Meet these Junior Quizzing Champions from ClassAct 2022
ClassAct 2022, The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz, began with the preliminary round on January 23 and ended with the Grand Finale on January 26. The Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records have officially recognised it as the record holder for 'Maximum Participation in an Online School Quiz' with over 19,000 participants in the Prelims. Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Mr. Avinash Mudaliar, two renowned quizmasters of India, hosted the Finale. In the preliminary stage, students from 32 nations battled for a seat in the Top 40 of the Junior category. In a freewheeling chat with HT School, the Top 5 Junior champions of ClassAct 2022 share their journey. Read on to know more.
Bhuvana Kumar Gopal, St. Thomas Residential School, Thiruvannathapuram, Grade II
Rank: 1
Inspired by her brother, an avid quizzer himself, little Bhuvana has followed in his footsteps. She has a secret desire too: She will beat her brother at quizzing some day! Reading up on quiz books and other reference material available to her through her sibling and parents, Bhuvana worked on her knowledge of sports and current affairs through her father while her mother helped her stay updated about the latest happenings in the field of science and mathematics.
Sharing her thoughts on being the topper in Junior Champs category at ClassAct 2022, Bhuvana says, “I was very happy when my name was announced for the first rank. I had a lot of fun during the quiz.” Recalling that the Prelims round was certainly easier than the finals, the young quizzer found the question on French waiters a bit difficult to answer while the one on Baby Shark was also easy. “The overall experience was an enriching one,” she says.
Dhruva Meghashyam Shirodkar, Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School, Thane West, Grade V
Rank: 2
ClassAct 2022 was Dhruva’s first big quiz event as he had participated in family quizzes with his parents and school quizzes with peers before this one. “Since my father is an avid quizzer, he has conducted many small quizzes for me and my mom so that I could learn about my favourite topics like superheroes and cartoons easily. In fact, my school also hosts annual quizzes on certain topics where I participate as well,” he shares.
The quizzing geek found the HT Republic Day Quiz to be a really good and exciting competition as he competed in an international quiz with over 19,000 participants! Moreover, the questions asked by quiz masters, Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Mr. Avinash Mudaliar during ClassAct 2022 were pretty workable. “There were some clues in the words used during the questions by the quiz masters. This helped me figure out the answers even when I didn't know much about that topic,” he says.
Vaanya Mangal, Darshan Academy, Delhi, Grade V
Rank: 3
“I enjoyed participating with different students from different countries and listening to and interacting with the quiz masters, Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Mr. Avinash Mudaliar. I learned a lot and it was an altogether new experience for me,” says Vaanya. The Junior quiz champion found the questions to be an interesting mix from different topics. For the fifth grader, the science related questions were engaging, especially the one on Velcro. The habit of reading newspapers and prior experience in a few online quizzes helped her breeze through ClassAct 2022.
Aarush Jain, Pawar Public School, Mumbai, Grade IV
Rank: 4
Having stood 4th in an international, online quiz among 19,000+ participants was a moment of pride for young Aarush and his parents. Exposed to online quizzing through his school teachers, the fourth grader had earlier played Kaun Banega Crorepati, a popular quiz show using the Chota Bheem app. Even though ClassAct 2022 had some tough questions, Aarush had fun answering the questions on Lego, Ben10 and baby shark.
Pakhi Garg, Indian Convent School, Grade III
Rank: 5
Like the other winners, little Pakhi too had a lot of fun participating in the ClassAct 2022. Having participated in some online quizzing events at the school level helped her tackle some questions in this record setting quizzing event.
“I came to know about lots of new things and the backstory related to the questions when the quiz masters explained the answers in detail,” says Pakhi. While she knew the answers to some questions, she had to guess a few others.