ClassAct 2022 Grand Finale has been a unique experience for the champions
ClassAct 2022, The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz has been a massive success with record-breaking participation from students all over the country and the. It has been declared as Asia’s largest online school quiz by the Asia Bookm of Records and the Indian Book of Records with, 19,625 students participating in the preliminary round held on 23rd January. The Grand Finale, which took place on 26th January, was hosted by renowned quizmasters Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Mr. Avinash Mudaliar. These facts, along with the sheer exuberance that could be seen among the toppers of the Grand Finale, establishes one truth for sure: Quiz hasn’t lost its place as a popular form of edutainment, despite tough competition. HT school spoke to the champions who made it to the Top 20 of the Grand Finale of ClassAct 2022. Here’s what they have to say.
Ishani Mukherjee, Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Chennai, Grade XII
Rank 16
Ishani Mukherjee has been a part of the quiz circuit in her city since Grade V. “Chennai is one of the biggest quizzing centres in the country. It’s a good place to start quizzing. Prior to COVID, there were a lot of quizzes open to anyone to participate in. I love these contests because they encourage critical thinking,” says Ishani. After a short hiatus due to academic commitments and the COVID-19 situation, she came back to the quizzing circuit with ClassAct 2022, The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz. For Ishani, this online quiz was fun and a great learning experience. "Online quizzes are great way to bring together participants from all over the country and the world,” she says.
Srinivasa Ramanujam, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan School, Chennai, Grade XI
Rank 17
For Srinivasa, ClassAct 2022 was an experience worth remembering. “Participating in an online quiz with thousands of contestants is a big challenge. However, it was a very well-organised quiz,” he says. Srinivasa scored 35,000 points in the prelims. “Apart from knowledge and skills, luck also has a role to play for the participants of a quiz contest,” he shares. His favourite question was the one related to Kathakali. “I got it wrong because I was overthinking. But the question was really interesting,” he shares.
Shakeb Arsalan, Delhi Public School, Ranchi, Grade XII
Rank 18
For Shakeb, the quizmasters of ClassAct 2020, especially Dr. Jayakumar, was the biggest pull factor. "On YouTube, I have seen him hosting ‘India Wants To Know, one of my favourite quiz shows,” he shares. Shakeb’s contribution to the quizzing scene in Ranchi has been commendable. “I got into quizzing in the Grade X and have participated in a few national quizzes since then. In Grade XII, I started organising in-person quizzes with a few friends from our school during the short two-month period when COVID-19 restrictions were lifted,” he says. Shakeb was featured on television when he participated in the News Wiz 2 quiz. “My favourite genre in quizzing is popular culture, ranging from celebrities and TV shows to niche music,” he says.
Abhineet Arya Jaiswal, Abu Dhabi Indian School, UAE, Grade VIII
Rank 19
ClassAct 2022 was a fun experience for Abhineet. Although he found the prelims a little challenging, the Grand Finale was a lot smoother, according to him. “The toughest question in the finals for me was the one on French Affiliate. I did not know the answer to this. My favourite one was, however, the one related to Ben 10. I am a huge fan of cartoons myself. Hence, I loved it,” says Abhineet. Apart from this, he loves quizzes related to science. “In the UAE, all the quizzes are currently being held in person,” shares this avid quizzer.
Anumegha Dutta, Thakur Public School, Mumbai, Grade VI
Rank 20
One of the youngest in the list of the top 20 ClassAct 2022 champions, Anumegha had a thrilling experience in this highly competitive online school quiz. “Here, we had to identify a character which was shown. At first, I thought it was Raavana, but it turned out to be Hanuman. Though I got it wrong, I learnt something new. That’s the beauty of this quiz. It enriched my learning experience.” This precocious quizzer has been a part of both online and offline quizzing experience, some of them being YGP Memorial Quiz and the Indica Quiz. “Moreover, it is a Sunday ritual for me to participate in the QShala family quiz,” she signs off.