ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
Bhubaneswar: IIT Kharagpur and DAV Public School, Unit-8, Bhubaneswar emerged champions in the senior and junior categories, respectively, at the grand finale of the Orissa POST Mettle Meet 2026, held at Hotel Swosti Premium Sunday.
While IIT Kharagpur clinched the senior title in their second attempt, DAV Unit-8 retained its junior crown to register its fourth Mettle Meet championship.
The annual inter-school and inter-college quiz competition witnessed a fierce battle of wit, knowledge and quick thinking, with more than 80 teams from schools and colleges across Odisha taking part.
Following a competitive preliminary round, 16 teams—eight in each category—qualified for the grand finale.
In the senior category, IIT Kharagpur established a commanding lead from the opening rounds and maintained its advantage throughout the contest. NLU Odisha, IIT Guwahati and Odisha University of Technology and Research (OUTR) battled closely for the remaining podium positions.
IIT Guwahati eventually finished as the first runners-up, while National Law University Odisha (NLUO), Cuttack edged past OUTR in a tense final round to secure the second runners-up position. In the junior category, DAV Public School, Unit-8, once again asserted its dominance.
The Bhubaneswar school maintained a strong and consistent performance from the outset, but faced a stiff challenge from Mother’s Public School.
Mother’s Public School briefly moved ahead in the second round and kept the contest closely fought until the third round.
However, DAV Unit-8 held its nerve in the crucial stages to reclaim the title.
Mother’s Public School finished as the first runners-up, while KIIT International School secured the second runners-up position.
The victory marked DAV Unit-8’s fourth Mettle Meet junior title, further strengthening its reputation as one of Odisha’s leading quizzing schools.
Speaking on the occasion, Dharitri and Orissa POST Editor Tathagata Satpathy said “It is a great day for all of us.
The Orissa POST Mettle Meet quiz has completed a decade, and it has been a wonderful journey.
What started as an initiative to encourage quizzing and curiosity among young minds has grown into a much-loved platform for students across Odisha.”
Congratulating the participants, Satpathy also praised quizmaster Ajay Poonia for creating the new trivia game, Trivia Pirates, which features a range of formats, including Odisha Odyssey by Orissa POST.
Adyasha Satpathy, the Chief Executive of the dailies, said “Our primary objective when we began was to revive and encourage the culture of quiz zing, which had somewhat lost its momentum at the time.
Back then, we could not have imagined the kind of enthusiasm and response Mettle Meet would receive.”
She went on to add, “We have decided to create more opportunities for teams from outside Odisha by welcoming national teams in both the junior and senior categories.
Today, Mettle Meet has established itself as one of the leading quiz competitions in eastern India, and we are confident that it will go on to become one of the leading quiz competitions in the country.”
Quizmaster Ajay Poonia, who is known for hosting national-level quizzes, praised the standard of competition and the performances of the finalists.
“The winners—DAV Unit-8 and IIT Kharagpur—set a strong example with their preparation, quick thinking and presence of mind.
The finale was all about expecting the unexpected, and that is what made it truly exciting,” Poonia said.
The grand finale also featured an energetic performance by beatboxer Shreen, who kept the audience entertained with a variety of beatboxing rhythms, sounds and vocal effects. Her performance drew enthusiastic cheers and applause.
The finals were livestreamed on Orissa POST’s digital platforms and attracted a large virtual audience.
Winners in both categories received Rs1 lakh each, while the first and second runners-up were awarded Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively.