When we communicate on the cellphone, Dr Navin Jayakumar, ophthalmologist and quizmaster, is sifting by means of tons of of questions, rigorously selecting people who he’ll ask the gladiators of information who will collect on August 15 for what’s arguably Chennai’s most well-known quiz. “Chennai has a magnificent tradition of quizzing on Independence Day,” he says, including, “From 1994 to 2020 the Landmark Quiz was an event enjoyed by school children, corporates, college students and senior citizens. The quiz was reborn as the Zifo Open Quiz two editions ago with the city’s own global scientific informatics leader thrilled to reignite the curiosity. Now everyone knows what the afternoon of August 15 is meant for.”
The journey of the Zifo Open Quiz 2025 kicked off in June with a faculty spherical for courses IX-XII carried out at their colleges. “This allows a large number of schools to participate among themselves. After the preliminary round, the top two to three teams from each school are chosen based on their scores. They will compete for the best school team and can participate in the general round too. Earlier the top eight made it to the final but now we choose six and for the other two slots hold a semifinal as a qualifier,” says Dr Navin, who has been the quizmaster besides for 2 breaks in between.
With its recognition rising over the years, the annual quiz now attracts almost 2,000 contributors who battle for prime honours and prizes value Rs. 5 lakh, placing their omnivorous studying to good use. Prizes are additionally awarded for finest staff identify, college and school groups, company staff, senior citizen staff and household staff aside from viewers prizes.
A piece of the viewers at the Music Academy
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Special Arrangement
Initially held at the Narada Gana Sabha corridor, the contestants now fill the Music Academy from finish to finish. To cater to contributors from cities similar to Berlin, London, Dubai and different Indian cities the organisers have a concierge service the place contributors can drop off their baggage.
Quizmaster Dr Navin Jayakumar
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Special Arrangement
“The quiz idea was always about getting everyone interested and watching it. So the questions have an element of deductive logic and are a mix of the usual science, history, geography and pop culture with content on both India and abroad. It’s like working out a crossword puzzle,” says Dr Navin, including that the old school questions, similar to capitals however requested with a twist, are nonetheless the hottest.
The Zifo Open Quiz 2025 might be held on August 15, 1.15pm at the Music Academy. For particulars and registration search for or name +91 8754569948.
