FUNDAMENTALS
The British left behind a legacy of hill stations across India — cool places where they could escape the oppressive heat of Indian summer. This week’s quiz on colonial hill stations of India has been contributed by Somen Sengupta and one of the questions is also this week’s main funda. Write in with your suggestions, questions ( with answers) to senjam@ gmail. com
COLONIAL HILL STATIONS OF INDIA
1. The magic of climbing Mt Everest was a dream of every British mountaineer and till the time they were in India one hill station played the first assembly point of every expedition. Which hill station was it?
2. Which British Viceroy met with an accident by falling from a horse and died in McLeodganj?
3. This colonial hill station was named after a man who cemented British rule in India and today its main two squares are named after two great sons of India who played vital roles in freeing it from British rule. Name the hill station.
4. In this small hill station of Chottanagpur plateau, a sunset point is named after a British girl named Magnolia who once jumped from the hilltop with her horse after failing to unite with her lover. Which hill station is this?
5. P. Barron, a sugar tycoon of East India Company, accidentally discovered a place in 1839 which was soon converted by Brits as a charming hill station with several lakes. Which place is this and how was it discovered?
6. The meaning of this hill station is land of white orchid, and it laps the garden of world’s most expensive tea Castleton. Name this scenic colonial hill station.
7. It is believed that Lonavala and Khandala were discovered in 1871 by then Governor of Bombay Presidency. Name this person who has a college, road and train station named after him.
8. Which hill station has a popular square named Scandal point?
9. This place was known as Udagamandalam before East India Company converted it into a hill station. By what name do we now call this place which is the blue mountain of south?
10. The devastating earthquake of 1904 broke the backbone of a specific kind of tea grown in Kangra valley known as Kangra tea. Name the place that was developed for this tea plantation.
ANYTHING GOES
1. All countries have emergency numbers to report robberies, fire, medical emergencies etc. South Korea has an emergency number 113 for something unusual. What? ( Vasudev Prakash, Mysuru)
2. KGSS ( The Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha) was founded on November 1, 1957 to create a federation to cater to the need and growth of Khadi and other village industries. Another aim of the federation was to provide employment opportunities to the rural youth in these sectors. The product that this company makes, of which it has the sole monopoly in India, sees a spurt of sales during one particular period. Name the product. ( Dee Surendranath, Hyderabad)
3. Name the famous child of Vrishbhanu, chieftain of Barsana village and Kirtida Devi? ( Nivriti Sreelekha, Secunderabad)
4. The Dauram Madhepura- Samastipur Passenger that travels between Saharsa and Samastipur junction in Bihar is a pretty ordinary train with an unusual number. What number? ( T. Veeksha, Secunderabad)
5. The people of this country call themselves ‘ Ticos’ and their football team is also popularly known by the same nickname. Which country? ( Sudipto Basak, Kolkata)
6. There are three big grammarians of classical Sanskrit. The most famous one is Panini who wrote Astadhyayi. The second one is Katyayana who wrote Varttikakara.
The third one shares his name with another famous author. Name him. ( Adithya Jeevan, Thiruvanathapuram)
7. Name the Moroccan author of Tuhfat al- anzar fi gharaaib al- amsar wa ajaaib al- asfar ( A gift to those who contemplate the wonders of cities and the marvels of travelling), commonly shortened to Rihla. ( Philip Joshua, Secunderabad)
8. When asked to comment on the grammar law that states one is not to end sentences with prepositions, Winston Churchill famously replied, “This is the sort of bloody nonsense...” Complete the sentence. ( Partha Sarkar, Kolkata)