Sunday, August 21, 2005

A Quick 15

As promised, here are the questions from part of a quiz that I did tonight. Answers are given below, encoded in ROT-13.

1. (Pic) Where is this monument located and what is its geographical significance?



















Ans: Mreb-Zvyr Fgbar, Antche. Guvf vf pbafvqrerq gur trbtencuvpny pragre bs Vaqvn naq nyy qvfgnaprf sebz Vaqvn ner zrnfherq sebz urer.

2. This award was designed by Eva Yuonne Linda Maday-de-Maros Mrs who,later married an Indian and became Mrs. Savitri Khanolankar. By sheer coincidence, the first recepient of this award was her son-in-law. The award itself is designed to symbolize Rishi Dadichi who donated his thigh bones to the gods for making Vajra (with which Indra killed the demon, Vritrasura) and contains an image of Shivaji's sword Bhawani on the other side.

Ans: Gur Cnenz Ive Punxen

3. This city was previously known as Bhagyanagar, a name derived from the name of a Hindu danseuse (devadasi), Bhagmati, who married the Muslim Prince of the kingdom despite opposition from the King. After she converted to Islam she took another name and the city was again renamed after her. Which city?

Ans: Ulqrennnq. Fur gbbx gur anzr Ulqre Orthz nsgre pbairefvba.

4. The Yoni massage is a kind of sexual massage described in the Kamasutra and in carvings at Khajuraho. The word Yoni originally meant "Divine Passage" and referred to the arrangement of stars when a person was born (his/her Yoni of birth) but later came to mean the female reproductive organ. In ancient times, a special set of people were trained in the art of giving Yoni massages. Nobody else was allowed to perform these massages. Once trained, these people were hired by kings for a specific purpose. What was special about these people and why were they hired by Kings? (specific answer)

Ans: Bayl rhahpuf (uvwenf) jrer nyybjrq gb yrnea naq cenpgvfr guvf neg. Xvatf uverq gurz orpnhfr gurl bsgra unq unerzf svyyrq jvgu zber jbzra guna gurl pbhyq fngvfsl ba n erthyne onfvf. Va nqqvgvba, xvatf jbhyq bsgra or njnl, svtugvat jnef. Gb cerirag gur vazngrf bs gurve unerzf sebz fhpphzovat gb oberqbz, gurl jrer tvira lbav znffntrf. Shegure, va beqre gb cerirag gurz sebz tvivat vagb grzcgngvba, gur lbav znffrhef jrer arprffnevyl uvwenf engure guna zra.

5. Nehru first got this idea when he visited Russia which was under Stalin's rule, in the late 1920s. The first such Russian endeavour was launched in 1928 and the concept was referred to as "Piatiletka". However Nehru was dissatisfied with the Soviet interpretation of the idea and wrote "The human costs are unpayable". He later modified the concept to suit India and used it after independence. What am I talking about?

Ans: Gur Svir-Lrne Cyna

6. He was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town, Zanzibar to Zoroastrian (Parsee) parents from India. His parents Bomi and Jer Bulsara had immigrated to Zanzibar so his father could continue his job at the British Colonial Office. He also had a sister, Kashmira. He was educated at St. Peter's boarding school in Panchgani near Mumbai, India. At this school, he picked up a nickname that he later started using as his legal name. At the age of 18, he arrived in England where he pursued a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College. This training helped him later in his career, particularly when he designed this logo. (Pic)



















Extra Hint: He is also mentioned in one of the most famous suicide notes of this century.

"...when we're backstage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins, it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for ______ _______, who seemed to love, relish in the the love and adoration from the crowd, which is something I totally admire and envy."

Ans: Serqqvr Zrephel, gur yrnq fvatre bs Dhrra. Gur ybtb fubja vf Dhrra'f bja ybtb, qrfvtarq ol Zrephel. Gur navznyf va gur ybtb ner fnvq gb ercerfrag gur mbqvnp fvtaf bs gur onaq zrzoref. Gur fhvpvqr abgr vf bs pbhefr, ol Xheg Pbonva bs Aveinan.

