From which scientist’s studio in London did the BBC air its first broadcast? 
Answer: Marconi. 
How is the Valley of the Hearts Delights in the US, better known today? 
Answer: Silicon Valley. 
Which Indian helped develop the United Nations Human Development Index? 
Answer: Amartya Sen.

Don’t scratch your heads in a hurry. Because, that’s the sort of fare the team from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had to weather to emerge winners at the Kolkata regional finals of the Brand Equity Quiz '04, presented by ING Vysya. The event saw TCS scraping past Eveready with 37 seats. Eveready, which led the pack right through till the penultimate sixth round, finished at second spot with 33 seats.

Seats….Hey, if you were wondering what that is all about, then here’s something more to tease your quizzing cells: Poll Dates Announced, Campaign, Poll Day, Booth Capturing, Chappa, Booth Capturing II, Buying Seats…Trust a Brand Equity Quiz event to throw up something, which will leave you a trifle clueless. Well, with elections round the bend, that’s how the final rounds of BEQ '04 were designed. And, thus, the contestants lapped up seats, instead of points, every time they got their act right.

But, before TCS was voted winners and romped home to the Mumbai finals next month, pocketing prizes worth Rs.1,20,000 in cash, the event took off with 24 corporate contestants locking horns in the prelims. The volley of 30 questions at the outset left six teams to take centrestage: Eveready, HSBC, ITC, Tata Tea, JWT and TCS. The ratings ladder at the finish of the prelims looked like this: Eveready 17, HSBC 17, ITC 17, JWT 18, TCS 18 and Tata Tea 17. 

Then, it was time for quizmaster Derek O’Brien to kick off the surcharged seven rounds. Lit up on the screen was a facsimile of the front page of the ET. And in the middle was a strap that read USA, November 30, ’99. Below it was a headline which went: The Pegasus Mates The Tiger. All the teams slip on it, before TCS cracks it. Answer: That was the day of the mega Mobil-Exxon merger.

The first round melted into campaign, the video round, and then the third termed Poll Day. After this, it’s time for some Booth Capturing by everyone in the poll fray. When the sixth round of counting was over and teams had captured booths again, the ‘Party Position’ was led by Eveready 26 seats, HSBC 19 and JWT 18. It had now reached the brink and the battle was confined to the top three, who were busy ‘Buying Seats’. And, they could buy anywhere between 3-7 seats and lose a similar number if it went awry. Suddenly, TCS sails home with the clincher and seven seats.