Theirs is a marriage of excellent convenience. They are both passionate about seeking
answers, have channelized that into their passion for quizzing and are
generally curious. No wonder that their curiosity gets them to sit on stage in
the finals of some of India’s most coveted quiz competitions, which they either
win or routinely come among the top three. And their success and zeal to take
quizzing to the grassroots has actually led to an enhanced interest in quizzing
among children and this is the best ‘giveback’ these two quiz pros could ever
give their Goa.
And they look the part. Soft spoken,
dapper with quick wits and quick silver reflexes, Rajiv D Silva and
Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, could easily walk down Wall Street or be at ease in a
top Singapore bank and look the part.
But rumour has it, that they love Goa far
too much and are having far too much fun, to look for other pastures.
Both are the founders of Savoir Faire
Media, representing Goa, were the National Champions in 2010 at the Tata
Crucible Business Quiz – the much celebrated and anticipated business quiz
contest in India. Nine years later, they still haven’t lost their zing, bagging
the Runners Up at the competition held recently. Says Rajiv, “We struggled
against younger teams for the last 5-6 years but this win has made us believe
that we still can do it.”
Close friends turned quiz partners, Rajiv and Harshvardhan have
been tied in quizzing matrimony since 2003 and have won many business quiz
competitions including the Economic Times Brand Equity Quiz in 2006 besides the
many domestic wins at WizBiz conducted by Goa Institute of Management. Adds
Harshvardhan, “Our expertise lies in business quizzing, which is also the most
professionally managed, besides being more rewarding.” Forging a strong
partnership based on friendship and comfort, they seem to have navigated
through countless tense moments, stress, frustration, jubilation and elation to
know that their chemistry works. Now seasoned veterans in this domain, Rajiv
recalls, “There was a time when we’d participate in at least 15 quizzing
contests in a year but now we’ve narrowed it down to just a few also because of
time and professional constraints.”
Both professionals, Rajiv a practising architect and
Harshvardhan, a lawyer, who together co founded Savoir Faire, a media company
that also publishes Goa’s only business magazine, ‘Business Goa’, they seem to
juggle time with dexterity.
Sharing their mantra, Harshvardhan says, “It’s about enjoying
what you do and not being pressured to perform. A lot of teams perform at many
competitions so they also stress themselves out. For us, it’s really about
living in the moment and after years of quizzing together, we have an easy
camaraderie and don’t need to spend a lot of time preparing. It’s about keeping
ourselves informed and that comes naturally.” They make it sound all too simple
when Harshvardhan reveals, “We only met the night before to prepare for the
National Finals.” He also cheekily adds, “More importantly, we ensure that our
families don’t stress us out in any way on the day of the contest. Keeping your
focus is critical in quizzing.” Dividing subjects of interest between them, the
duo work on each others’ strengths and decidedly stay calm at all times.
Taking his interest and experience in quizzing further, Rajiv
also began the Sunday Evening Quiz Club with Aniruddha Sen – another friend and
quizzing enthusiast. “We wanted to democratise quizzing,” says Rajiv
emphatically and explains, “It is open to all with no entry barriers and is
conducted purely for the pleasure of quizzing. We wanted to break the myth that
equates academic excellence to quizzing prowess. It’s really about being well
informed.”
Eager to take this passion to gen next, Rajiv candidly says, “We
don’t really have a larger philanthropic interest. It’s done more to ignite a
joy in quizzing.” Harshvardhan amusingly adds, “When I conducted a quiz at my
son’s school, he made every effort to distance himself from me.”
So what’s the one ingredient necessary for quizzing?
“Curiosity!” chorus the duo, almost seeming like a buzzer round. “Read and
Retain,” concludes Harshvardhan. For Goa’s quizzing stalwarts, the show goes
on, even if newer and younger teams keep the challenge and competition
crackling.
Clearly,
curiosity hasn’t killed these cats of quizzing.
