Shameer Ahmed Kudroli
Jubail, Dec 16: The Association of Malayalee Professionals in Saudi Arabia (AMPS) staged its annual flagship event “ Brain Hunt- World Quiz” for students of the International Schools in Saudi Arabia on Friday, November 29 at a Beach Camp in Jubail.
More than 300 Grade 8 to 12 students from International Indian School-Dammam, International Indian School-Jubail, Al-Khozama International Indian School-Dammam and Al-Yasmeen International School-Riyadh participated in the annual contest called the Brain Hunt World Quiz.
“AMPS have always embarked upon programs that help to kindle creative thinking and reading, with a view to equip students with vital skills required to take on the intense competition at awaits them in future” said Suresh Kumar Kalathil, the President of AMPS..
The AMPS ‘World Quiz Competition’, an annual event that AMPS has been conducting since its inception in 2004, is one of the most sort after events by the student community, parents and Quiz enthusiasts in the Eastern Province. AMPS which consists of members who are all top Indian professionals working at leading multinational companies and Saudi corporations — have won accolades for the event’s emphasis on knowledge enhancement.
The Quizmaster of the popular show was P.G.R. Nair, who is a highly respected Quizmaster among the expatriate community in Jubail.He is a distinguished Toastmaster and staff process engineer at SAFCO. “His reputation as Quiz Master has now transcended the boundaries of Saudi Arabia. He is now being requested by the Indian Community in Oman to conduct a Quiz in Muscat”, said Kalathil with a lot of pride.
“I think Mr.Nair surpassed all known Quizmasters,” said Jubail school principal Syed Hameed. “The technical excellence and the quality of the Quiz that AMPS brings out year after year continues to amaze me”, he said. The audience acknowledged the efforts of PGR Nair with a round of standing ovation.
The quiz comprised eight rounds and was a good mix of all things under the universe such as sports, science, current affairs, history and literature. The unanswered questions were passed on to the audience with attractive spot prizes for correct answers.
The “Face the Fire” rapid fire round, adeptly conducted by the Assistant Quizmaster Krishna Kumar Raghupathy,created ripples and excitement among the audience and the participating teams alike. The audience were watching in awe and admiration the swinging fortunes of the teams which changed with each right or wrong answer, in the “Rapid Fire Round”
It was a clean sweep by the International Indian School, Jubail!! All the three Winning Teams represented IISJ.
Some of the captivating questions figured in the quiz are: Which city in Saudi Arabia is named after a large Persian drum played in religious ceremonies and stored in Mosques? (Dammam).In November, DELL users complained that its Latitude 6430u business laptop emitted a foul smell which was later found originated from the manufacturing process. What was the smell that the DELL customers complained ?(Cat's Urine). Which car is named after a fast running antelope seen in African Countries? (Impala) .Name the world’s “first decentralized digital currency” launched in 2009 by a mysterious person known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto? (Bitcoin)
The following were the Winners of the AMPS World Quiz – Brainhunt 2013-
Winning Team:
Musaib Ali Mirza
Sushil Vanka
Aazim Khan
Runner Up:
Priyanka Yadav
Amrita Mohanty
Nandini Singh
Second Runner Up:
Rahul Agrawal
Milind Sheth
Haider Ali
Earlier in the day, about 85 teams took part in the preliminary written round conducted by Luqman Ummer, during which he posed 40 objective questions to short-list eight finalists.
Sultan Al-Khurraissi, director of Royal Commission, Jubail inaugurated the event and addressed the gathering. He praised the organizers for their commitment, innovation and passion to conduct educational events such as the Quiz. He also appreciated the efforts of AMPS for bring out such impactful and educationally stimulating programs.
A highly structured stage set-up and state-of-the-art Quiz Devices were arranged by Krishna Das, V C Nair, Safare Mohammed, Seju Davis, Syam Sivashankar, Sudheer Prabhakaran and their team.
Muralikrishnan, was the event manager and main coordinator for this educational extravaganza.
A unique quiz template designed by Kamaruddin with an attractive brain-hunt logo looked riveting on the screen. Registration Coordinator Satheesan K R, Oommen Thomas Sivadas, and their team managed the registration of more than 300 students and community members.
Reena Sudheer presented a Homage to the memory of the Musical legend Manna Dey, who had recently passed away.
Bindu Rajendran anchored the event with panache and professional finnesse. The secretary,Sivasankar Syam, proposed a vote of thanks.