Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s top quiz extravaganza ‘Mettle Meet’ is all set to cater to the intellectual appetite of students with its fourth edition scheduled to kick start August 3 at Bhubaneswar. The mega event is aimed at reviving quizzing and brings an intuitive platform for students of the region to participate in the Battle of Brains.
“Mettle Meet, an initiative by Odisha’s only home-grown English daily Orissa POST, to revive the art of quizzing in the state, is growing in stature, event by event, since its inception. We hope now Mettle Meet would be a nationally recognised quizzing platform,” said Tathagata Satpathy, Editor, Orissa POST.
“The increase in the number of teams proves that quizzing is alive among the students of Odisha and Mettle Meet has provided them a platform to compete while sharing the joy of quizzing. More and more schools and higher education institutions are joining the bandwagon of quizzing, thereby fulfilling the goal which OrissaPOST set out to achieve,” said Adyasha Satpathy, chief executive, Orissa POST.
“Thus, the thrilling journey of Mettle Meet rightly describes its tagline, Reviving Quizzing,’’ she added.
The quizzing extravaganza was launched in 2016. For the past three years, Quiz Master Venkatesh Srinivasan, popularly called Venky, had been hosting the smart show. However, Ajay Poonia, a nationally acclaimed quiz master is going to host the quiz this year.
“In just three years, Mettle Meet has established itself as a prestigious and most sought after quizzing event in Odisha. It is for no reason that India’s scale of quizzing heavyweights is inching closer and closer to Odisha. When over 100+ teams turn up, participants have to ensure that they prepare well enough to go back home with results in their favour instead of reasons for their failure,” said Poonia.
Mettle Meet 2019 is witnessing a even more enthusiastic participation from students this year. Quizzers from reputed institutions of Odisha like XIMB, CET, AIIMS, SICC, Ravenshaw University, KIIT University, NIT (Rourkela), Ramadevi University, IGIT (Sarang), NIST (Berhampur), Silicon, Birla Global University, VSSUT (Burla) and many others have confirmed to participate in the Sr. Category.
Similarly, the quiz is going to host many schools including DAV Public School (Unit-VIII Pokhariput and Kalinga Nagar in Bhubaneswar and CDA in Cuttack), Mothers Public School, SAI International School, Doon International School, DPS Dhenkanal, ODM Public School, Ruchika, Sainik School, VEM School and Saint Paul’s School (Rourkela) in the Jr Category.
The contestants will be divided into two categories in which the senior category includes college students and the junior category consists of school students. The preliminary stage would be conducted August 3 followed by the grand finale August 4. Each category will have 8 finalists to contest for the crown.
The total prize money up for grabs at the event is Rs 3, 50, 000. The champion of each category shall receive 1 lakh as the prize money. Similarly, the first and second runners up in each category will be awarded with Rs 50, 000 and Rs 25, 000 respectively.
In 2018, CET had bagged the champion title in Sr Category while KIIT University emerged as the first runners up followed by Silicon Institute of Technology as the second runners up. CET was also the champion of the maiden event in 2016.
In 2018 event, in the Jr category, Mother’s Public School topped the contest by winning the championship. DAV Public School (CDA Cuttack) was the first runners up followed by DAV Public School (Pokhariput, Bhubaneswar) as the second runners up.
This is what the participants have to say about the biggest quiz competition in the state:
Sanket Tripathy, Xavier Institute of Management
This is my first time in Mettle Meet and I am very excited to be participating in this mega quiz event. This is probably the biggest quizzing event in eastern India. Representing XIMB at such a grand platform makes our team feel proud. I am sure the competition is going to be quite tough and our team is preparing accordingly.
Aditi Kar, SAI International College of Commerce and Economics
Mettle meet is a big platform for quiz enthusiasts like me and its getting bigger every year. Our team is extremely optimistic about the competition and we hope to come up with flying colours and make our institution proud. I am eagerly looking forward to clash with the best minds of the state. Our team expects to express, learn and hopefully win.
Pritiman Mishra, S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital
This is my 3rd mettle meet in a row. I have seen this event growing and this time I am sure the event is going to be the biggest so far. Mettle meet is not just an event but a quizzing vibe. The atmosphere in the auditorium is something I wait for to be at. Our team is well set and we will try our level best to win the competition though the level is very high and tough.
Abhishek Panda, Mother’s Public School
Last year, we were the champions in the junior group. Being the defending champions, the expectations are naturally high and we are sure to give it our best shot. Mettle Meet is that event when we enjoy and explore the fun in quizzing. Everyone at Team MPS has prepared really hard for the last few weeks. We look forward to participate in the biggest quiz event of eastern India.
Sidheswar Sahoo, National Law University
This is the first time NLU is participating in Mettle meet and we are really looking forward to be a part of the biggest quiz event in the state. I am glad that Orissa POST has taken this initiative to organise this grand contest every year. The event is aimed at reviving quizzing in Odisha. I am sure this competition is going to get bigger and better in years to come.
Adarsh Jha, C. V. Raman College of Engineering
Honestly, what excites me the most is the cash prize. It is more than enough to motivate me. I will try my best to win the competition. I am aware about the competition at this level. Team CV Raman is confident of making it to the Top 3 at least. If we do our homework and stay focussed during pressure, we might have a crack at winning the championship.
Rahul Rajeev, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar
I feel very fortunate to be representing IIT in this year’s Mettle Meet. Team IIT has been preparing for this competition for quite some time now. What makes this event special is the presence of highly qualified and successful dignitaries. I can’t wait to get to the hot seat and fight tooth and nail for my college.
Siddhart Roul, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang
This is for the third time that I am participating in the grand quiz fiesta. I am really excited about the new quiz master Ajay Poonia. The main objective behind mettle meet was to revive the art of quizzing in Odisha and I guess the organisers have been quite successful. Mettle meet is a place I meet people similar to me who are passionate about quizzing.
PNN
