Fifty years ago, in 1967, in a parish hall in central Calcutta, Neil O’Brien conducted India’s first ‘open’ quiz. And thus began a journey in quizzing that inspired and nurtured generations of quizzers.
The Calcutta Quiz Book brings together questions Neil O’Brien had framed and asked about the city he loved and that was his home. Ranging from questions about the city’s educational institutions to films, music, food and even its waterbodies, among other categories, they bring alive the city in a unique manner.
Also included in the book are tributes by some who knew him well over the years as a quizmaster, publisher, educationist, family man, leader of the Anglo-Indian community and for the remarkable person that he was. The Calcutta Quiz Book is both a quiz book and a tribute to a man who left his indelible mark on the world at large and in particular on the city of Calcutta.