Tuesday Trivia: Mar 12, 2013

by Idéfix Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:44 pm

Same rule as ever: no googling please!

1. This poet’s grandfather was born in Samarkand and migrated to India around 1750. His father worked for the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Awadh, and died in battle when the poet was five years old. He was raised by his uncle, who worked for the Marathas and later the East India Company. One of the poet’s most famous couplets describes life as a prison, and suggests that one ought not to expect to be free of grief until one dies. He was married at 13 and had seven children, but none of them survived infancy. When he was asked to write a foreword for an Urdu translation of Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari (“Akbar’s Rule”), he criticized the book as a book that had little value, and instead praised the English sahibs and their system. Name this poet.

2. Early in his career, this man translated Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari into Urdu, and asked a famous poet (see question above) to write a foreword. When the poet instead reprimanded him for wasting time on dead things and extolled the British ways, he decided to abandon his interest in Mughal history, and started working in earnest to reform Indian Muslim society. He stayed loyal to the British in the War of 1857, but later wrote a book about the causes of the war that criticized Company policies. He believed that the future of Muslims was threatened by rigidity and religious orthodoxy, and founded the first modern institution for higher education started for and by Indians. Name this man and the institution he founded.

3. Mohandas Gandhi’s first public address in India was a lecture on the occasion of the founding of a university. JC Bose and CV Raman also gave lectures on the occasion. The first Chancellor of the university was the then Maharaja of Mysore. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan later served as the Vice Chancellor. What is the name of the university, and when was it founded?

4. This question connects questions 1 and 3 above; if you get either of them, this may be too easy. When the poet from question 1 visited the city where Gandhi gave his first public address in India, he was moved by its beauty and composed a poem titled chirAg-e-dair (“temple lamps”). The poet employs the device of a conversation between the poet and a wise seer. The poet asks the seer, “the world is going to rot, fathers are fighting sons and brothers fighting brothers, why doesn’t god just put an end to all this?” The seer points to the city and says, “He is fond of this city because of which there is color in life; he doesn’t want this city to perish, so he spares all creation.” Name the city.

5. New York is named after the York province of England, New Jersey after one of the Channel Islands, and New Orleans after a city (and old duchy) in central France. What is New Zealand named after? In other words, in which country is old Zealand located?

6. This city of around 100,000 people is thought to be the oldest city in the Netherlands. At various times in the last few centuries, it has been ruled by Spain, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1992, the city became the birthplace of the European Union as well as the common currency, the euro. A treaty was signed in the city that established the most important institutions of the European Union, and defined the key criteria for the several national currencies to converge into the euro. Name the city.

7. The world’s third largest island (not counting continents) was known to ancient Indians are suvarNabhUmi (“land of gold”) and as karpUradvIpa (“camphor island”). The island is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests. In colonial times, part of the island was ruled by three generations of “White Rajahs” of British ancestry. It is the only island in the world ruled by three countries; the three countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Malaysian city of Kuching is the largest on the island. Name the island.

8. This group of islands is part of Scotland and it is best known for its unusually small and hardy domesticated animals. The islands were ruled by Norway earlier, and the map below shows the islands and other nearby territories.
Tuesday Trivia: Mar 12, 2013 Map10

The island chain today gets substantial revenues from the extraction of petroleum. The island chain’s eponymous ponies were used for difficult underground work hauling coal in mines. The picture below shows an adult pony from this breed. Name the island chain (or breed of pony).
Tuesday Trivia: Mar 12, 2013 Pony10

9. This Sanskrit play is attributed to Vishakhadatta and dated to about 1,500 years ago. The play has been translated into several languages, and played a vital role in uncovering long-forgotten parts of Indian history. The historical authenticity of the play is validated through contemporary accounts by foreigners that match the play’s narrative. In modern times, the play has inspired television and film productions and has been enacted in both India and the US. The name of the play is also used humorously to indicate a typo (at least in Telugu, perhaps in other Indian languages as well). Name the play.

