There’s a brown leather bag I carry with me wherever I go. Strung across the shoulder everything goes into it: sundry papers, crumpled currency notes, personal IDs, visiting cards, vitamin pills and one book: The Constitution of India. Frankly, it is a new habit, picked up only in the last one year. It’s appropriate that I write about that book today. The content for this parliamentary Bible (if I may call it that) was adopted exactly 62 years ago. It was Nandalal Bose who illustrated the first copy of the Constitution. I haven’t seen the illustrated version but I’m delighted to carry around the three hundred odd-pages of this fascinating document, wherever my leather bag takes me.
1. Which Indian state is also referred to as the Land of the Lamps?
Kartikeya Lahiri, Calcutta
2. Which fairy tale character is named after the scientific name of the Rampion Bellflower?
Abhishar Dutta, Ranchi
3. Carpenter’s claw is the best-known variety of which tool?
Mayank Gupta, Calcutta
4. Which guitarist started his career as a session’s musician, under the name Jimmy James?
Mitul Ghosh, Guwahati
5. The word ‘ketchup’ originated from the Chinese word meaning juice of what?
Sayak Bhattacharya, Calcutta
6. In 1994, which cricketer was appointed the Sheriff of Mumbai?
Abhishek Ghosh, Calcutta
7. Known as Tisane in the UK, what is the more common name for this beverage?
Sharmishtha Chatterjee, Calcutta
8. Which famous thinker born in Malta was the founder of the International Creative Forum?
Rahul Sen, Calcutta
9. Which weapon, synonymous with Indra, is found on the Param Vir Chakra?
Rohan Chatterjee, Calcutta
KNOW & GROW WITH DEREK
Dr Rajendra Prasad, then President of India, invited the members of the Constituent Assembly to sign the calligraphic copies, with Jawaharlal Nehru being the first to do so. However, after everyone had signed, Dr Prasad realised he had to sign as well, and instead of signing behind the last signatory, he added his name in the small space between the last line of the text and Nehru’s signature.
ANSWER & WIN
Which Looney Tunes animated character was initially going to be named Happy Rabbit?
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Winner of the Answer and Win
Quiz published on 11.11.12
Rohan Chatterjee, Calcutta
Which traveller received the name Mokshdeva at the Nalanda University?
The Answer is: Xuanzang (Hsüan-tsang)
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POINT OF VIEW
1. Identify this dancer
2. Identify this director
4. Jimmy Hendrix
6. Sunil Gavaskar
7. Herbal tea
8. Edward De Bono
WHO AM I ? Erwin Schrodinger
POINT OF VIEW 1 Mallika Sarabhai
POINT OF VIEW 2 Sam Mendes