Q-Frat: The journey of our making
A proverb in the book ‘Choices’ reads- ‘A road is made by walking’. Q-Frat has been that road which many like me walked and the fraternity became us.
In a place like HBTI where mundane classes drive less excitement and more frustration, quizzing brought in a fresh air! Q-Frat started with a few of us gathering outside the canteen, skipping breakfast and devouring facts. Each one leading the days’ session. How those one hour morning sessions translated into full day AMK (Aao Munhc**** Karen) is anybody’s guess! Re-Quizite became an essential part of the annual calendar. Q-Frat in such a place was also about finding relevance, deriving meaning of who and what we are….standing out of the crowd despite being part of it.
Q-Frat was not all about winning awards or showing off knowledge or even about Paisan (money). It was also not about the individuals who became part of this community. Q-Frat was beyond all this, it was about the pure love of quizzing, a passion for trivia, a thirst to constantly learn, know more and a desire to seek knowledge. That is all it was….with no one knowing the beginning and end of what we were doing.
Q-Frat was about learning of our limitations….any knowledge however vast that may be is only limited and there is only so much one can know. One must learn to respect this fact and be ready to learn. It was knowing that in quizzing , as in life, it is the experience which counts….while winning is great and hi-fives after every right answer give the adrenaline rush only sports persons know of, but quiz was also about sitting in the audience and getting that one answer right. Q-Frat taught us that not knowing the right answer always is fine, you only need to try and work it out.
Q-Frat was at the very core and most importantly it was about the friendships you made! Quizzing partners are like a couple-you fight, you hide facts, try and show each other down, at times you might also aspire for a different partner but in times of need you stand by your partner :P. Q-Frat was all this and much more….it was like the first episode of the TV series Band of Brothers- ‘Currahee’ (You stand alone-together). In walking this road of quizzing we all became Q-Frat! Hope this tribe only grows….Happy Quizzing :)
(I have deliberately not named anyone here…because 10 year celebrations of Q-Frat are not merely for those who quizzed but equally important for those who came just as audience, praised our initiative and applauded us.)