10. Adi Shankara wrote a poem listing 18 renowned pIThams (seats of worship) dedicated to the female goddess Shakti. These 18 places are located all across India. Despite the Partition of India, all but one of the 18 places are located in the modern Republic of India. Where is the one exception located?

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:44 pm

6. brussels

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:45 pm

8. shetland islands.

by Petrichor Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:19 pm

6. Maastricht
9. Mrichhakatikam (sp?)

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:21 pm

scratch my answer to q 6. didn't read it carefully.

by bw Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:49 pm

trofimov wrote:

5. New York is named after the York province of England, New Jersey after one of the Channel Islands, and New Orleans after a city (and old duchy) in central France. What is New Zealand named after? In other words, in which country is old Zealand located?

netherlands

6. This city of around 100,000 people is thought to be the oldest city in the Netherlands. At various times in the last few centuries, it has been ruled by Spain, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1992, the city became the birthplace of the European Union as well as the common currency, the euro. A treaty was signed in the city that established the most important institutions of the European Union, and defined the key criteria for the several national currencies to converge into the euro. Name the city.

maastricht

7. The world’s third largest island (not counting continents) was known to ancient Indians are suvarNabhUmi (“land of gold”) and as karpUradvIpa (“camphor island”). The island is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests. In colonial times, part of the island was ruled by three generations of “White Rajahs” of British ancestry. It is the only island in the world ruled by three countries; the three countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Malaysian city of Kuching is the largest on the island. Name the island.

borneo?

8. This group of islands is part of Scotland and it is best known for its unusually small and hardy domesticated animals. The islands were ruled by Norway earlier, and the map below shows the islands and other nearby territories.

The island chain today gets substantial revenues from the extraction of petroleum. The island chain’s eponymous ponies were used for difficult underground work hauling coal in mines. The picture below shows an adult pony from this breed. Name the island chain (or breed of pony).

shetland

by Kris Tue Mar 12, 2013 2:33 am

2. Early in his career, this man translated Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari into Urdu, and asked a famous poet (see question above) to write a foreword. When the poet instead reprimanded him for wasting time on dead things and extolled the British ways, he decided to abandon his interest in Mughal history, and started working in earnest to reform Indian Muslim society. He stayed loyal to the British in the War of 1857, but later wrote a book about the causes of the war that criticized Company policies. He believed that the future of Muslims was threatened by rigidity and religious orthodoxy, and founded the first modern institution for higher education started for and by Indians. Name this man and the institution he founded.

>>>Don't know the name of the man. Was it Aligarh Muslim Univ?

3. Mohandas Gandhi’s first public address in India was a lecture on the occasion of the founding of a university. JC Bose and CV Raman also gave lectures on the occasion. The first Chancellor of the university was the then Maharaja of Mysore. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan later served as the Vice Chancellor. What is the name of the university, and when was it founded?

>>>Indian Institute of Science

4. This question connects questions 1 and 3 above; if you get either of them, this may be too easy. When the poet from question 1 visited the city where Gandhi gave his first public address in India, he was moved by its beauty and composed a poem titled chirAg-e-dair (“temple lamps”). The poet employs the device of a conversation between the poet and a wise seer. The poet asks the seer, “the world is going to rot, fathers are fighting sons and brothers fighting brothers, why doesn’t god just put an end to all this?” The seer points to the city and says, “He is fond of this city because of which there is color in life; he doesn’t want this city to perish, so he spares all creation.” Name the city.

5. New York is named after the York province of England, New Jersey after one of the Channel Islands, and New Orleans after a city (and old duchy) in central France. What is New Zealand named after? In other words, in which country is old Zealand located?

>>>Scotland

6. This city of around 100,000 people is thought to be the oldest city in the Netherlands. At various times in the last few centuries, it has been ruled by Spain, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1992, the city became the birthplace of the European Union as well as the common currency, the euro. A treaty was signed in the city that established the most important institutions of the European Union, and defined the key criteria for the several national currencies to converge into the euro. Name the city.

