Born and brought up in Kolkata, Parnab has left his mark on the mighty horizons as a journalist, activist, writer, analyst as well as a theatre director who has to his credit direction of the adapted versions of Shakespeare’s plays. For more than a decade he has been into media and has worked with some of the popular names in the line like the ABP publications, the Asian Age and Pratidin and has served as the editor of the English as well as Bengali dailies. He is currently working with a collective ‘SAMPARK’ which aims at bridging the gap between north eastern states of India and the rest of the Nation- giving consideration to the non-chartered path called media advocacy. He has also contributed through his works in the various UN projects as he is also a consultant with the UN.
Matching with the diverse interests he has and the various fields he has worked in, he has established himself as a quizzer par excellence. He has as much passion for this mind sport as he has for working for the sections which have not received apt shares in the growth that the nation, as an emerging superpower, is enjoying.
Sharing his experiences in an interview at the IMT campus, Mr. Mukherjee said, “It is painful the way people call the natives of North-East ‘Chinkies’. Calling a Bengali as ‘Bong’ shows love for your native land whereas a state’s person by his/her physical appearance is ‘regionalism’.” Discussing on the passion for quizzing he mentioned that he has been a quizzer for a decade now and it all began from his native land. Some of the instances of this conversation are
Q. How has the experience in quizzing been for you?
Mukherjee: It has been a mixed experience. Like other things it has good as well as bad parts to it. The best part is that it is an ideal mind sport and there are no parallels to it. Well, the not so good part about this is also the same. It is so because students have begun to mug up the quiz books available in the markets but the in-depth knowledge is missing. Kids learn the first few lines of prominent books because they are quizzed for that particular line but the knowledge of the content and the context of the book is something which they know nothing about.
Q. What according to you is the secret for someone to answer the questions well in a quiz?
Mukherjee: Quizzing is not at all about cramming things about the subject which ones doesn’t know anything about. Instead one should look it as an opportunity to learn about unknown fields. One should try to remember the books, authors, places and other things which the quiz master had talked about in the quiz and once back home should try to collect information and learn about those things, instead of forgetting things. The important thing is not about proving yourself a winner, instead about increasing your gamut of knowledge and I don’t wish to utter any clichés like – it is not necessary to win but to participate.
Q. What are your views on the quiz material in the market today?
Mukherjee: Absolutely trashy, extremely third grade and a complete marketing ploy to almost commercialising a sport that is fast losing its meaning between celebration and an examination. The only good books are those which are not written with the commercial point of view.
Q. What do you think about the future of quizzing?
Mukherjee: Quizzing in India is moving from general to specific. If earlier I used to do eight general and two business quizzes, I do the exactly opposite now i.e. eight business and two general quizzes. Quizzing has become a sport of the English speaking students from schools and colleges celebrating their niche and ghettoes of knowledge. Their knowledge is very restricted. Today, market gives you trashy books and less knowledge. For example, students completing their fourteen years of elementary education know nothing about the seven sisters of North East or the dalits of Khailranji.
Q. What do think about quizzing as a career?
Mukherjee: It is sustainable if you take it as a researcher.
Q. The young generation of today is accused of being indifferent to immediate realities that the Nation faces. What is your take on this?
Mukherjee: This is absolutely true. We can’t associate one movement like Youth for Equality to say that the youth is concerned about whatever is happening in the country. It is not their fault; they are doing what they have learnt from the current systems. They watch a movie like ‘Rang de Basanti’, feel agitated for a while and then the feeling gets dissolved in the system, forgotten.