How Mumbai's quizzing culture is evolving offline and online

On A random Wednesday at 830 pm Doolally at Andheri is packed Hands are going up as beers are going down People are raising their hands yelling ldquoHererdquo over each other to get a chance to win a free beer For years now Doolally has been hosting quizzing events which pull big crowds and has resulted in a kind of community of quizzers What started as a fun event back in 2014 has now turned into a fullblown tradition at the breweryAs we make our way through the room we find that every person is more enthusiastic than the last One player tells us ldquoI think Doolally was the one that really opened up this culture They were the first to start offering beers as rewards which always makes it funrdquoShankar KrishnanQuizzing has always been popular at a competitive level Countless quizzing competitions mdash Mastermind World Quizzing Championship Tata Crucible just to name a few mdash are proof of that Of late it seems to have picked up as a popular hobby as well Older and younger people alike have been quizzing just for the fun of it out of simple curiosity to know more about the world Quizzing clubs pub quizzes even WhatsApp groups mdash quizzing is happening everywhereBombay Quiz Club members at a quizzing event Pics CourtesyAbhinav DasguptaSewri resident and corporate executive Shankar Krishnan and other members of his residential society Ashok Gardens have started a WhatsApp group of quizzing enthusiasts He tells us ldquoItrsquos about 100 members and counting Many are from our society but it includes quizzing enthusiasts from all over India even some from overseas Someone posts a question and anyone can answer it without Googling of course The quiz group has gained such popularity that Shankar and other members have even helped organise an intersociety competition between Ashok Gardens and another society in its vicinity He says ldquoItrsquos all for the fun of it there is no monetary prize but people like to participate for the fun learning and the opportunity to make friendsrdquoKumar Varun as he conducts his show KVizzing with the comedians Pic CourtesyKumar VarunFor Ria Chopra writer and content creator quizzing started at the school level She says ldquoIf you were academically performing well your teachers would push you into quizzing In hindsight Irsquom so grateful to them that they didrdquo Chopra quizzed competitively throughout her academic career and really got into it in her time at Lady Shri Ram College Delhi University Through this she became part of many quizzing groups which ultimately led her to participate in one of the most celebrated television quiz shows of all time Kaun Banega CrorepatiRia Chopra ended up in the hotseat with Amitabh Bachchan at Kaun Banega Crorepati Pic CourtesyRia ChopraKumar Varun is a standup comic and a quizzer himself Similar to Chopra Varun also started quizzing in school continued it through college and went on to start his own show KVizzing with the Comedians When asked how he got the idea to start this show he says ldquoQuizzing is not just for a specific set of people That is the myth Irsquom trying to break Anyone who is slightly aware of the world around them can be a quiz participant I might know more about cricket and someone else might know more about say Star Wars But all of us know something I realised this with my comedian friends when I entered the standup scene None of them were quizzers but all of them could berdquoQuiz enthusiast Shankar Krishnan is a part of a WhatsApp quiz group that has now started organising offline events Pic CourtesyShankar KrishnanBelinda Drsquosouza Brand Manager at Doolally tells us ldquoWe are proud to have nurtured the community of quizzers in Mumbai and Pune We pioneered this and the community has rewarded us Wersquove now hosted over 1000 quizzes across our taprooms in Mumbai and Pune every Wednesday and online every Friday for our loyal Twitter crew over 300 players strong Fastforward to 2025 and the quizzing scene in Mumbai has exploded Almost every microbrewery runs a quiz night now and we like to think we had a little something to do with that Companies like India Wants To Know Thinq2Win and Ace of Pubs now fixtures of the Indian quizzing landscape have had a Doolally connectionrdquoPlayers enjoy a night of quizzing alongside their pet dog Pics CourtesyDoolallyThe recent rise of quizzing as a hobby can even be attributed to the postpandemic boom in offline events Drsquosouza says ldquoAfter years of scrolling and streaming wersquore seeing a big shift back to in person And thatrsquos where communities like running clubs book clubs gaming groups and yes quizzing nights really shine Over the years our taprooms have become home to all sorts of offline communities we host running clubs that meet up on early mornings book clubs that nerd out over new releases gaming clubs and of course our beloved quizzing regulars every Wednesdayrdquo Chopra adds ldquoWhen Irsquom quizzing I have to put my phone asideThere are a few hours when I can be entirely off the grid and I quite enjoy thatrdquo To this Varun adds ldquoI think wersquore all trying to find ways to spend our time better There has been a lot of conversation about screen time and doomscrolling and quizzing is the perfect balance of learning and entertainmentrdquoQuizzers fill this sheet to participate and win coupons as rewardsAnother reason people enjoy quizzing is because itrsquos a great way to make friends Chopra says ldquoFor instance if I have just moved to a new place it can be quite intimidating to meet new people If I go to a quizzing club itrsquos an environment Irsquom already familiar with so then I can allow myself to meet new people thererdquo In his own shows Varun shares ldquoI see people meeting each other and connecting They remember that they had met each other at other quiz events and they just get talkingrdquoAbhinav Dasgupta quiz enthusiast and treasurer of the Bombay Quiz Club says that quizzers in Mumbai are quite the tightknit community Hersquos been quizzing for about two decades now ldquoThe association of likeminded people really helps People have been part of the club for so long there are inside jokes and so on Speaking of myself Irsquom married to a fellow quizzer whom I actually met at a quizrdquo he tells usLeft A screengrab of Ashoka Gardenrsquos WhatsApp quizzing group Pic Courtesy Shankar KrishnanldquoTherersquos also what we call a lsquoquizzerrsquos highrsquo when yoursquore able to connect the dots and get the answer thatrsquos a big part of why I enjoy quizzingrdquo says Chopra Varun elaborates ldquoEvery good quiz should give you one of these two feelings One is that it should give you validation this feeling of ldquoHey man I knew thatrdquo Or it should give you some knowledge like ldquoWow I didnrsquot know thatrdquo That lsquoAharsquo moment has to come after every question Thatrsquos what brings people to quizzingrdquoYoung people are now more than ever becoming interested in quizzing Dasgupta says ldquoWe see a lot more young people coming in than they used to In fact around 201617 we really thought we were getting sort of stagnated because my generation was slowly getting older and we had zero succession But now I think itrsquos a lot better Wersquove even organised a few Gen Zthemed quizzesrdquo Drsquosouza elaborates ldquoTrivia isnrsquot just for lsquoquiz nerdsrsquo any more Itrsquos become social accessible and even a bit coolrdquoVarun says ldquoRegardless of age I think itrsquos a universal experience to learn an interesting bit of information and want to share it with your friendsrdquo And thatrsquos exactly the itch that quizzing scratches mdash the innately human urge to share be it an experience knowledge or a beer Krishnan adds ldquoTrying to find out things about things for its own sake mdash I think this is a worthy objective by itself mdash and trivia quizzing is a great avenue for thisrdquo In a world that often feels rushed and disconnected quizzing reminds us that curiosity is worth slowing down for and that sometimes the best kind of connection begins with the right question