7. The world’s third largest island (not counting continents) was known to ancient Indians are suvarNabhUmi (“land of gold”) and as karpUradvIpa (“camphor island”). The island is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests. In colonial times, part of the island was ruled by three generations of “White Rajahs” of British ancestry. It is the only island in the world ruled by three countries; the three countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Malaysian city of Kuching is the largest on the island. Name the island.

>>>sumatra?

8. This group of islands is part of Scotland and it is best known for its unusually small and hardy domesticated animals. The islands were ruled by Norway earlier, and the map below shows the islands and other nearby territories.
Tuesday Trivia: Mar 12, 2013 Map10

The island chain today gets substantial revenues from the extraction of petroleum. The island chain’s eponymous ponies were used for difficult underground work hauling coal in mines. The picture below shows an adult pony from this breed. Name the island chain (or breed of pony).
Tuesday Trivia: Mar 12, 2013 Pony10

9. This Sanskrit play is attributed to Vishakhadatta and dated to about 1,500 years ago. The play has been translated into several languages, and played a vital role in uncovering long-forgotten parts of Indian history. The historical authenticity of the play is validated through contemporary accounts by foreigners that match the play’s narrative. In modern times, the play has inspired television and film productions and has been enacted in both India and the US. The name of the play is also used humorously to indicate a typo (at least in Telugu, perhaps in other Indian languages as well). Name the play.

10. Adi Shankara wrote a poem listing 18 renowned pIThams (seats of worship) dedicated to the female goddess Shakti. These 18 places are located all across India. Despite the Partition of India, all but one of the 18 places are located in the modern Republic of India. Where is the one exception located?

>>>Bangladesh

Pretty much all the above are guesses

by Guest Tue Mar 12, 2013 2:47 am

trofimov wrote:Same rule as ever: no googling please!

1. This poet’s grandfather was born in Samarkand and migrated to India around 1750. His father worked for the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Awadh, and died in battle when the poet was five years old. He was raised by his uncle, who worked for the Marathas and later the East India Company. One of the poet’s most famous couplets describes life as a prison, and suggests that one ought not to expect to be free of grief until one dies. He was married at 13 and had seven children, but none of them survived infancy. When he was asked to write a foreword for an Urdu translation of Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari (“Akbar’s Rule”), he criticized the book as a book that had little value, and instead praised the English sahibs and their system. Name this poet.

mirza asadullah khan ghalib.

2. Early in his career, this man translated Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari into Urdu, and asked a famous poet (see question above) to write a foreword. When the poet instead reprimanded him for wasting time on dead things and extolled the British ways, he decided to abandon his interest in Mughal history, and started working in earnest to reform Indian Muslim society. He stayed loyal to the British in the War of 1857, but later wrote a book about the causes of the war that criticized Company policies. He believed that the future of Muslims was threatened by rigidity and religious orthodoxy, and founded the first modern institution for higher education started for and by Indians. Name this man and the institution he founded.

syed ahmed khan and aligarh muslim university?

by Guest Tue Mar 12, 2013 2:48 am

trofimov wrote:4. This question connects questions 1 and 3 above; if you get either of them, this may be too easy. When the poet from question 1 visited the city where Gandhi gave his first public address in India, he was moved by its beauty and composed a poem titled chirAg-e-dair (“temple lamps”). The poet employs the device of a conversation between the poet and a wise seer. The poet asks the seer, “the world is going to rot, fathers are fighting sons and brothers fighting brothers, why doesn’t god just put an end to all this?” The seer points to the city and says, “He is fond of this city because of which there is color in life; he doesn’t want this city to perish, so he spares all creation.” Name the city.

kolkata?

by Guest Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:10 am

trofimov wrote:10. Adi Shankara wrote a poem listing 18 renowned pIThams (seats of worship) dedicated to the female goddess Shakti. These 18 places are located all across India. Despite the Partition of India, all but one of the 18 places are located in the modern Republic of India. Where is the one exception located?

there are various no. of pithas by different accounts covering nepal, bangladesh, sri lanka and even pakistan i think. my guess for this one would be sri lanka.