7. In 1935, Romanian authorities banned X's films from cinemas after they feared that children would be scared to see a ten-foot high version of X in the movie theatre. In 1936, Adolf Hitler declared X to be an enemy of the state in Nazi Germany. On November 14, 2002, an image was discovered during restoration of a church's outside wall in the town of Malta, Austria. It is part of a 14th century fresco depicting Saint Christopher of the Catholic Church, who is often shown accompanied by fabulous creatures. This image prominently features a character who looks remarkably like X. Finally, X has been a regular contender in the U.S. Presidential elections for over half a century, because protest voters often wrote X's name on the ballot. Identify.

Ans: Zvpxrl Zbhfr. Gur vzntr bs gur serfpb pna or frra ng (uggc://ra.jvxvcrqvn.bet/jvxv/Vzntr:Zvpxl.wct)

8. When the milk ocean needed to be churned, the Devas took the help of the asuras, with the agreement that they would share the "Amrit" that would come out. When the amrit did come out, the Devas regretted their offer and prayed to Lord Vishnu to help them (since they did not want the asuras to become immortal). Vishnu took the form of a woman to seduce the Asuras and cleverly avoided giving them the amrit. Now, an Indian dance form which literally means "Dance of the Enchantress" is derived from this incident. Which dance form?

Ans: Zbuvavnggnz (Xrenyn).

9 X was born on 29 September 1941, Bradeley, Staffordshire and became a British sporting hero when Tony Greig picked him for the English cricket team in 1975. He was close to retirement from county cricket for Northamptonshire where he was a middle-order batsman and appeared much older than his 33 years, with grey hair and spectacles. However in the eight test matches he played he showed great courage against the fastest and most intimidating bowlers in the world; Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson for Australia and Anderson Roberts, Michael Holding, Wayne Daniel, and Vanburn Holder for the West Indies. Having charmed the public he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1975, and was awarded Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976. Identify.

Ans: Qnivq Fgnayrl Fgrryr

10. On 1 April 2005, the Chief Rabbi of Sephardic Jews in Israel, Shlomo Amar sent a contingent of Rabbis to India to perform formal Orthodox Jewish conversions on people in Mizoram. With the conversions, the Mizo Jews, would be allowed to move to Israel. Why this special treatment for Jews in Mizoram?

Ans: Gur Wrjf bs Zvmbenz unir orra erpbtavmrq ol gur Wrjvfu pbzzhavgl nf nhguragvp qrfpraqnagf bs gur Ybfg Gevorf bs Vfenry. Gurl pynvz naprfgel gb gur Gevor bs Znanffru.

11. Connect:

















(pics) - Plane crash (above), Renkoji Temple (below)





















with the Shah Nawaz Commission (1956), Khosla Commission (1970), Mukherjee Commission (1999)

Ans: Gur qvfnccrnenapr/qrngu bs Fhonfu Punaqen Obfr. Gur cynar penfu vf fhccbfrq gb or gur bar va juvpu ur qvrq. Gur Eraxbwv grzcyr va Wncna vf fhccbfrq gb pbagnva na hea jvgu gur nfurf bs Obfr (Jura N.O. Inwcnlrr ivfvgrq Wncna nf CZ bs Vaqvn, ur nyfb ivfvgrq guvf grzcyr). Gur pbzzvffvbaf anzrq nobir jrer nyy qvssrerag pbzzvffvbaf frg hc ol gur tbireazrag bs Vaqvn gb cebor gur gehgu nobhg Fhounfu Punaqen Obfr'f nyyrtrq rfpncr sebz gur cynar penfu.

12. When this structure designed by I.M. Pei, was constructed in 1989, it was highly criticized as "[reshaping] the city's profile and [opening] the door for further vulgarism." As critics questioned the taste of the design, as well as the American roots of its architect, the "Battle of the _______" became a philosophical debate over the future of the country's culture. What am I talking about?

