HERITAGE QUIZ 2020

1. In which language is this song sung ?

Many of you may get  confused with the question because the song was sung by an Emirati singer in his traditional dress . If you listen carefully he had sung Bapus favorite  Bhajan vaishnav jan to  which was in Gujarathi

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwMSzlE79dg

2. The bird sanctuary in Haryana ?

a. Bharatpur 

b. Sultanpur 

c. Bandipur 

The answer has to be Sultanpur in Jhajjar district of Haryana. Bharatpur is in Rajasthan and Bandipur is in Karnataka.

It is the wintering ground of several species of migratory birds . The national park is open for visitors from October to March .

3. In which month due you see this tree flowering ?

This tree is called Gul Mohar in Hindi and Mayflower tree in English , so the answer is obvious . You find them flowering in the months of May and June .

4. which is the national aquatic animal of India ?                                                                                 

GANGETIC RIVER DOLPHIN.

India has chosen Gangetic river dolphin as its heritage aquatic animal because there are only 7 species of riverine dolphins left in this world. If the dolphin population is thriving then the aquatic ecosystem is sound  if there is any threat ot the  dolphin population then there is something wrong with the aquatic ecosystem .

We often associate dolphins and whales with sea  but these  mammals evolved from land mammals hence there river dolphins hold a great secret of evolution of aquatic mammals . The interesting thing about most of the river dolphins are they are blind they use echolocation for communication . The dolphins live in very murky water hence visiblity does not confer any advantage to them .

5.What was the reason for British to  introduce railway line to Hisar?

a. To tranport desi ghee from Hisar

b. To bring freedom fighters to Hisar prison

c. to transport horses of the British Indian army 

d. To tranport grains from Punjab and Haryana. 

At the first glimpse one does think (d) is the answer. In 1873 when railways were introduced in Hisar the state of Haryana did not exist and this regions including Punjab had not become the bread basket of the country . It took another century to happen courtesy the Bhakra Nangal dam and development of tubewell irrigation with the electirification of village or due to the advent of pumpsets.

Hisar produced surplus of desi ghee during those days also it was a minor factor  which played  a favorable role in the introduction of railways . As far as the transport of  freedom fighters are concerned  it did not happen in the 19th century . The British took them to the  freedom fighters to the penal colony of Andamans . Of course the VIP prisoners like Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled to Burma and the last Burmese king was exiled to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. ( for those interested in History the British did this to Napoleon Bonaparte who was exiled to the remote Atlantic island of St Helena.

The reason was to transport horses of the British Indian Army . Hisar region was very good for raising horses it was found that epidemics which affected the horses in the Eastern parts of India was not found in this region . If horses are transported by rail then they are fresh and battle ready . Horses were crucial for the British Indian army as they were needed to draw the heavy guns , it used to be the times when tanks had not yet entered the battle scene .One must  not forget to mention the name of James Skinner who raised an irregular cavalry regiment for the army of East India company  known as 1st Horse(Skinner Horse). He was based in Hansi  and had done a lot for developing irrigation network  in some of the villages near Hansi.

6. As part of the SPIC MACAY programme Mr Majumdar invited a vocalist . He ws accompanied by 4 insturmentalists one on harmonium and another on Veena another on Nadaswaram and yet another on Mridangam.The vocalists and instrumentalists are from the same city and they learnt music at home from their fathers who were professional   vocalist and     instrumentalists .They are from which state of India?(10 points)

A. West Bengal 

B. Assam 

C. Tamilnadu

D. Gujarat

There are two ways of making a guess one is on the basis of the name of the person who invited the performers  and the other is looking at the names of the musical instrument . Those who have looked at the latter clue have got it right  because Veena , Nadaswaram and Mridangam are musical instruments of Southern part of India.

7. Which festival is the odd one out ?

A. Baisakhi

B. Rongai Bihu

C. Lohri

D. Vishu

All except lohri are harvest festivals of spring on 14th April.

8. The word Hisar is derived from which language ?

A. Punjabi

B. Persian

C. Arabic 

D. Turkish 

Hisar was founded by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq . The initial sultans of Delhi were Turks . Hisar means fort in Turkish .

9.Which of the sweet dish   derives its name from a Turkish word .

A.Jalebi

B. Pudding 

C. Shahi Tukda 

D Halwa

Jalebi is derived from Arabic Zulebiya

Pudding is English 

Shahi tukda is Persian and Halwa is Turkish 

10. which spice crop is being harvested ?

A. Cardamom

B. pepper

C. Saffron

D. Clove

Clove ,pepper and cardamon are grown in tropical region and the costume tells that this does not belong to tropical region . The lady harvesting the flower appears to be frrom Kashmir  and Kashmir valley is famous for its saffron .

11. Which bridge is under construction ?

This is the Bandra worli sea link this bridge is visible when your aircraft is about to land in Mumbai airport.

12.This was a sport promoted by an India emperor who wanted to develop a strong navy, can you identify this great ruler ?

It was Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj. One of the reasons for the failure of Mughals was they did not have a stong navy .Chatrpati Shivaji understood the importance of the strategic location of his kingdom and developed a strong navy?

13. Find the odd one out among the dance forms of India  .

A. Bharatnatyam

B. Laavani        

C. Kathak           

D. Kuchipudi     

Basic difference between classical dance and the folk dance is in classical dance there are codified rules and these rules needs to be followed religiously . 

Laavani is  a folk dance of Maharashtra .

14. Identify the language in which this Bhajan " Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Bhajuman " has been sung

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyNSOu-Fl-k

click the above link to listen to the song .

A. Sanskrit

B. Awadhi

C.Braj        

Though Tulsidas composed most of his works in Awadhi this one was in Sanskrit .

15. Which of the following muscial instruments is the odd one out ?

A. Sarangi

B. Santoor

C. Sarod

D. Veena 

E. Tabla

the first four are string instruments and the last one is a percussion instrument .