Ujjwal Parashar of Sunbeam English School, Varanasi emerges as national champion

Chikmagalur: All roads at Chikmagalur led to the sprawling campus of the Amber Valley Residential School as they hosted the second edition of the annual V G Siddhartha Memorial Inter School Quiz 2023. The quiz is among the several new initiatives of the school, over the last year, under the leadership of its Executive Trustee, Aisshwarya DKS Hegde.

The quiz, a stunning spectacle, was a student organised event, conceptualized with the vision ‘I am that child for a better INDIA’. The highlight of the quiz was the presence of Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, who inspired the young finalists and a large audience.

He urged the youngsters to be curious and build an entrepreneurial mindset to dream big and created a fabulous future for India.

The quiz itself was an outstanding battle of wit and wisdom, hosted by internationally acclaimed quizmaster Giri Pickbrain. Children from Varanasi, Sonepat, Gwalior, Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai and Bengaluru, competed with each other for the national crown. Ujjwal Parashar of Sunbeam English School, Varanasi emerged the national champion, winning a scholarship of Rs 1 Lakh while Aditya Giri of St.Pauls English School, Bengaluru and Aman Manoj of Bhavans Vidya Mandir, Kochi finished joint runner up.

The top ten finalists qualified from 74 cities, from literally Jammu to Trivandrum and Mount Abu to Shillong, who took part in the earlier rounds that led to the grand finale. The finale also saw the erudite Dr. Shashi Tharoor, sportingly play quizmaster alongside Pickbrain.

The large audience included luminaries, ranging from one of India’s senior most educators, G Balasubramanian, former Director Academics, CBSE to start up mentor and investor Ramachandran G, the man behind the stupendous growth of Golds Gym India. These thought leaders interacted with the children, making them wiser beyond the probing questions from the quiz.

Speaking on the occasion, Aisshwarya DKS Hegde said, We need to inspire youngsters to not just achieve for themselves but to contribute to shaping a better India. “The annual quiz is a reflection of our deep belief in our school’s vision that ‘All our learners shall succeed’, and that each young mind has the capacity and capability to succeed in every area of their lives, she added.

The Amber Valley Residential School, is a 19-year-old residential school, envisioned and founded by the Late V G Siddhartha. The annual quiz is a reflection of our deep belief in our school’s vision that “All our learners shall succeed” and that each young mind has the capacity and capability to succeed in every area of their lives.

The top ten finalists are Diveyraj Singh, (Cambridge Court High School, Jaipur), Aditya Giri, (St Paul’s English School, Bengaluru), Hazel Maria Boben, (Christ Academy ICSE, Bengaluru), Siddhi Bhimseriya, (Krishna Public School, Raipur), Disha Sharma, (Swarnprastha Public School, Sonepat), Rian Augustine, (The Cathedral John Connon School, Mumbai), P B Achyutha Ram, (Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan, Chennai), Ujjwal Parashar, (Sunbeam English School, Varanasi), Atharv Tiwari, (The Scindia School, Gwalior) and Aman B Manoj, (Bhavans Vidya Mandir, Kochi).