India’s premier quiz championship ConQuest 2024 made its way to Kolkata for the East Regional Round in the middle of November with two teams from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, making it to the national finals.
The eighth edition of the quiz on history, politics, and the Constitution, is the flagship public outreach initiative by the Centre for Law and Policy Research, presented by its Constitutionofindia.net team. The East Regional Round was hosted in partnership with Loreto College, Kolkata, a long-time collaborator.
Nearly 30 three-member teams from across the east region participated in the preliminary round, with six advancing to the eastern finals on 16 November. The finalists included two teams each from the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata, and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM C), alongside one each from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, and National Law University Odisha (NLUO).
The east region finals, held in front of an enthusiastic audience of 200 Loreto College students, was a riveting contest. Questions spanned constitutional history and the rich heritage of Kolkata, weaving history, arts, and culture into the quiz.
One question asked which ground for restricting freedom of speech and expression was removed from the Draft Constitution of 1948 by K.M. Munshi for its role in delaying India’s independence. The answer: sedition.
Another question tested the distinction between Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, the first Muslim woman to earn a PhD from the University of London, and Jahanara Shahnawaz, the first woman in Asia to preside over a legislative session. Both were revealed to be the only women members of Pakistan’s first Constituent Assembly. This sparked a connection with the East Regional Round, as Ikramullah was an alumna of Loreto College.
One explored the city’s Tipu Sultan Mosque, built in honour of the ruler whose family fled the East India Company’s persecution after the “Vellore Mutiny” and settled in Tollygunge.
After an intense competition, the two IIM Calcutta teams secured the top two spots, qualifying for the national finals, while National Law University Odisha came third. The winners were felicitated by Dr Sujata Chowdhury, the longest-serving Head of the Department of Political Science, and Dr Nirmala, Sister-in-Charge at Loreto College.
Next, ConQuest goes to Bengaluru for the South Regional Round on 30 November, before concluding with the national finals on 6 December.
Supported by the South Regional office of the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit.
This article appeared first on ThePrint , our ConQuest digital partner, on 02 December 2024.
