By Arindam Ganguly, OP
Bhubaneswar: DAV Public School of Unit-8, Bhubaneswar and AIIMS-Bhubaneswar retained their crowns in the junior and senior categories, respectively, at the seventh edition of OrissaPOST Mettle Meet held at Hotel Swosti Premium Sunday. The annual inter-school and inter-college quiz competition once again showcased a fierce battle of wits and a thrilling grand finale.
In the senior category, defending champions AIIMS-Bhubaneswar successfully held off a strong challenge from debutants IIT-Kharagpur and IIM-Calcutta, who finished as first and second runners-up, respectively. AIIMS, who led the finals until the last round, clinched the title for a record third time, having earlier secured runner-up positions in 2017 and 2019. IIM-Calcutta edged out National Law University (NLU), Cuttack and NISER-Bhubaneswar in a tense tiebreaker to claim third place.
In the junior category, DAV Public School, Unit-8 stormed to victory with a commanding lead over KIIT International School. Loyola settled for third place.
This year’s Mettle Meet saw over 80 teams from schools and colleges across the state participate, with 16 teams (eight in each category) making it to the finals following a competitive preliminary round.
“Mettle Meet has grown bigger every year,” said Adyasha Satpathy, Chief Executive of OrissaPOST. “It began in 2016 with a humble 18 teams, aiming to revive the art of quizzing and give a platform to young minds. Today, it is a premier quizzing event in the state.”
Echoing the sentiment, Dharitri and OrissaPOST Editor Tathagata Satpathy said, “This event is not just about answering questions. It’s about thinking out of the box and pushing intellectual boundaries. We’re grateful to quizmaster Ajay Poonia and all participants, especially the teams from outside Odisha, who acknowledged the growing influence of Mettle Meet.”
Poonia, known for hosting national-level quizzes, praised the standard of the competition. “The winners — DAV Unit-8 and AIIMS Bhubaneswar — set a strong example with their preparation and presence of mind,” he said.
The finals were livestreamed on the English daily’s digital platforms, drawing a large virtual audience. Winners in both categories received Rs 1,00,000 each, while first and second runners-up were awarded Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively.
Reflecting on their win, Pratyush Dhal of DAV Unit-8 said, “After our win last year, we started preparing for the next edition from next day. We took risk at the beginning. We strategised, calculated the competitors’ scores, and maintained our lead smartly.”
Bighnesh Das of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar said, “This is our third championship at Mettle Meet. It was tough match with IIT-Kharagpur behind us till last moment. After we took lead in fourth round, we tried to maintain the lead and succeed in that. Mettle Meet, a brilliant platform for quiz enthusiasts, encourages healthy intellectual competition.”
PNN
