The 23- year old Kanishk Mukherjee made his way to win the first-ever IBPC Corporate Quiz held recently in Dubai. The Associate Marketplace Consultant at Amazon is a passionate quizzer and meandered to victory armed with his experience, presence of mind and leopard-like swiftness.
Q. What inspired you to start quizzing? Pls throw some light on your quizzing journey in brief.
A. I’ve always been a curious kid, used to ask a lot of questions as a child. My mother, who is no more with me, was a school principal and she used to encourage my curiosity and inculcated a reading habit in me. I’ve always had a strong memory and I can recall facts and trivia quickly. All of these skills enabled me take quizzing up in school. I belong to Jamshedpur in India and attended Loyola School which is known for its quizzing legacy batch after batch. My teachers in middle school from 5th standard encouraged me to take up quizzing. The first time I participated in an inter-school quiz was in Grade Seventh and continued to participate in many national-level quizzes till Grade 12. Even in university, I participated and held podium places in Tata Crucible organised by quizmaster Giri Balasubramaniam. I went to UK for my higher studies and although there is not a very active quiz culture there, I organised pub-quizzes for my university and encouraged people from all nationalities to take up this hobby. Now in Dubai, I plan to do the same and explore as many quizzing opportunities as possible.
Q. You were the winner of IBPC corporate quiz and you were the youngest quizzer in the entire list of participants. Tell us how were you able to prepare so well to lead up to victory?
A. Every quizzer is special in their own way in terms of preparation. Generally speaking, I follow the current affairs very actively and see what is trending in the world and how a quizmaster can frame that into a question. Other than that, it is just the speed of thought, backing myself that I know the right answer, listening to my partner for advice and strategy and playing the quiz confidently.
Q. How many quiz programmes have you participated in so far and what type?
A. Starting from the age of ten, I have participated in over 100 quizzes during my school, university, post-graduate and now corporate life. My like quizzing pertaining to science and technology, MELA (music, entertainment, literature and art) but my favorite is always business- related.
Q. Any memorable incident from your quizzing endeavours?
A. My first win (gold medal) for my school which was in Bhubaneswar in 2015. My team performance was excellent, we answered most of the questions correctly. This quiz was an annual event which my school had never one and I was the first one to win this title for the school. That feeling was something special and that too away from home in Bhubaneswar. With this quiz, I put my school back on the school quizzing map in India.
Q. Who is your favourite quizzer/quizmaster from whom you derive inspiration?
A. My favourite quizzer has been my mother because she truly understood the value of quizzing. My favorite quizmaster hands down of all time is Giri Balasubramaniam. I have been following him since I was 13 when he used to visit our city to host the corporate and campus editions of Tata Crucible (India’s largest quiz). I have also had the privilege to quiz with him multiple times in my senior school time, in university and now in corporate. He is a great storyteller and he engages the audience like no one else can. He is a timeless professional and I hope to be as eloquent and humble as him, if I can.
Q. What tips would you like to give to quiz enthusiasts?
A. Read. Explore. There is no better habit than reading and with easy internet-access, quizzing is super fun!
Q. You are working in corporate world. How do you find time for quizzing?
A. I treat quizzing the same way as going to the gym or playing any sport. I dedicate time for reading, exploring wikipedia, following trends and half the job is done.
Q. Any dream in terms of quizzing?
A. The dream was to be a good quizzer but now I would really like to spread the good values of quizzing whenever I can like the way I did during my two years in the UK. I would like to participate, and help organise quizzes in Dubai and encourage more people to take up the activity.
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