OrissaPOST Mettle Meet 2023 once again proclaimed its dominance as the numero uno quizzing event of eastern India as curtains came down on the two-day event at Hotel Swosti Premium Sunday evening. The grand show added a few more feathers to its glorious hat on the swashbuckling comeback after a three-year break. Following a spectacular beginning Saturday that witnessed over 69 teams from top educational institutions of Odisha engaged in a battle of nerves to qualify for the finals, Sunday’s Grand Finale saw 16 of them in Junior and Senior categories locked in a battle of mind to etch their names in the quizzing landscape of the state. Nevertheless, in the end, the message emanating from the marquee event was loud and clear: “Everyone is a winner”.
The fifth edition of OrissaPost Mettle Meet 2023 was a grand success in its comeback streak this year, after 2019, for the sheer response of the participating institutions and the unprecedented excitement it evoked in students, parents and teachers as well.
The preliminary rounds and the finale of the two-day quizzing extravaganza witnessed packed houses with lots of twist and turns, laughter and tense moments for the participants and spectators.
Kaustuv, part of team DAV-CDA, which bagged the top trophy in the Junior category, described Mettle Meet as a ‘very exciting quiz tournament’ and said, “It is indeed a great effort by Orissa POST to start the event once again after three years of global disruptions caused by Covid-19.”
Sarat Kar, an official from SAI International School, said such grand-scale quizzing event with top educational institutions of the state participating is a hard thing to miss for any educational institution. “We are very happy to participate in the meet. Winning and losing is a part of life, but the knowledge the students gain from this tournament is huge.”
Sriman Mishra from DAV Kalinganagar, one of the finalists in the Junior category, said in tournaments like this one must expect a nail biting finish. “And that is how it went. In all the rounds it was an ‘if and but’ scenario. We could have been a little confident in answering, but didn’t. The winner DAV-CDA grabbed maximum points in the starting round which proved crucial,” he added.
Rabmit Das of NISER Jatni, one of the finalists in the Senior category, said Mettle Meet is becoming a ‘big thing’ with every passing year with top teams vying for the honour. “Qualifying for the finals alone is a big task and we were happy for reaching up to the finals,” he said.
Shlok Samanta of Loyola school, first runner up in Junior category, said he will try to come back in Senior category next year.
Asish Nayak of SCBMCH said, “We were thrilled to be in the finals of Orissa POST Mettle Meet.”
Meanwhile, Swagatika Lenka, a parent, said that all are winners in a quiz like Mettle Meet since such quizzing tournament provides an opportunity to hidden talents to blossom.
Mentors happy
Teacher and student relationship is crucial for the development of a child’s facets and the same goes for quizzing too. Orissa POST Mettle Meet 2023 showcased the way teachers groom and mentor pals for the finals.
Durga Madhav Mishra, a teacher from DAV-CDA said the students had prepared very hard for the tournament. “We had selected the best team for the tournament. Our boys practiced really hard for it.”
Tushar Sasmal, a teacher from Blessed Sacrament High School, Puri which emerged Second runners up in the Junior category said, “We identify, track and groom talents from a very small age and nourish them to participate in quizzes.”
Friendship matters
Friendship Day which coincided with the finals of Mettle Meet 2023, Sunday had its reflection on the event. The camaraderie and chemistry between team members was writ large the whole day.
Pratyaksh Rastogi of Loyola School said friendship helps in understanding each other which, in turn, helps in quizzing. “The whole quzzing is all about coordination which is becomes easy if we are friends.”
Ankit Kumar Swain of DAV CDA said that friendship helps in winning the quiz because it enables knowing each other’s mindset quickly.
PNN
