At the express request of @Sandeip, here is a Feluda Quiz. Wanted to do this for quite some time but escaped my mind. Better late than never...
Please leave answers as comments (which are moderated for the time being). The correct answers - and equally importantly, the highest scorers - will be revealed Monday evening (IST).
Ladies and gentlemen - presenting 10 questions on my favourite detective!
1. Feluda stays on Rajani Sen Road. Where does Sidhu Jyatha stay?
2. a. What was the name of the film which was based on Jatayu's novel, Bombaiyer Bombetey?
2. b. In which Calcutta cinema did the film complete a silver jubilee run?
3. Captain Spark has a dwarf assistant. What's his name and nickname?
4. When (For what) did Feluda first come to Lucknow?
5. Who is the villain of the story - Feluda-r shongey Kashi-tey (In Kashi, with Feluda)?
6. Apart from Gupi Gayin Bagha Bayin, which is the only other Satyajit Ray film that is mentioned in a Feluda story?
7. Dungru. Joychand Boral. Rudrasekhar. What's common?
8. In Ghurghutiyar Ghatona, what was combination code for opening the safe?
9. In which US University did Nihar Ranjan Dutta conduct his researches in Biochemistry?
Bonus points if you can name the font used by the University for their stationery.
10. Despite being carnivorous, polar bears don't eat penguins. Why? And which Feluda story tells you the answer?
Yes, yes - I know. I wrote hajaar gyaan on what makes a good quiz question and I flouted every one of them in this one.
But then, this quiz is not really about knowledge as it is about nostalgia. No?
ANSWERS
Caveat: Since the questions were set in one quick burst, it did not have too much (read: any) research. I realised later that it is bloody unfair towards those who read the books in translation. But then, going through life without knowing Bengali itself is a bit unfair.
So, here are the answers:
1. Sardar Shankar Road. Everybody seems to have got this one.
2. a. Jet Bahadur
2. b. Paradise. To celebrate, Jatayu bought his car - a second-hand Mark II Ambassador (green).
3. Khudiram Rakshit - who is called Khude (literally, small) Raxit or simple, Raxit. What a wonderful pun!
4. He came to play cricket, as a spinner for Calcutta University.
5. This is a bit of an unfair googly - though many spotted it. This is not really a Feluda story but Satyajit Ray's recounting of the incidents during the shooting of Joi Baba Felunath in Benaras.
6. Not answered by anybody. In Robertson-er Ruby, they discuss the rocky face of Western Bengal and mention it as the place where Abhijan is shot. Here's a poster (showing the place)!
7. They are the three narrators of portions that are unseen by Topshe - in Hatyapuri, Golapi Mukto Rahasya and Tintoretto-r Jishu respectively.
8. 3.9.0.3.9.8.2.0 (is the Bengali version). But two people have the same answer (340910), which leads me to think that the code was probably changed in translation.
9. Michigan University. And the font is Garamond, which is a vital clue.
10. This is another cheap shot (typical of an erstwhile quizmaster, whose first name rhymes with that of GreatBong). Of course, polar bears don't eat penguins because they are 'poles apart'. That, penguins are found in the South Pole is revealed in Dr Munshi-r Diary. That story (or any other one) has no mention of polar bears!
Two Bongs - Indrayan and Abhishek - tie at 10 points each (out of a maximum possible of 13 since I had allocated 2 points each to Qs 9 and 10).
Happy reading once again!
Please leave answers as comments (which are moderated for the time being). The correct answers - and equally importantly, the highest scorers - will be revealed Monday evening (IST).
Ladies and gentlemen - presenting 10 questions on my favourite detective!
1. Feluda stays on Rajani Sen Road. Where does Sidhu Jyatha stay?
2. a. What was the name of the film which was based on Jatayu's novel, Bombaiyer Bombetey?
2. b. In which Calcutta cinema did the film complete a silver jubilee run?
3. Captain Spark has a dwarf assistant. What's his name and nickname?
4. When (For what) did Feluda first come to Lucknow?
5. Who is the villain of the story - Feluda-r shongey Kashi-tey (In Kashi, with Feluda)?
6. Apart from Gupi Gayin Bagha Bayin, which is the only other Satyajit Ray film that is mentioned in a Feluda story?
7. Dungru. Joychand Boral. Rudrasekhar. What's common?
8. In Ghurghutiyar Ghatona, what was combination code for opening the safe?
9. In which US University did Nihar Ranjan Dutta conduct his researches in Biochemistry?
Bonus points if you can name the font used by the University for their stationery.
10. Despite being carnivorous, polar bears don't eat penguins. Why? And which Feluda story tells you the answer?
Yes, yes - I know. I wrote hajaar gyaan on what makes a good quiz question and I flouted every one of them in this one.
But then, this quiz is not really about knowledge as it is about nostalgia. No?
ANSWERS
Caveat: Since the questions were set in one quick burst, it did not have too much (read: any) research. I realised later that it is bloody unfair towards those who read the books in translation. But then, going through life without knowing Bengali itself is a bit unfair.
So, here are the answers:
1. Sardar Shankar Road. Everybody seems to have got this one.
2. a. Jet Bahadur
2. b. Paradise. To celebrate, Jatayu bought his car - a second-hand Mark II Ambassador (green).
3. Khudiram Rakshit - who is called Khude (literally, small) Raxit or simple, Raxit. What a wonderful pun!
4. He came to play cricket, as a spinner for Calcutta University.
5. This is a bit of an unfair googly - though many spotted it. This is not really a Feluda story but Satyajit Ray's recounting of the incidents during the shooting of Joi Baba Felunath in Benaras.