by Guest Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:11 am

trofimov wrote:
3. Mohandas Gandhi’s first public address in India was a lecture on the occasion of the founding of a university. JC Bose and CV Raman also gave lectures on the occasion. The first Chancellor of the university was the then Maharaja of Mysore. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan later served as the Vice Chancellor. What is the name of the university, and when was it founded?

benares hindu university. the answer to #4 would be benares too.

by yogi Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:49 am

1. This poet’s grandfather was born in Samarkand and migrated to India around 1750. His father worked for the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Awadh, and died in battle when the poet was five years old. He was raised by his uncle, who worked for the Marathas and later the East India Company. One of the poet’s most famous couplets describes life as a prison, and suggests that one ought not to expect to be free of grief until one dies. He was married at 13 and had seven children, but none of them survived infancy. When he was asked to write a foreword for an Urdu translation of Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari (“Akbar’s Rule”), he criticized the book as a book that had little value, and instead praised the English sahibs and their system. Name this poet.
-->Mirza Ghalib.

2. Early in his career, this man translated Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari into Urdu, and asked a famous poet (see question above) to write a foreword. When the poet instead reprimanded him for wasting time on dead things and extolled the British ways, he decided to abandon his interest in Mughal history, and started working in earnest to reform Indian Muslim society. He stayed loyal to the British in the War of 1857, but later wrote a book about the causes of the war that criticized Company policies. He believed that the future of Muslims was threatened by rigidity and religious orthodoxy, and founded the first modern institution for higher education started for and by Indians. Name this man and the institution he founded.
-->Sir syed ahmad khan, aligarh university.

3. Mohandas Gandhi’s first public address in India was a lecture on the occasion of the founding of a university. JC Bose and CV Raman also gave lectures on the occasion. The first Chancellor of the university was the then Maharaja of Mysore. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan later served as the Vice Chancellor. What is the name of the university, and when was it founded?
-->Bomaby university.

7. The world’s third largest island (not counting continents) was known to ancient Indians are suvarNabhUmi (“land of gold”) and as karpUradvIpa (“camphor island”). The island is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests. In colonial times, part of the island was ruled by three generations of “White Rajahs” of British ancestry. It is the only island in the world ruled by three countries; the three countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Malaysian city of Kuching is the largest on the island. Name the island.
-->Isn't it suvarnadvipa? then the answer would be indonesia.

9. This Sanskrit play is attributed to Vishakhadatta and dated to about 1,500 years ago. The play has been translated into several languages, and played a vital role in uncovering long-forgotten parts of Indian history. The historical authenticity of the play is validated through contemporary accounts by foreigners that match the play’s narrative. In modern times, the play has inspired television and film productions and has been enacted in both India and the US. The name of the play is also used humorously to indicate a typo (at least in Telugu, perhaps in other Indian languages as well). Name the play.
-->mudrarakshasam.

by indophile Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:26 am

1. Ghalib?
2. Sir Syed Ahmed, Aligarh Muslim Univ.
3. Andhra University
4. Varanasi
5. ????
6. Amsterdam?
7. New Guinea
8. Shetland
9. Mudraaraakshasa (in telugu they use the term for printing errors)

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:24 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:6. brussels

No.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:24 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:8. shetland islands.

Correct.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:26 pm

Muezzin-Bar'chu wrote:6. Maastricht

Correct.

Muezzin-Bar'chu wrote:9. Mrichhakatikam (sp?)

Good guess, but no.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:26 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:scratch my answer to q 6. didn't read it carefully.

Oops, just saw tihs.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:28 pm

bw wrote:5. netherlands

No.

bw wrote:6. maastricht

Correct.

bw wrote:7. borneo?

Correct.

bw wrote:8. shetland

Correct.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:30 pm

Kris wrote:2. Don't know the name of the man. Was it Aligarh Muslim Univ?

Correct, it was founded as the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College.

Kris wrote:3. Indian Institute of Science

No.

Kris wrote:Scotland

No.

Kris wrote:7. sumatra?

