The junior champions of ClassAct 2023 are basking in the glory of success
Quizzing, for many school kids, is a fun way to learn. So, school quiz clubs have seen a boom in the last decade or two. However, it is only in the post-pandemic world that the New-age kids have been embracing quizzing in the online form. Keeping this in mind, HT School launched the first edition of their online school quiz last year on 26th January. The 2nd edition of the quiz, ClassAct 2023 - The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz, kicked off with the Prelims round this year on the 74th Republic Day of India and concluded with the Grand Finale on 5th February. This mega quiz competition surpassed its own previous record with the participation of 21, 540 students in the Prelims round. Earlier, in ClassAct 2022, it had created the record for 'Maximum Participation in an Online School Quiz' with 19, 625 participants in the Prelims as declared by the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records. Just like last year, this year too, Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Mr. Avinash Mudaliar, two renowned quizmasters of India, hosted the Grand Finale. Although students of grades 1 to 12 took part in the Prelims round, the ones belonging to grades 1 to 5 battled for top slots in the Junior Category. In a freewheeling chat with HT School, 4 Junior champions of ClassAct 2023 share their journey through the quiz.
Aaditri Arpan, St. Mary’s Academy, Patna, Grade 3
Aaditri got introduced to the world of quizzing when she was in grade 1, all thanks to her father. “I also have a keen interest in reading newspapers. This has helped me a lot in my quizzing journey. My sister, who also participated in the ClassAct 2023, helps me as well and keeps my enthusiasm quotient up,” says the budding quizzer brimming with joy. She also adds that gaining knowledge is her primary motivation behind quizzing. Aadriti’s preferred genres of quizzing are science and environment.
Akshita Jain, Ahlcon International School, Delhi, Grade 3
Unlike Aaditri, ClassAct 2023 was Akshita’s first quizzing experience. Well, she thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. “I was just excited to take part in a quiz and to have won it makes me feel overwhelmed,” says the shy quizzer. The fact that most of the questions were tricky yet solvable is what made the Republic Day Quiz a memorable experience for this youngster. She loved the ones that were on India. This amateur ukelele player chose music as her favourite genre of quizzing.
Jiya Sagar, SICA Sr. Sec. School, Indore, Grade 3
Inspired by her brother, an avid quizzer, Jiya debuted in the world of quizzing with ClassAct 2023.She liked the wide variety of question topics, starting from history and geography, to science and pop culture. For this BTS fan, a question on this very popular South Korean Boy Band was the best. However, she found a it a little tough to crack the history-based questions. Arts and dance are her chosen genres of quizzing, while horror books get Jiya excited.
Neil Vikram Aggarwal, Tagore International School, New Delhi, Grade 4
This space enthusiast who wishes to conquer the celestial world someday considers himself lucky as he found out about the ClassAct 2023 on the final day of its registration. “It was a happy coincidence that I found the advertisement in a newspaper on the last day. So, as soon as I came back home, I signed up for the quiz. I am more than glad that I took that decision,” says the kid who was overjoyed to have won his second big quiz. The chance to learn new and interesting things is what draws Neil towards quizzing. This was his first attempt at an individual online quiz.
Eager to be part of more space-related quizzes in the future, one of the memorable moments for this aspiring astronomer was when he couldn’t answer this question, “What is an important skill in a quizzer that is also the name of a Mars rover?” The answer was Curiosity. “I couldn’t answer, but I loved the question. It was fun and tricky,” he shares. Basking in the glory of his victory, he signs off saying, “The fact that I made it this far without much of a preparation is no less than an accomplishment. I want to keep exploring this domain in the coming days.”