6. Not answered by anybody. In Robertson-er Ruby, they discuss the rocky face of Western Bengal and mention it as the place where Abhijan is shot. Here's a poster (showing the place)!
8. 3.9.0.3.9.8.2.0 (is the Bengali version). But two people have the same answer (340910), which leads me to think that the code was probably changed in translation.
9. Michigan University. And the font is Garamond, which is a vital clue.
10. This is another cheap shot (typical of an erstwhile quizmaster, whose first name rhymes with that of GreatBong). Of course, polar bears don't eat penguins because they are 'poles apart'. That, penguins are found in the South Pole is revealed in Dr Munshi-r Diary. That story (or any other one) has no mention of polar bears!
Two Bongs - Indrayan and Abhishek - tie at 10 points each (out of a maximum possible of 13 since I had allocated 2 points each to Qs 9 and 10).
Happy reading once again!
Comments
2. a. Jet Bahadur. :D :D :D
2. b. Clueless. Educated guess: Bollywood, late 1970s, possibly close to Pheluda's place: Ujjala?
3. Khudiram Rakshit (4'6") a k a Khude (খুদে) Raxit.
4. To play cricket for Presidency College (?) as a slow spin bowler (Satyajit Ray himself had done the same).
5. Isn't this an excerpt from Ekei Bole Shooting? If yes, then do you mean the ox/bull who blocked the road? Or the bad weather?
6. Clueless. :( Kanchenjungha, mentioned somewhere in the two Darjeeling stories?
7. Narrators of chapters of Pheluda stories not narrated by Topshe. Dungrur Kotha - Hotyapuri. Rudrasekharer Kotha - Tintorettor Jishu. Joychnad Boraler Kotha - Golapi Mukto Rohoshyo (not the first chapter, unlike the other two).
8. Trinoyon, o Trinoyon, ektu jiro (39039820).
9. University of Michigan. American Garamond.
10. Because they're poles apart. :D
But what was the book? In Dr Munsi's Diary Jatayu referred to Penguin as North Pole, but the story you mention is possibly something different. May be Baksho-Rohoshyo, then. :(
2a. Jet Bahadur
2b. Basusree (?)
3. Raxit.
4. During college, for playing cricket.
8. 39039820.
9.Chicago.
Ok, that is it. I like your blog quite a lot, but I love it when you talk about Feluda. Thanks for the quiz.
1. Sardar Shankar Road
2 a. Jet Bahadur
2 b. Paradise
3. Raxit
4. 1958 - to represent University in Cricket
5. Maganlal Meghraj (not too sure)
6. Sonar Kella (not too sure)
7. Dungrur Kotha (Hatya Puri), Joychand Boral (Golapi Mukto Rohoshyo) and Rudrashekhar er Kotha (Tintorettor Jishu) are used for Indexing instead of the normally used numbers in Feluda stories.
8. Tri-Noyon-O-Tri-Noyon-Ek-tu-Zero
39039820
9. Michigan University, Garamond
10. Penguins reside in South Pole while Polar bears reside in North Pole
Q2a. Jet Bahadur. Took a while to figure this out, but I think the Bandits of Bombay was the only Jatayu movie filmed. Besides, I did not know the Bangla name for the movie
Q2b.Paradise cinema.
Q3. Captain Spark’s assistant was Little Raxit, in the Elephant God mystery. Both were creations of Jatayu’s rival Akrur Nandy.
Q4. Feluda first went to Lucknow in 1958 to play a cricket match.
Q5. Was it The Mystery of The Elephant God, in English? But wasn’t that Jai Baba Felunath? In that case it was Vikash Sinha. Also, Maganlal Meghraj makes his entry in the story.
Q6.
Q7.
Q8. 340910
Q9. University of Michigan. I am told by Google that it is UM’s M or M, which is a font that was made before any other computer fonts. Don’t know how correct.
Q10. Gah! Can’t place the name of the story, but wasn’t it the one in which Jatayu talks of his new novel which features action on the South Pole.
I have only read about three fourths of the stories...and that in english, so some confusion was there.
Thanks a lot, sir, for this superawesome quiz. and now for the one you host on twitter... :)
1. Sidhu Jaytha lives on sardar sankar road
2a.Feludar Goendagiri
2b.Crown cinema? not sure
3.
8.safe lock code 340910
10. Because penguins( antartic) and polar bears( arctic) never meet cant recall which story, but do remeber picking this answer from a feluda story:)
Baap re what a quiz!am dead and of course very very embarassed!:)I get the hall of shame i guess!
Have been a regular reader of your blog and I must say that your knowledge and style of writing are both very impressive.
Why is there no significant female character in any of Feluda stories, except, I guess the Rajen babu story in which a little girl was quite important, but I forget how?
"But then, going through life without knowing Bengali itself is a bit unfair"
This is raj with QuizWorks - a bangalore based Quiz design and production company.
This is a wonderful compilation. Would you like to post it in www.quizzing.in our quiz blog, which is now india's most visited quiz blog.
Do let me know.
Best Regards
raj dam
Bangalore
raj.dam@quizworks.in
2.a)jet bahadur
b)paradise
3.khudiram rakshit/raxit
4.1958,to play cricket
5.maganlal meghraj
6.abhijaan mentioned in robertsoner ruby
7.they all had individual chapters named after them
8.39039820
9.university of michigan/garamond
10.bcoz polar bears r in north pole n penguins r in south pole,revealed in dr.munshir diary