FUNDAMENTALS
Honore de Balzac once said, “Bureaucracy is a giant mechanism operated by pygmies.” Like them or despise them, the fact remains that India’s vast complex democratic system is anchored on the work done by bureaucrats across India. Take this quiz on the services that have been celebrated as the Steel Frame of India.
Write with your suggestions, questions (with answers) to senjam@gmail.com.
THE STEEL FRAME OF INDIA
1. Hotel Charleville and the Happy Valley Club provided the location and original infrastructure of which institute?
2. The Oscar winning ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is based on Q&A, the debut novel of IFS officer Vikas Swarup. The movie however has several departures from the original novel. The main character of the novel has been replaced with a person named Jamal. What is the name of the original main character?
3. Where in New Delhi would you find Jalebi Chowk, an area well known to bureaucrats?
4. Nirmal Kumar Mukarji retired as Cabinet Secretary in April 1980. When he retired, he became the last Indian administrative officer to achieve a certain distinction. What?
5. English, August: An Indian Story , the novel by Upamanyu Chatterjee authentically describes the life of a young IAS officer posted in a rural area. Name the main protagonist of this novel?
6. Kiran Bedi is famous as the first lady IPS officer. Who is the first lady IAS officer?
7. Ravindra Kumar is an IAS officer of UP cadre. What did he do in 2013 and which he replicated in 2019?
8. The current External affairs minister S Jaishankar is the second career diplomat to become a Foreign Minister. Who is the first?
ANYTHING GOES
1. Khanzir is the name given to an animal exhibited at Kabul zoo. This animal is the only one in Afghanistan and has quite a celebrity status in the country. Identify this animal which is quite commonplace as a domestic animal in other countries? (Arup Chanda, Bengaluru)
2. In Federation cup tennis, there is a particular award where the winners are determined via online voting by fans. Sania Mirza won this award in 2020 for her successful return to the court post motherhood. Name this award?(Soulath Mohammed, Secunderabad)
3. The movie , “The Theory of Everything” starring Eddie Redmayne was made in 2014 and based on the life of a great scientist. Who is the scientist? (UN Murthy, Secunderabad)
4. ‘SKILL’ is a mnemonic designed to remind us of the excretory organs of the body. If ‘S’ is for skin, ‘K’ is for kidneys, ‘I’ is for intestines, ‘L’ is for liver, what does last ‘L’ stand for? (Partha Sarkar)
5. A book by an Indian Author contains fish characters named Goopy and Bagha, a tribute to Satyajit Ray’s fantasy film. Book And Author?(Abhijit Basak, Dum Dum)
6. The flag of Afghanistan as well as the flag of Cambodia feature a building. The flag of Afghanistan has a mosque in the centre. What is in the middle of Cambodian flag? (Yuktha Rakshith Adithi, Secunderabad)
7. This country is one of the 16 countries without any army, but it is the only country without an official capital. Name this country? ( Vislesha Nivritee Sahasra, Secunderabad)
8. Which popular indoor game originated in ancient India with a game called ‘Moksha Patam’ (P Kutty, Bengaluru)