A tete-a-tete with the champions of ClassAct 2022 Grand Finale
ClassAct 2022, The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz, is the largest online school quiz in Asia. It has been officially declared as a record holder for 'Maximum Participation in an Online Quiz' by The Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records. The Prelims round of ClassAct 2022, held on 23rd January, saw participation of 19,625 students from 32 countries and 5 continents. In the Grand Finale, hosted by revered Indian quizmasters, Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Avinash Mudaliar on 26th January, 175 participants competed in a nail-biting match to make it to the Top 40. In a freewheeling chat, these toppers share their journey through ClassAct 2022.
Achinthithaa, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, Chennai Grade X
Rank: 31
Achinthithaa’s interest in quizzing developed when she was Grade VIII. However, she started participating actively in the Quiz Club of her school from Grade IX. For her, ClassAct 2022 proved to be an enriching experience. “I have participated in online quizzes earlier. But the way the quizmasters explained the answers to each question in the Republic Day quiz made all the difference. It also expanded the horizon of my knowledge which, I am sure, will help me in the future too,” she shares.
Shuban Singh, Sunbeam School, Varanasi, Grade VI
Rank: 32
An experienced quizzer and quiz master, Shuban started out quite early in this field. Well, he started quizzing in Kindergarten itself! The secret to Shuban’s success lies in the fact that he gathers information from the right sources. “For me, CBSE’s Heritage Quiz Book is a goldmine of information,” he says. He also finds his teacher, Sanjeev sir to be an inspiration behind all the knowledge and motivation he has had for quizzing over the years.
Be it his quizzing acumen or penchant for knowledge, the questions of the final round were not much of a trouble for Shuban. “While the questions in the Prelims were very relevant, those in the Finale were pretty easy to figure out,” he shares. For him, the question on Venn diagrams was a bit tough. "I had read about Venn diagrams recently and worked my way around the answer," says Shuban.
Divyansh Shah, Sanskriti School, New Delhi, Grade XII
Rank: 33
An avid quizzer, Divyansh, along with his friends, has founded the quiz society of his school. More inclined towards technology-based quizzes, this youngster’s love for quizzing blossomed during the junior school days where he was part of an informal quizzing club. Later on, he started a two-member quiz society with one of his friends. Today, that two-member club has grown into a knowledge collective comprising 40 members. "The knowledge collective is set to become an officially recognised club by the school," he says.
Divyansh came to know about ClassAct 2022 through Instagram and decided to participate right away. “Quizzing is the process of acquiring and understanding knowledge and ClassAct 2022 gave me that opportunity. It was a wonderful experience interacting with Dr. Navin Jayakumar,” he shares. But his journey through this quiz was not only about knowledge acquisition. It was also entertaining. "The quizmasters kept students engaged as well as entertained,” he says.
Vinayak Sharma, Pinewood School, Saharanpur, Grade IX
Rank: 34
Vinayak took to quizzing especially during the lockdown. Mathematics and Geography are his favourite genres when it comes to quizzing. Currently, he’s part of a team that is participating in the Asian Quiz League, an online contest where anyone can participate using Zoom/ Google Meet. But ClassAct 2022 was class apart in terms of the reach it had. “This is the first time I have participated in an online quiz with such massive," he shares. Also, Vinayak was familiar with Dr. Jayakumar's quizzing style. "I have been following Dr. Navin Jayakumar on social media and was aware of some of the questions," he says.
Vinayak liked the manner in which the questions were framed and explained. "There was an interesting question on the Lazy Caterer's Problem which I did not know the answer to," he says. “But the hints and additional information shared by the quizmasters during each question in the finals was quite helpful,” he adds.
Vedant Jha, Delhi Public School, Ranchi, Grade XII
Rank: 35
Quizzing is a passion for Vedanta. “My family members have been the influence behind my love for quiz. They have pushed me towards knowledge acquisition and have motivated me to stay updated on the happenings around the world,” he shares.
ClassAct 2022, according to him, was an enjoyable journey. "The mix of the questions was so judicious that anyone could have participated and answered at least a few of them correctly.” In fact, he did not know the answers to some questions. “But the clues provided by the quizmasters helped me figure out the answers," he says.