No, it is Borneo.

Kris wrote:10. Bangladesh

No.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:35 pm

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:1. mirza asadullah khan ghalib.

Correct.

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:2. syed ahmed khan and aligarh muslim university?

Correct! I thought this was tough.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:36 pm

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:
trofimov wrote:4. This question connects questions 1 and 3 above; if you get either of them, this may be too easy. When the poet from question 1 visited the city where Gandhi gave his first public address in India, he was moved by its beauty and composed a poem titled chirAg-e-dair (“temple lamps”). The poet employs the device of a conversation between the poet and a wise seer. The poet asks the seer, “the world is going to rot, fathers are fighting sons and brothers fighting brothers, why doesn’t god just put an end to all this?” The seer points to the city and says, “He is fond of this city because of which there is color in life; he doesn’t want this city to perish, so he spares all creation.” Name the city.
kolkata?

No. That was the poet's destination on that journey, though.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:38 pm

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:
trofimov wrote:10. Adi Shankara wrote a poem listing 18 renowned pIThams (seats of worship) dedicated to the female goddess Shakti. These 18 places are located all across India. Despite the Partition of India, all but one of the 18 places are located in the modern Republic of India. Where is the one exception located?
there are various no. of pithas by different accounts covering nepal, bangladesh, sri lanka and even pakistan i think. my guess for this one would be sri lanka.

Correct. In Shankara's account, there are 18 of them, and just one of them is in Sri Lanka, with the other 17 in modern India.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:39 pm

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:
trofimov wrote:
3. Mohandas Gandhi’s first public address in India was a lecture on the occasion of the founding of a university. JC Bose and CV Raman also gave lectures on the occasion. The first Chancellor of the university was the then Maharaja of Mysore. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan later served as the Vice Chancellor. What is the name of the university, and when was it founded?
benares hindu university. the answer to #4 would be benares too.

Correct.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:41 pm

yogi wrote:1. Mirza Ghalib.

Correct.

yogi wrote:2. Sir syed ahmad khan, aligarh university.

Correct.

yogi wrote:3. Bomaby university.

No, it is Benares Hindu University.

yogi wrote:7. Isn't it suvarnadvipa? then the answer would be indonesia.

No, it is Borneo. southern Borneo is part of Indonesia, but Indonesia also includes Sumatra, Java, Bali and western New Guinea.

yogi wrote:9. mudrarakshasam.

Correct!

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:44 pm

indophile wrote:1. Ghalib?

Correct.

indophile wrote:2. Sir Syed Ahmed, Aligarh Muslim Univ.

Correct.

indophile wrote:3. Andhra University

No, it is BHU.

indophile wrote:4. Varanasi

Correct.

indophile wrote:6. Amsterdam?

No, it is Maastricht.

indophile wrote:7. New Guinea

No, it is Borneo.

indophile wrote:8. Shetland

Correct.

indophile wrote:9. Mudraaraakshasa (in telugu they use the term for printing errors)

Correct... I said typo to mean typograhical error in the printing process, but yes printing error is more appropriate.

by goodcitizn Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:46 pm

trofimov wrote:5. New York is named after the York province of England, New Jersey after one of the Channel Islands, and New Orleans after a city (and old duchy) in central France. What is New Zealand named after? In other words, in which country is old Zealand located?

Denmark

7. The world’s third largest island (not counting continents) was known to ancient Indians are suvarNabhUmi (“land of gold”) and as karpUradvIpa (“camphor island”). The island is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests. In colonial times, part of the island was ruled by three generations of “White Rajahs” of British ancestry. It is the only island in the world ruled by three countries; the three countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Malaysian city of Kuching is the largest on the island. Name the island.

Borneo

8. This group of islands is part of Scotland and it is best known for its unusually small and hardy domesticated animals. The islands were ruled by Norway earlier, and the map below shows the islands and other nearby territories.

The island chain today gets substantial revenues from the extraction of petroleum. The island chain’s eponymous ponies were used for difficult underground work hauling coal in mines. The picture below shows an adult pony from this breed. Name the island chain (or breed of pony).

