Quiz Competitions: The New Frontier of Joyful Learning

When legendary Russian author Leo Tolstoy penned his short parable The Three Questions in 1908, he could hardly have imagined that its timeless quest for knowledge and wisdom would resonate so deeply with modern education. Today, quiz competitions have emerged as a powerful and engaging form of learning, testing the grey cells of young and old alike while making education an enjoyable experience.

In India, quiz competitions were popularised by iconic Doordarshan host and producer Siddharth Basu through his pioneering national inter-collegiate quiz show, Quiz Time, in 1985–86. They later became a national phenomenon when Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan launched Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) in 2000. With his distinctive baritone and engaging style, Bachchan connected instantly with audiences by giving ordinary people the opportunity to answer general-knowledge questions and win substantial cash prizes.

In Bengal, a state with a centuries-old reputation as a centre of intellect, literature and education, KBC became an instant favourite. Quiz competitions soon spread across the state, reaching even remote areas. In north Bengal, they have become almost as popular as traditional competitions in music, dance, drama and recitation.

A series of quiz contests held in and around Siliguri in recent months reflects the growing popularity of quizzing as an innovative method of education. Veteran quiz master Parag Biswas, who has been organizing quizzes across the country since his student days in 1987, believes strongly in their educational value.

“Quiz contests play a vital role in education and personal growth. They sharpen memory recall of the quizzers, boost their critical thinking, and expand their general awareness beyond textbooks,” Biswas said.

Intending to encourage students to explore the wider dimensions of a subject, Biswas recently conducted the Gems Sporting Club Golden Jubilee Inter-School Quiz Competition 2026 at Bagdogra near Siliguri on May 25. More than 28 leading Hindi-, English-, Bengali- and Nepali-medium schools participated in the event.

The two-day competition followed a hybrid format, beginning with a written preliminary round and progressing through zonal semi-finals to a grand finale. Participants faced questions covering a wide range of subjects and areas of human knowledge. Biswas, who has hosted more than 400 quiz competitions for over a lakh participants during the past four decades, conducted the grand finale with his trademark energy and interaction.

Designed to develop 21st-century skills, the competition emphasised logical reasoning, media literacy, current affairs and problem-solving rather than rote learning.

Chief organiser Sujit Singh said the objective was to encourage students to decode complex clues and think independently rather than rely on instant online searches. “Rote learning is a thing of the past. As the new education policies in the country have transformed education, critical thinking is essential to meet modern challenges. Our main aim is to develop that critical thinking in the future generations of the country,” he said.

The competition also adopted an unusual team format, with contestants being mixed and matched. The top three winning teams, each comprising two teams, received attractive prizes and certificates.

Another major quiz was organised by the Kolkata Region of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan at Pradhan Mantri School for Rising India Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sevoke Road, Salugara, near Siliguri, on July 28. Schools from the Raninagar cluster participated in the hybrid-format contest, which began with a preliminary round and culminated in a grand finale featuring five finalist schools.

Quiz master Parag Biswas tested the participants on the Indian Knowledge System. The contest went down to the wire, with the winners and runners-up in both the preliminary and final rounds being decided through several closely fought tie-breakers.

The team of Novonil Ghosh and Dhrupad Mondal from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Border Security Force, Raninagar, emerged victorious. Princhi Haloi and Anurodh Bhardwaj of Pradhan Mantri School for Rising India Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bengdubi, finished second, while Prem Raj and Angshuman Bhagat of Kendriya Vidyalaya, North-East Frontier Railway, New Jalpaiguri, secured third place.

The very next day, on July 29, the Kolkata-based Social Sports Foundation, in collaboration with the Siliguri Cine Society, organised an Inter-School Sports Quiz Competition at Ramkinkar Hall as part of the 2nd Siliguri International Sports Film Festival.

Nineteen schools participated in the first-of-its-kind sports quiz in Bengal. Following a preliminary written test and a tense tie-breaker to determine the sixth finalist, the top teams advanced to the grand finale.

Quiz master Parag Biswas, assisted by Mayukh Sarkar, kept participants and spectators engaged with trivia, anecdotes, lively banter and an energetic presentation, rewarding sharp answers with enthusiastic applause.

After four closely contested rounds, the team of Rahin Dey and Divyodarshee Das from Delhi Public School, Siliguri, emerged champions. Arnab Byapari and Debdwij Sarker of Olivia Enlightened English School, Bidhannagar, finished as first runners-up, while Vinayak Bhattacharya and Tirth Goyel of Birla Divya Jyoti School, Matigara, secured the second runners-up position.

Siliguri Cine Society president Pradip Nag said the aim of organising the sports quiz was to nurture a lasting love for sports among young people. The winners, runners-up and other finalists received trophies and certificates, while the remaining participants were also presented with participation trophies and certificates.

The growing popularity of such competitions across North Bengal demonstrates that quizzing is no longer merely a test of memory. It is evolving into an effective educational tool that encourages curiosity, analytical thinking, teamwork, communication and problem-solving. By combining knowledge with excitement and healthy competition, quizzes are helping students move beyond textbooks and discover the joy of learning.