Think About IT

As a quizzer, I had 2 dreams : 

• Climb onto the stage where the Grand Finale of the prestigious TCS Rural IT quiz happening in Palace grounds on the occasion of BangaloreIT.biz

• Be the state winner of TCS IT quiz. 

As a team, Ashrith and I had put enough efforts to win the event in 2004. A small, unexpected mistake from our side put us in the runners-up position at Udupi Zone in 2003. The winners eventually won the STATE level quiz also. I was very well aware that the same team would come back in 2004 and it will be a tough game again. So we had spared no effort to ensure our victory. 

But man proposes, God disposes.. The 2004 zonal finals was indeed a battle of nerves. When we lost to the same team again,  140 to 135 (the other 4 teams on stage had scored 10, 10, 5 and zero!). When the quiz master announced that in the other 5 zones, the highest by any team had been 105, I could just keep myself from crying.

For the first time in my life, I felt like a loser. All my dreams were shattered as we were in our 12th Grade and that year was our 2nd and final chance.. 

When my mom consoled me that my efforts will never be a waste, I was not convinced, yet I believed her. It came out to be true. 

The pain of failure urged me to THINK OUT OF the Box, discard every convention and author India's 2nd ever IT quiz book, Blitz - The IT quiz book. Unless I am very much mistaken, I am India's youngest author of a commercial IT quiz book till date.  Failure indeed makes you learn more than what you could have with Success..

 

Mr Giri Balasubramaniam, the renowned Quiz Master of Tata Crucibles and TCS IT wiz fame identified my interest and talent for IT quiz and took me in his (Greycaps) technical quiz research team. 

The happiest day was when I was invited (along with a couple of other budding quizzers) to join the research team of Giri Balasubramaniam and Lloyd Saldanha to compile a book, "Think About IT - 3rd Edition". 

To add to this joy, I was felicitated by Mr Aravind Limbavali (Higher Education Minister, Government of Karnataka) and Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri (primary and secondary minister) on the occasion of Grand Finale of Rural IT quiz 2008 in Palace grounds on 7th November. 

All the finalists of this year had read my book. They thanked me for writing Blitz and Think About IT and really appreciated my efforts. What more does an author need?

On my way home, I thought, my first dream (climbing onto the stage finals stage) had been fulfilled! More royally than I had ever expected! 

And as far as winning is concerned, I will see myself winning every year when the young  quiz champions of TCS IT Wiz and Rural IT quiz come down to me and say, "Your book really helped us. Thanks for writing Blitz" . 

I haven't won it yet. But one thing is sure, I am not a loser anymore. I have got another chance. My latest attempt has been the strongest....