"Our focus is on fostering
creative intelligence"
By Taru Bahl

IT was the good-looking chocolate-faced Sidhartha Basu who made quizzing fashionable in the mid 80s when Indian television was still in its nascent stage. In his well-cut dark suits, he was the quintessential modern man whom the youth could relate to and the women could conveniently swoon over. Came the swashbuckling 90s. Satellite channels vied with each another for supremacy. Sleazy, long-running soaps, visually titillating music videos and technically slick talk shows ousted the staid fare offered by Doordarshan. All of a sudden there was a new crop of TV screen icons. Quizzing, which has always had a novel appeal, for all age groups, got re-launched in a new avtaar. More viewer friendly in terms of production values, presentation and content, it now targeted itself at not just those who were intelligent or knowledgeable in the real sense of the word but at those who were aware and articulate with a strong sense of timing. Much of this credit goes to the unparalleled quizmaster of the 90s — Derek O' Brien.

The Bournvita Quiz Contest already had a strong image recall and a high brand equity thanks to the radio broadcasts of the quizzes hosted by the irreverable Ameen Sayani. Every Sunday, for years, the programme enjoyed popular ratings as practically every household tuned in to test one's quizzing skills and track India's best schools' performance. In between there was a lull as the show was pulled off the air till Derek and his company Big Ideas took over and Zee Television gave them a suitable slot on Sunday prime time. Derek's father Neil O'Brien changed the face of quizzing in Calcutta. Taru Bahl caught up with him on his recent visit to the city at the Yadavindra Public School where he was conducting the last lap of the BQC quarterfinals. Excerpts:

Big Ideas, in a short span of time, is said to have crossed the 10 crore turnover mark, purely by providing quizzing services. What has been the mantra of your success ?

I don't know if it is 5 or 10 crore because we have never measured our growth in terms of our annual turnover. If you want to talk of turnover talk to Kumaramangalam Birla. Ours is a new kind of business which translates a hobby into a profession. We market the concept of quizzing from all its aspects — stage shows, television, through the print media and publishing.

You had the advantage of entering the Bournvita Quiz Contest when it already had a high recall value, thanks to Ameen Sayani. That time advertising too was not as savvy as it is today. Does your company take up similar assignments related to corporate brand imaging and promotional strategies ?

There is a difference in the format of the quiz show which Sayani did in the 70s and which we are doing at present. The brand recall was high although there was a good eight to 10-year time lag before we took over. The medium was different. Doing a quiz on the television is poles apart from a radio quiz. We don't undertake brand building exercises unless they are part of quizzing programme. One of our favourites is the Economic Times all-India Brand Equity quiz, which we have been doing for the last eight years.

Your quiz, although comprising of the student community, enjoys high TRP ratings amongst all age groups. What is your USP?

On television you have to have the complete package right from the sets, title music and technical gizmos down to the quiz content, presentation style and even designer outfits. Our research team found out that our high TRP ratings were because of the 30 plus women who checked out our show ! But I do think a lot of it has to do with the kind of questions we ask. They are relevant, topical and earthy. Also the fast-paced, sleek look of the 30-minute show and our choice of celebrities adds value and appeal to the programme. Our focus is not so much on developing critical intelligence as it is on fostering creative intelligence. The audience today is discerning enough to know the difference.

How do you decide on your celebrity of the week ? Do the celebrities have to necessarily be intelligent role models ?

As you already know there is a full fledged round of questions where the invited celebrity turns quizmaster and asks questions of his choice. This has been real fun. We decided early in our quizzing days that it mattered precious little whether our invitee was from Harvard or a gold medallist or a doctorate. What did matter was his achiever status. His having done something exemplary be it in the field of sports, films, performing arts, nuclear physics or fashion was enough to qualify him to be on our show. Not only have the chosen celebrities been forthcoming but for the participants too it is a high point. Except for Maneka Gandhi, no one has turned down our request to be on the show. The year 1999 will see a lot of politicians on our programme. I just hope they don't use the forum to make political speeches !

Over the years the prize money in terms of sponsorships, gifts and cash has gone up, but what actually the children get has gone down. If one notices your show a wee bit carefully, there is that rare occasion when one sees you being a little short-tempered and judgmental with the team which doesn't seem to be getting anywhere near the answer. What do you have to say to that ?

The prize money has gone up but so have the costs. All this travelling within India and the Gulf (since the contest now shares international participation) makes a dent into our resources. While the prize money in terms of cash may have been cut down, it is compensated with things like the Bournvita Quiz Contest wrist watches which are longer-lasting. About being short-tempered with the teams which don't appear to be getting their answers right, I haven't thought about it consciously. May be you do have a point. Since the tempo of the show is fast, there could be a stray exclamation or word or gesture which may be off putting.

Have you always been into quizzing ?

Quizzing has been my hobby since school days. I was a journalist with Telegraph for a year. After that, I was the Creative Director at Ogilvy for eight years, following which I got into quizzing full time. My team comprises 16 brilliant people. We brainstorm together and our thrust is on research and format — 51 per cent research and 49 per cent presentation, which takes care of substance and style. I won't agree to do a show where the questions have been prepared by someone else. We like to do the whole thing on our way.

You have been interacting with the student community for over two decades. How well read and aware do you find them nowadays ?

The BQC targets classes VII and VIII. There has been a perceptible change in their comprehension, level of communication and confidence. Surprisingly the biggest change has been not in the metros but in smaller cities such as Chandigarh, Lucknow, Vizag and Pune. Competitive levels and the electronic media have contributed in making youngsters in the smaller cities more focused. Perhaps there is little to distract them. Children all over are not reading very much and this continues to be cause for concern.

What advice will you give to a potential quizzer who wants to hone his quizzing skills ?

Everyone who meets me wants to know the magic formula. There is none. Just keep your eyes and ears open and be sensitive to what is happening around you. Ask questions, search for answers and learn to absorb what you feel is worthwhile. At this stage you cannot expect a 14-year-old to have specific reading preferences. Just read anything that you can lay your hands on. If nothing else, go through the newspapers and listen to the daily news bulletins.

Can the school and the parents play a role here ?

Most schools have incorporated general knowledge as a part of the academic curriculum. But how much of it is really relevant or for that matter interactive ? You still have a major portion of the questions devoted to capitals, currencies and events which took place centuries ago. I am not saying that all this is irrelevant but what we should do is create, in children, an insatiable appetite for information. That can only happen when the classrooms become a venue for free-wheeling discussions, livewire debates and enthused information sharing. You cannot mug up a hundred general knowledge books to emerge a winner. You need to have the right attitude. Which is why it isn't necessary that a class topper be a wizard in general knowledge as well. Knowledge gained from books must be backed with public speaking skills, confidence, a sense of humour, a sportsman spirit and compassion.

How has your long-standing experience with children helped you ?

Being with children keeps me in a constant state of high. I have to be on my toes trying to match their enthusiasm and motivation. Personally, I have become more disciplined and have cut down on all the colas and chocolates that I would otherwise love to splurge on. I have become more receptive and organised as for as time management is concerned.