Sharp questions nail visitors to Millennium Park

KOLKATA: Families out for a pleasant evening, lovers in search of cozy corners, indulgent grandfathers... that''s an usual Saturday evening at the Millennium Park in Kolkata. Not this Saturday though.
As quiz master Barry O''Brien took the open-air stage to conduct the UK and India Quiz, lovers relinquished their seats. The young and the old made an impromptu audience that cheered college students, software professionals, bankers and hoteliers — all participants in the quiz organised by the British deputy high commission.
"My father would have loved so-much to be in my shoes today. This is a wonderful venue," celebrated quiz master Neil O''Brien''s son remarked before he set the ball rolling. A mixed bag of easy takeaways and tough hurdles awaited the 32 team at the elimination round. "Why was the spire atop the St Paul''s Cathedral in the city built three times, Barry asked. None present knew the answer.
"Earthquakes", replied Barry. Even septuagenarian Rajat Ghosh, seated in the stands, was surprised at the answer. "Who is the only Indian to be the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge," This time everyone got the answer right.
"Amartya Sen", they scribbled on the answer sheets. It took 23 more questions to pick eight for the final round — a mix of clubs, software firms and educational institutions. As questions became tougher, so did the competition. "What''s green whiskey," Barry asked. "Thandai", one of the teams replied. The others wished it had been their turn. "The sport originated in the bylanes of England. Haroon Mustafa was good at it. Which sport am I referring to," the quiz master asked. Everyone appeared stumped till 15-year-old Simantini Biswas, seated in the audience, cried out "Quidditch!"
"Oh, I read it in J.K.Rowling''s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," she explained. "What''s a faux cuisine," asked Barry. This time, no one could guess right. Some did make faux pas but others passed the question. "It''s a vegetarian dish prepared like a non-veg one to give the feel of having something meaty while biting into a pure veg preparation," Barry said. Though there were only three winners in the end — Dalhousie Institute won the competition followed by Saturday Club and National University of Juridical Sciences — everyone returned with a smile.
"I wish there were more events like this," mused Pinaki Bhaduri, who had walked in with grand-daughter Smitakshi for a pleasant evening. It turned into a memorable one as he won an audience prize and an applause from the 300-strong audience. "Dadu, you are great," Smitakshi broke into a smile.