Ans: Gur tynff clenzvq (f) va sebag bs gur Ybhier zhfrhz va Cnevf. Guvf vf nyfb zragvbarq va gur Qn Ivapv Pbqr. Frr gur cvpgher bs gur fgehpgherf ng (uggc://ra.jvxvcrqvn.bet/jvxv/Vzntr:Cnevf.ybhier.clenzvq.750cvk.wct)

13. One of the clauses of the Second treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle signed by France and Britain in 1748 was the return of a colony in India from the French to the British. Which colony?

Ans: Znqenf. Ng gur gvzr, guvf vapyhqrq cnegf bs Naquen Cenqrfu naq Xneangnxn nf jryy.

14. This is a banner associated with a certain office/position. Who is the current occupant of this office/position? Note that a portion of the banner has been blanked out.














Ans: NCW Noqhy Xnynz - Guvf vf gur perfg bs gur Cerfvqrag bs Vaqvn. Gur zvffvat cneg bs gur perfg vf gur sbhe yvbaf sebz gur Fneangu vafpevcgvbaf.

15. Connect


































Ans: Gur pbaarpgvba vf gur 1857 Frcbl Zhgval. Gur evsyr fubja vf gur Rasvryq C-53, jubfr pnegevqtrf nyyrtrqyl hfrq orrs naq cbex sng nf ternfr naq urapr fcnexrq bss gur eribyg ng Zrrehg. Gur jngpurf ner cneg bs Gvgna'f "Gur Evfvat" pbyyrpgvba, juvpu ner orvat cebzbgrq ol Nnzve Xuna sbe uvf arj zbivr, Gur Evfvat/Znatny Cnaqrl, juvpu vf nobhg gur riragf bs gur Frcbl Zhgval.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Southern Spice

This is a small quiz I did for a friend who needed some questions with a distinctly Chennai-Tamil-Southern flavour. The answers are given below in ROT13.

1. Ellis R. Dungan, a cinematography graduate of the
University of Southern California, arrived in India in
1935 with Michael Ormalev, a college-mate, at the
invitation of another USC student, Mani Lal Tandon of
Bombay, whose family was planning to enter the film
industry. When those plans did not take off, Tandon
invited them to Calcutta where he was directing the
Tamil film "Nandanar." There, he introduced them to a
Tamil film producer who was making "Sathi Leelavathi"
and suggested that, tied up as he was, Dungan be hired

in his place to direct the film. When the American was
hired, it was to be the beginning of a new era in
Tamil film-making, Dungan - with Ormalev having
vanished along the way - making a major contribution
to it.

Many of the minor actors in this movie later became
big names in the Tamil film industry - including N.S.

Krishnan (Gemini Studios) and T.S. Balaiah.
Who was the other famous debutante in this movie?

Ans: Z T Enznpunaqena cynlrq n zvabe ebyr va guvf zbivr.
Qhatna nyfb qverpgrq "Zrren", juvpu vf perqvgrq jvgu znxvat
Z F Fhoohynxfuzv n angvbany fgne.

2. Before 1947, when India was fighting against
British occupation, companies and individuals often
included "Contribution to Freedom movement" as an item
in accounting statements. Most often accounting

statements would not tally because management funneled
money out. "Contribution to Gandhi's freedom movement"
provided an excellent means to account for the
"missing" money.

Which phrase in Tamil slang originates from this?

Ans: "Tnaquv Xnanxxh".

3. What is this a description of?

1. Take one step with your foot.
2. If you just brought your left foot forward,
point your left fist to the sky and your right fist
directly ahead, otherwise do the opposite.
3. If you bring your left fist skyward, look
straight ahead or slightly upwards, otherwise look
down at your feet.
4. The above three steps must be done
simultaneously.

5. Bob your torso up and down once.
6. Repeat with the other foot and continue doing
so.
7. Maintain a pace of one step every second, with a
bob equidistant between every two steps.
8. Pelvic thrusts between steps can also be
introduced to provide some variation.

