The seventh edition of the illuminating KQ Matters – the cerebral extravaganza, the only one of its kind in the State of Kuwait, hosted by IES (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan), had its grand finale held in the IES auditorium in the radiant eve of September 08, Thursday.

KQ Matters, the mega quizzing combat, was graced by the auspicious presence of the most distinguished Chief Guest Dr. Ramesh Pandita, consultant of Hematology at Kuwait Cancer Control Center. The other notable personages present for the august gathering were the Chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan institutions in the Middle East, Mr. N.K.Ramachandran Menon, his better half, Mrs. Sudha Ramachandran, the eminent Principal of IES, Mr. T Premkumar, Head of Jack and Jill, Mrs. Rathi Ravindran, Head of Bhavan’s Pearl Nursery, Mrs. Rajni Menon, Mrs. Lalitha Premkumar, Vice Principal (primary and kindergarten) and Mr. Suresh V Balakrishnan. Sr. Vice Principal.

The presence of the students and the teachers of the participating schools, the parents, and the staff of IES and the infinite inquisitive seekers of knowledge all over the country graced the occasion.

The events of the lustrous evening commenced auspiciously with the recitation of a verse from Holy Quran followed by the rendition of the Kuwait National Anthem. The six participating school teams comprising two quizzers each from United Indian School (UIS), Carmel School Kuwait (CSK), Indian Learners Own Academy (ILOA), Gulf Indian School (GIS), Indian English Academy School (Don Bosco) and the host school were ushered on to the KQ platform by the Sports Captain of IES, Sai Krishnan, with the Olympic torch light. The Student Council members accompanied each participating team.

The programme started officially with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp with the fire from the Olympic Torch conjointly performed by the Chief Guest, the Chairman and the Principal. The school choir rendered the prayer song. The prestigious gathering was then welcomed by the School head girl Evelyn Biju George.

The auditorium was further enlivened when the quizmasters of the evening, the charismatic and multi-faceted Mr. Suresh V Balakrishnan, (Sr. Vice Principal, Middle and Senior Wings), the vibrant and charming Mrs. Vinita Maheshwari (HoD EVS and Math, Primary), the elegant and exuberant Mrs. Anselma Tessy Judeson (HoD Biology, Head of SEAK Academy), the enthusiastic and elevated Mr. Sriee Aswathaman (Faculty, French Department) and the vivacious and versatile Mrs. Neethu Maria, (Coordinator, Kindergarten 1, IES) were invited to the stage.

KQ Matters 2016 shone with the theme Olympics, from the decorated rostrums to the warriors of the intellectual combat in their Physical Education uniforms. The quiz masters too had a unique dress code as it matched the colours of Olympic rings. The teams were named Atlanta 1996 (GIS), Sydney 2000 (IES), Athens (2004), Beijing 2008 (ILOA), London 2012 (IEAS – Don Bosco) and Rio 2016 (UIS). The Quiz Masters (referees) and the quizzers (athletes) took the pledge of adherence to rules and fair play, another novelty that added glitter to KQ Matters 2016. The seven rounds of the ‘Olympic’ Brain Battle each different from the other, were named Medley Relay, Pentathlon, Pole Vault, Athens to Rio, Archery, Hurdles and Decathlon proclaiming novelty as the benchmark of the interschool quiz contest yet again.

The adept referees unremittingly tested the retention skills, smartness, promptness and knowledge of the ace athletes in various fields such as literature, entertainment, science, mathematics and whatnot by intellectually flooding them with questions. The multifarious scattered images, unscrambled words, completing the incomplete, and puzzles with perplexities made the infotainment a real celebration of the supremacy of knowledge. There was nothing quixotic about KQ Matters for the audience as they too took active participation and won many a prize in the ‘Audience Round’. The whole show stood testimony to the tag line of KQ Matters 2016 “Knowledge is the only lifeline”. It indeed was another challenging platform, raised by the school with a difference, for the knowledge seekers, aspiring teachers and inquisitive students and quizzers to grasp, gather information, and enrich themselves.

The team London 2012 (Indian English Academy School), comprising the aspiring scholars, Jason Miranda and Shawn Siby scored 73 points which entitled them to the KQ Matters ever-rolling trophy, a cash award of KD 500 and certificates. Scoring 50 points, team Atlanta 1996 (Gulf Indian School) comprising Yash Y Alva and Athul Rajeev bagged the second position and team Rio 2016 (United Indian School) represented by Don Mathew Shaji and Ajith Suresh Nair finished third with 42 points. The first and second runners up positions entitled them to cash prizes of 300 KD and 200 KD respectively. The winners and the participants were honoured with cash prizes, trophies, mementos and certificates by the Chief Guest, the Chairman and the Principal.

The Chief Guest, Dr. Ramesh Pandita, while addressing the audience expressed his delight in being a part of the truly cerebral extravaganza. He was in awe of Bhavans for organizing magnificent events like KQ Matters, which made an attempt to quench the thirst of the knowledge seekers, and said that competitions like the KQ Matters help the students go beyond the usual classroom learning and develop new interests. Congratulating the participants, he said, “You all are winners, for voyaging and reaching the finals of a prestigious contest.” Mr. N.K. Ramachandran Menon, the Chairman, Bhavans Middle East presented the Chief Guest a memento, as a token of the gratitude and respect of Bhavans’ fraternity.

Aditya Jaypal, the school head boy proposed the vote of thanks. The coordinator of KQ Matters 2016 was Mr. Sunil Kumar Menon (Sanskrit Department). The emcees for the day were Shiv Govind (Grade 11) and Mitsumi Nandi (Grade 10). The intellectual combat – KQ Matters 2016 solemnly concluded with the singing of the Indian National Anthem.