the topper.
Though he has been part of many online quizzes like HT School’s ClassAct 2023 and Smartacus 2022, his heart lies in offline quizzes. “I think it’s the real-life touch and connect with the quizmasters that makes all the difference for me,” Shivendra signs off.
Ayushman Dubey
Sunbeam School, Uttar Pradesh
Grade 12
Rank 2
Like Shivendra, Ayushman too is a long-time quizzer. So far, he has participated in quite a few popular quiz competitions including the Bournvita Quiz Contest and more recently the Ultimate Sports Quiz 2022. However, ClassAct 2023 will always be one of his most memorable experiences. “HT School’s Republic Day Quiz will always be close to my heart as it is the last quiz of my school life. I will cherish the memories forever,” he shares.
For this budding quizzer, the questions of ClassAct 2023 Prelims were workable, while the Finale was challenging, yet engaging.
Apart from ClassAct 2023, there is another quiz contest which is very special for him and close to his heart: Last year’s Ultimate Sports Quiz, where he emerged as the champion. “Hosted by the prolific sports commentator Harsha Bhogle, that quiz gave me a once in a lifetime opportunity to go and watch the India vs Pakistan t20 World Cup game live at Australia’s Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is one of the most treasured moments of my entire life, not just quizzing,” says Ayushman in retrospection. No wonder, he chose sports as his favourite quizzing genre.
This quiz lover believes that each and every quiz has taught him something or the other. “Perhaps my best lesson till date has been to have faith in my instincts,” he adds. Though Ayushman enjoys online quizzes like the ClassAct, he too is inclined towards offline quizzing. “I like the intense, neck-to-neck competition that is at the core of in-person quizzing as opposed to quizzing on the internet, where a lot of external factors can pose as hindrance,” he says.
The only topper with a prior quiz hosting experience, Ayushman wraps up saying, “The best part about being a quizmaster is that you get to form the questions. I usually make them in a way that encourages lateral thinking and innovation among quizzers.”
Abhinav S Nair
Carmel CMI School, Kerela
Grade 11
Rank 3
Abhinav chanced upon an advertisement of ClassAct 2023 on HT School’s Instagram page. He decided to sign up for it immediately. “I didn’t really put much thought into it. It was meant to be a casual experience. But I ended up being in the Top 5. It’s probably a happy coincidence,” shares the UPSC aspirant. He too, like Shivendra, wants to be a part of profession-based quizzes that would help him further his career. “Topics that are usually not ventured in quizzes should be the ones to get highlighted,” says the 11th grader. In fact, he considers space studies as one such unexplored topic. “I once attended a quiz on the life of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. I didn’t win it, but it has left a lasting impression on me and inspired me into the field,” he recalls. As a quizzer, Abhinav wishes to participate in the Kaun Banega Crorepati Malayalam edition.
This quizzing prodigy finds it hard to choose between online and offline quizzing. He regards both as unique experiences. “Offline quizzing can be quite intimidating yet fun. Online quizzes, on the other hand, do have a wider diaspora and you get the opportunity to compete against a greater number of individuals from all over the country. That’s a plus point,” shares Abhinav.
Abhinav’s success mantra for quizzing is very simple. “Read a question carefully from start to end and analyse every bit of it before delivering the answer. I believe even the most minute lapse in focus can cost one, vital points,” he says.
Kushagra Chaurasia
Sunbeam School, Uttar Pradesh
Grade 9
Rank 4
Kushagra’s quizzing journey began impromptu when his teacher signed him up as a replacement for an interschool quiz and he ended up winning it. Since then, he has participated in many quizzes, both online and offline. “I am a huge fan of the buzzer rounds in physical quizzes. Maybe, that’s why I am slightly bent towards them. But online quizzes do have the advantage of allowing quizzers to appear from any part of the world. That’s important as well,” says the young quizzer. Kushagra is keenly interested in in everything related to space and geography.
From being a participant in ClassAct 2022 to emerging as a topper in ClassAct 2023, Kushagra has come a long way. “I enjoyed the Finale of this year’s Republic Day Quiz more than the Prelims. It’s because the questions in the final round were quite analytical and needed us to join a lot of clues, making those 2 hours super intense for all. The Prelims, on the other hand, was way more direct,” says the 9th grader. He especially remembers a Finale question where one had to guess the invention from its backstory.
Kushagra hasn’t been a topper in all the quizzing attempts he has made so far. But he has continued his journey through his failures too. “This has helped me cope better with defeat and kept me motivated,” he shares.
Sumanyu Aggarwal
Indraprastha World School, Delhi
Grade 10
Rank 5
This ClassAct 2023 topper is also the All-India winner of Britannia Quiz Contest. Eager to participate in more such national level quizzes in the coming years, Sumanyu says, “National and global quizzes give you a better exposure and help you interact with a greater number of people with similar interests.” However, for ClassAct 2023. The quizmasters were his motivation. “The moment I saw that Navin sir and Avinash sir would conduct the Finale, I knew I have to participate,” he recalls. “It was a great honour to have shared the same platform with them, even though it was online. The way they were giving subtle yet valuable clues in between made all the difference for me,” adds the budding quizzer. Sumanyu found the questions of the Finale more interesting than those of the Prelims.
Quizzing has endowed him with a lot of life lessons. "I have learnt to trust teammates during group quizzes, pay attention to details and stay calm through tough times,” he shares.
Interestingly, Sumanyu’s most memorable quizzing moment continues to be his debut in grade 4. “It was on the history of India,” recalls the aspiring coder.