Ans: Qnccnnaxhguh
(uggc://ra.jvxvcrqvn.bet/jvxv/Qnccnnaxhguh)
Jneavat: V qba'g xabj ubj zhpu bs guvf vf uhzbhebhfnaq
ubj zhpu vf snpg :)

4. The James Bond film Octopussy features a chase
scene in which Bond (Roger Moore) and a fellow MI6
agent (Vijay Amritraj) elude villains. The sequence
has one liners with Bond going "Vijay, we have
company" and Amritraj (Noted Tennis player of the
'70s) the driver replying "No problem sir, this is a
company car" while villain Kabir Bedi takes pot
shots
at them using a shotgun. The chase ends with the
vehicle heading for a brick wall covered by the
handbills of a Hindi movie which turns out to be the
well hidden entrance to the local MI6 office. What is
specially Indian about this chase sequence?

Ans: Obaq naq Nzevgenw ner geniryyvat va nanhgb-ev
pxfunj!
Zber shaqnrf: Gur nhgb vf pnyyrq n Ghx-Ghx vaGunvynaq, n
Onwnw va Vaqbarfvn naq n Zbgbgnkv vaCreh.

5. Tulu is one of the Dravidian languages of India
with under 2,000,000 speakers. Most of its speakers
are in the district of South Kanara in the west of the
state of Karnataka. Tulu is generally spoken as the
local language by Mangaloreans. The question is, who
is the most famous native speaker of Tulu in the
world? Clue: This person also speaks Hindi, a bit of
Marathi and some broken Tamil.


Ans: Nvfujneln Env. Fur fnvq fb va ure erpragvagreivrj ba
Qnivq Yrggrezna'f fubj.

6. What is special about this carving of a lion's head
at Mahabalipuram?


Ans: Guvf jnf hapbirerq nsgre gur Gfhanzv pneevrq njnlynetr cbegvbaf bs
fnaq sebz gur ornpu.

7. Which Chennai landmark is named after George
Frederick Samuel Robinson, the 7th Viceroy of India,
from 1880-1884?
Ans: Evcba Ohvyqvat (Ur jnf znqr gur Rney bs Evcba va1859)

8. The first mention of it in writings occurs ca. 920
A.D. One description ca. 1025 says the lentils were
first soaked in buttermilk, and after grinding,
seasoned with pepper, coriander, cumin and asafoetida.
The king and scholar Someshwara III, reigning in the
area now called Karnataka, included a recipe in his
encyclopedia, the Manasollasa, written in Sanskrit ca.
1130 A.D. There is no known record of rice being added
until some time in the 17th century. What are we
talking about?

Ans: Gur Vqyv

9. This movie had cinematography by Balu Mahendra,
music by Ilayaraaja and starred Anil Kapoor and
Lakshmi. The movie was divided into two parts - the
first forms the episode of an Estate Manager deserting
his Wife and Kid, after being caught red-handed with
another Woman. The second part narrates the story of a
young Guy who comes to the neighbouring Estate for
work and his relationship with the deserted Woman. The
question is, whom did this film introduce to Tamil
cinema?

Ans: Znav Enganz. Gur zbivr jnf "Cnyyniv Nahcnyyniv",
uvf svefg zbivr - gur 2-cneg fgbel vf gur pnhfr bs gurgvgyr -
gur svefg fgbel vf gur cnyyniv naq gur frpbaqvf gur nahcnyyniv.

Qhoorq nf Cevln B Cevln va Gnzvy.


10. He can be spotted among the dancers behind Karthik
in the song "Raja Rajadhirajan Indha Raja" in Agni
Natchathiram. He has become one of the most famous
people in his field and has won two national awards.
Incidentally, his father is also a legend
in the same field.
Identify.

Ans:
Cenouh Qrin (Angvbany Njneqf - Zvafnen Xnanih naqYnxfuln)