Shetland

10. Adi Shankara wrote a poem listing 18 renowned pIThams (seats of worship) dedicated to the female goddess Shakti. These 18 places are located all across India. Despite the Partition of India, all but one of the 18 places are located in the modern Republic of India. Where is the one exception located?

Sri Lanka

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:52 pm

trofimov wrote:
bw wrote:5. netherlands
No.

I misspoke earlier. New Zealand is named after the Zeeland province of the Netherlands. So this was the correct answer.

by Guest Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:53 pm

trofimov wrote:
Huzefa Kapasi wrote:
trofimov wrote:4. This question connects questions 1 and 3 above; if you get either of them, this may be too easy. When the poet from question 1 visited the city where Gandhi gave his first public address in India, he was moved by its beauty and composed a poem titled chirAg-e-dair (“temple lamps”). The poet employs the device of a conversation between the poet and a wise seer. The poet asks the seer, “the world is going to rot, fathers are fighting sons and brothers fighting brothers, why doesn’t god just put an end to all this?” The seer points to the city and says, “He is fond of this city because of which there is color in life; he doesn’t want this city to perish, so he spares all creation.” Name the city.
kolkata?
No. That was the poet's destination on that journey, though.

yes. he did visit kolkata. Smile

that is why i thought it could be kolkata. anyway, he was critical of the mughal rule (by praising the brtish methods) and never completed or denied the job or writing an account of bahadur shah's reign. bahadur shah, himself a poet, diisliked ghalib. quaint animosity.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:54 pm

goodcitizn wrote:5. Denmark

Correct, there is an island called Zealand in Denmark. However, New Zealand is named after the Zeeland province of the Netherlands.

goodcitizn wrote:7. Borneo

Correct.

goodcitizn wrote:8. Shetland

Correct.

goodcitizn wrote:10. Sri Lanka

Correct.

by goodcitizn Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:10 pm

trofimov wrote:
goodcitizn wrote:5. Denmark
Correct, there is an island called Zealand in Denmark. However, New Zealand is named after the Zeeland province of the Netherlands.

A few years back I was involved in a hospital project in Copenhagen which is on the eastern shore of Zealand. However, it is interesting that this has nothing to do with New Zealand.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:22 pm

All questions are answered now. I will post the full set of answers soon.

by Idéfix Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:43 pm

Here are the answers.

1. This poet’s grandfather was born in Samarkand and migrated to India around 1750. His father worked for the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Awadh, and died in battle when the poet was five years old. He was raised by his uncle, who worked for the Marathas and later the East India Company. One of the poet’s most famous couplets describes life as a prison, and suggests that one ought not to expect to be free of grief until one dies. He was married at 13 and had seven children, but none of them survived infancy. When he was asked to write a foreword for an Urdu translation of Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari (“Akbar’s Rule”), he criticized the book as a book that had little value, and instead praised the English sahibs and their system. Name this poet.

Answer: Mirza Asad-ul-lah Khan 'Ghalib'

2. Early in his career, this man translated Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari into Urdu, and asked a famous poet (see question above) to write a foreword. When the poet instead reprimanded him for wasting time on dead things and extolled the British ways, he decided to abandon his interest in Mughal history, and started working in earnest to reform Indian Muslim society. He stayed loyal to the British in the War of 1857, but later wrote a book about the causes of the war that criticized Company policies. He believed that the future of Muslims was threatened by rigidity and religious orthodoxy, and founded the first modern institution for higher education started for and by Indians. Name this man and the institution he founded.

Answer: Syed Ahmed Khan, Aligarh Muslim University

3. Mohandas Gandhi’s first public address in India was a lecture on the occasion of the founding of a university. JC Bose and CV Raman also gave lectures on the occasion. The first Chancellor of the university was the then Maharaja of Mysore. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan later served as the Vice Chancellor. What is the name of the university, and when was it founded?

