41st anniversary of The Times of India, Bengaluru: Of fun memes and 'cluesdays'

Time of India

2 days ago

A Sunday evening at Church Street gets as lively as it could, with people of all age groups making it the city's most chosen hangout spot. Its stoned pavements adding to the aesthetics of the walking street.
While for some, this stretch may be the go-to place to have a drink or unwind with friends after a week-long work, for a few, the street pubs are also a destination to spend their time testing their intellect and knowledge.
Bengaluru is one of the few cities in India that can boast of a rare 'pub quizzing' culture, and Church Street Social has been one regular spot that hosts such events. Usually, these quizzes are hosted by third parties who are invited by the pubs.
4edge Quizzing is one group that conducts quiz events across pubs in the city throughout the week. The group was founded in 2016 by two friends, Himadri Banerjee and Anand Bhat, over their shared passion for quizzing.
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Though certain quiz events in the city are themed around pop culture and anime, those conducted by 4edge follow a light general theme. Unlike Olympiads, these quizzes feature fun meme rounds and social media references.
According to Bhat, meme-related questions play a huge role in making sure that everyone has a good time.
'The memes round is something that we've made a USP of ours because in these pub quizzes, we see a lot of beginner crowds, and we don't want it to be too daunting. So, we just try to include things that are relatable and based on current events,' he added.
As soon as the quiz begins, the 20-odd teams participating in it get their eyes glued to the screen, and with each passing round, the competition intensifies.
'The team with the funniest name gets a shoutout,' Bhat announces through the microphone. The heterogeneous teams even include families. One such unit bearing the name 'Hot Chips' said it's a good way to spend time together as a fun activity, despite all of them being from different generations.
At the end of the final round of one quizzing competition, a team named 'They bombed so I ran', comprising four men in their late 20s, is named the winner.
'It's good that they are making it very accessible because quizzing was usually done only by organisations or colleges as part of their annual fests. But this is pastime as an intellectual pursuit, that's what they've got right. A lot of people wanted that and the pubs have been very receptive towards staging these events,' said Suhas Pai, a team member.
Pai's teammate Pranav Nandha, a corporate employee, feels quizzing is a great activity, especially on weekends.
'For the corporate lot, weekends are usually chosen for parties. But for us, this is a great way to spend some time and expand our knowledge.'
Despite the prize for the winning team being a bottle of wine, both organisers and participants agree that such events have also made teetotallers enjoy pubs and bars.
'I'm a teetotaller. When I win, I pass the bottle on to my friends who drink. I didn't come here for the prize. Yes, there is joy when you get the answer right, but we've all been doing this for a very long time.
So, it's a good recreation and we can meet new people as well,' Niyam Joshi, another participant, expressed.
The Vapor Pub in Indiranagar has been organising a quiz called 'Cluesdays' on Tuesdays every week for the past 11 years. 'Cluesdays' works with a democratic model by allowing all regular participants to organise on a weekly rotation basis. Rajesh Radhakrishnan is one such participant who has been attending the quiz since its inception.
When asked about the business aspect of pub quizzing,
Radhakrishnan
replied: 'On a Tuesday night, not many people would come in. In the case of 'Cluesdays', they (pub) take care of the drinks ordered by the winning table. But obviously, the other people will have to pay for it. It is very good of the pub that they're doing it because other quizzes don't fetch such a big prize.'
Radhakrishnan further said that there are themed quizzes based on topics such as sports, music, and cinema.
'I generally host a full film and music quiz, but again, I try to keep it generic. All famous films and famous songs, equal mix of Hollywood and Bollywood,' he said. And it's not just limited to quizzing. 'Pool' and 'foosball' tables also figure prominently at the pubs.
Roshan, a regular pool player at the city's watering holes, feels thatdrinking alcohol alone is not enough to keep the city engaged at night. 'Just drinking is not fun enough.
For example, we play pool here and our bill goes shoots up because we spend more time here.
Hence, there's also an incentive for the business, and I think the cityis maturing in terms of what it wants from a space right now, because back then, you opened an empty room and played some decent music and ran a pub. Now, people want something to do because the phone is already a distraction,' he explained.
'The pool table has been here only for four months, mostly working people come in to play.
Most of them would at least purchase a bottle of beer while enjoying the game,' Hum Rana, the manager of a popular pub in Indiranagar, echoed Roshan's point. Rana also added that several bars and pubs around the city put an extra emphasis on sports and games.
'Doff Pub' in Indiranagar is one of the popular sports bars of Bengaluru. The space features around 20 screens, allowing for the simultaneous display of several sports.
Rakesh Mohan, a regular at Doff, passionately said: 'I mostly come here to watch Formula One, there's a huge rivalry between the supporters of Red Bull and Ferrari. I'm a Max Verstappen fan and I love bantering when Max wins.'
'Not just foosball, but every sport is serious. We go crazy while playing foosball. It provides me with an adrenaline boost. Games are what keep these pubs going. I would love it if they introduce a mini basketball hoop as well, it would make the nightlife here and the pub culture even better,' Rakesh said before he got busy at the foosball table with his co-worker.