Chennai | Independence Day brings the Zifo Open Quiz to the city

When we speak on the phone, Dr Navin Jayakumar, ophthalmologist and quizmaster, is sifting through hundreds of questions, carefully choosing those that he will ask the gladiators of knowledge who will gather on August 15 for what is arguably Chennai’s most well-known quiz. “Chennai has a magnificent tradition of quizzing on Independence Day,” he says, adding, “From 1994 to 2020 the Landmark Quiz was an event enjoyed by school children, corporates, college students and senior citizens. The quiz was reborn as the Zifo Open Quiz two editions ago with the city’s own global scientific informatics leader thrilled to reignite the curiosity. Now everyone knows what the afternoon of August 15 is meant for.”

The journey of the Zifo Open Quiz 2025 kicked off in June with a school round for classes IX-XII conducted at their schools. “This allows a large number of schools to participate among themselves. After the preliminary round, the top two to three teams from each school are chosen based on their scores. They will compete for the best school team and can participate in the general round too. Earlier the top eight made it to the final but now we choose six and for the other two slots hold a semifinal as a qualifier,” says Dr Navin, who has been the quizmaster except for two breaks in between.

With its popularity growing over the years, the annual quiz now draws nearly 2,000 participants who battle for top honours and prizes worth Rs. 5 lakh, putting their omnivorous reading to good use. Prizes are also awarded for best team name, school and college teams, corporate team, senior citizen team and family team apart from audience prizes.

A section of the audience at the Music Academy
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Initially held at the Narada Gana Sabha hall, the contestants now fill the Music Academy from end to end. To cater to participants from cities such as Berlin, London, Dubai and other Indian cities the organisers have a concierge service where participants can drop off their luggage.

Quizmaster Dr Navin Jayakumar
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“The quiz idea was always about getting everyone interested and watching it. So the questions have an element of deductive logic and are a mix of the usual science, history, geography and pop culture with content on both India and abroad. It’s like working out a crossword puzzle,” says Dr Navin, adding that the old-fashioned questions, such as capitals but asked with a twist, are still the most popular.

The Zifo Open Quiz 2025 will be held on August 15, 1.15pm at the Music Academy. For details and registration look up https://zifoopenquiz.com or call +91 8754569948.