Answer: Benares Hindu University, 1916

4. This question connects questions 1 and 3 above; if you get either of them, this may be too easy. When the poet from question 1 visited the city where Gandhi gave his first public address in India, he was moved by its beauty and composed a poem titled chirAg-e-dair (“temple lamps”). The poet employs the device of a conversation between the poet and a wise seer. The poet asks the seer, “the world is going to rot, fathers are fighting sons and brothers fighting brothers, why doesn’t god just put an end to all this?” The seer points to the city and says, “He is fond of this city because of which there is color in life; he doesn’t want this city to perish, so he spares all creation.” Name the city.

Answer: Varanasi.

5. New York is named after the York province of England, New Jersey after one of the Channel Islands, and New Orleans after a city (and old duchy) in central France. What is New Zealand named after? In other words, in which country is old Zealand located?

Answer: The Netherlands.

6. This city of around 100,000 people is thought to be the oldest city in the Netherlands. At various times in the last few centuries, it has been ruled by Spain, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1992, the city became the birthplace of the European Union as well as the common currency, the euro. A treaty was signed in the city that established the most important institutions of the European Union, and defined the key criteria for the several national currencies to converge into the euro. Name the city.

Answer: Maastricht

7. The world’s third largest island (not counting continents) was known to ancient Indians are suvarNabhUmi (“land of gold”) and as karpUradvIpa (“camphor island”). The island is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests. In colonial times, part of the island was ruled by three generations of “White Rajahs” of British ancestry. It is the only island in the world ruled by three countries; the three countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Malaysian city of Kuching is the largest on the island. Name the island.

Answer: Borneo

8. This group of islands is part of Scotland and it is best known for its unusually small and hardy domesticated animals. The islands were ruled by Norway earlier, and the map below shows the islands and other nearby territories.
Tuesday Trivia: Mar 12, 2013 Map10

The island chain today gets substantial revenues from the extraction of petroleum. The island chain’s eponymous ponies were used for difficult underground work hauling coal in mines. The picture below shows an adult pony from this breed. Name the island chain (or breed of pony).
Tuesday Trivia: Mar 12, 2013 Pony10

Answer: Shetlands

9. This Sanskrit play is attributed to Vishakhadatta and dated to about 1,500 years ago. The play has been translated into several languages, and played a vital role in uncovering long-forgotten parts of Indian history. The historical authenticity of the play is validated through contemporary accounts by foreigners that match the play’s narrative. In modern times, the play has inspired television and film productions and has been enacted in both India and the US. The name of the play is also used humorously to indicate a typo (at least in Telugu, perhaps in other Indian languages as well). Name the play.

Answer: mudrArAkshasam (The Minister's Signet Ring)

10. Adi Shankara wrote a poem listing 18 renowned pIThams (seats of worship) dedicated to the female goddess Shakti. These 18 places are located all across India. Despite the Partition of India, all but one of the 18 places are located in the modern Republic of India. Where is the one exception located?

Answer: Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

by yogi Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:28 pm

[/quote]No, it is Borneo. southern Borneo is part of Indonesia, but Indonesia also includes Sumatra, Java, Bali and western New Guinea. [/quote]

Burma in ancient period was referred to as suvarnabhumi. I don't know whether Borneo was also referred to as suvarnabhumi.

by Idéfix Wed Mar 13, 2013 1:42 pm

yogi wrote:Burma in ancient period was referred to as suvarnabhumi. I don't know whether Borneo was also referred to as suvarnabhumi.

Yes, I do remember reading that about Burma. I read about Borneo being called suvarnabhumi recently... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borneo#Early_history

by indophile Wed Mar 13, 2013 2:09 pm

indophile wrote:4. Varanasi

Correct.
[/quote]
Was it not Varanasi also where Buddha too gave his first sermon?

by Idéfix Wed Mar 13, 2013 2:10 pm

indophile wrote:
trofimov wrote:
indophile wrote:4. Varanasi
Correct.
Was it not Varanasi also where Buddha too gave his first sermon?

Yes

. I thought of using that in the clue, but thought that would make it too easy.

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