1,014 participate in 2nd edition of The Salim Ali Nature Quiz

“It was one of the biggest nature quizzes held in the country. Over 1,000 people participated in the quiz while around 10,000 watched the quiz live,” said Nikhil Devasar, founder, Delhi Bird, one of the oldest birding clubs in the city.

Nature enthusiasts from India and abroad participated in The Salim Ali Nature Quiz, the second edition of the digital contest organised by the Delhi Bird Foundation, on Sunday.

The last round of the quiz had questions based on Salim Ali, renowned ornithologist, also known as the Birdman of India, after whom the event is named. (Sunil Ghosh/HT file photo. Representative image)

A total of 1,014 people took part in the quiz between 5pm and 7pm, via Zoom and Facebook.

“It was one of the biggest nature quizzes held in the country. Over 1,000 people participated in the quiz while around 10,000 watched the quiz live,” said Nikhil Devasar, founder, Delhi Bird, one of the oldest birding clubs in the city.

People from across the world, including an entire university team from the United Kingdom, and individuals from the United States, Denmark, Indonesia, Malaysia and those from various parts of the country including Ladakh, Nainital, Himachal Pradesh, Pune, Bangalore, West Bengal, Odisha and Kerala, among others, joined in the quiz, he said.

Those who answered the questions faster won more points. A spotting scope, the grand prize, was won by Sweedle Cerejo from Maharashtra. The second prize, a holiday at a luxury resort in Dehradun, was won by Adesh Shivkar, also from Maharashtra. Besides, prizes such as coffee table nature books, harness, mugs, flasks, pens, pocket guides and subscriptions from Sanctuary Asia, among others, were given to the first 50 winners.

It was a family quiz in which members including children and even the elderly participated. There were eight rounds and 55 multiple-choice questions on flora and fauna as well as nature conservation.

The last round of the quiz had questions based on Salim Ali, renowned ornithologist, also known as the Birdman of India, after whom the event is named. For instance, one of the questions was: The subspecies of which Indian bird is named after Dr Salim Ali’s wife Tehmina? The answer was Black-rumped Flameback.

For every question, participants had 20 seconds to guess the right answer.

Bikram Grewal, Delhi-based author and ornithologist, who was the quiz master, said, “We were running to the full capacity of 1,000 participants before the quiz even started. We plan to come up with another edition in February 2021.”