The Semi-Finals and Finals of the National level ‘CBSE Heritage India Quiz 2019 ‘ were held at Delhi Public School, R.K.Puram on 1 February 2019. The CBSE Heritage India Quiz is one of the programmes promoted by the CBSE with an aim to create awareness among students about the rich heritage and cultural diversity of our country.
The Overall In charge of the event was the Principal, Ms. Vanita Sehgal and it was coordinated by the Vice Principal, Ms. Padma Srinivasan along with Ms. Vandana Chandhoke, HOD Political Science, Ms. Rupa Das, HOD Geography and Ms. Shruti Mishra. Mr. Anurag Tripathy, Secretary, CBSE, and Dr. Joseph Emmanuel, Deputy Secretary, CBSE graced the event with their august presence.
The quiz was conducted by Mr. Ajay Poonia. A renowned Quizmaster, Mr. Poonia has been conducting the CBSE Heritage Quiz for the past 5 years. He has authored several quizzing books for students and has developed an application for the same. There were 20 schools from throughout the country taking part, with one team from each of the four groups qualifying for the finals.
Keeping with the Indian tradition of hospitality, the participants and the accompanying teachers were greeted with a mixture of scarlet kumkum, rice, and rose petals. Amidst a melange of Sanskrit shlokas and a medley of instruments, the day commenced with an auspicious lighting of the lamp ceremony by the dignitaries.
The guests, Mr. Anurag Tripathy, and Dr. Joseph Emmanuel were felicitated by Ms. Vanita Sehgal and Ms. Padma Srinivasan.
Speaking on the occasion Ms. Vanita Sehgal expressed her gratitude to CBSE, saying that it was a privilege to be chosen to host an event of such magnitude and emphasized the fraternity between the DPS Society and other CBSE affiliated schools. She ended by thanking Mr. Anurag Tripathy and Mr. Joseph Emmanuel for being present at the event.
Mr. Joseph Emmanuel lauded CBSE for conducting events which led to the all round development of the children and made them lifelong learners. He congratulated all students who qualified for the semifinals, which was no mean feat considering the fact that the quiz included participants from all over the country. Encouraging students to become quizmasters themselves, he concluded by thanking Mr. Tripathy, Mr. Ajay Poonia, Ms. Vanita Sehgal and the respective teams.
Recounting a memorable anecdote about Swami Vivekananda in Chicago, Mr. Anurag Tripathy spoke of how the great visionary came across a small example of the importance of projecting a good image of one’s nation. He delved into the value of upholding one’s heritage and staying connected to one’s roots. Further, he went on to describe the visit of the UAE delegates earlier to the school after which the Education Minister of UAE had commented to the Education Minister, Mr. Prakash Javadekar , that he had visited many schools in the world but was most impressed by DPS RKPuram. Mr. Tripathy expressed his appreciation for the experiential method of teaching followed by the school. He concluded by reminding the audience that their heritage linked them to their roots, culture, society, and that to succeed in life, it was essential for everyone to hold on to their values.
SEMI FINALS
| Round | Name | Description |
| 1 | Jeopardy |
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| 2 | Friend or Unfriend |
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| 3 | Buzzfade |
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FINALS
| Round | Name | Description |
| 1 | Infinite Bonus |
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| 2 | Cluetopia |
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| 3 | Infinite Bonus |
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| 4 | Who Dares Wins |
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The winners of the Semi-finals were Faculty HR Secondary School, Guwahati; Krishna Public School, Raipur; Sunbeam English School, Varanasi; and Bharti Vidya Bhavan Vidya Mandir, Kerala.
After hours of rigorous brainstorming, the quiz came to an end. The Valedictory Ceremony began with the euphonious voices of the Indian Choir holding the audience captive with their rendition of ‘Swagatam’. This was followed by the felicitation of the guests, Ms. Anita Karwal, Chairperson, CBSE, and CBSE officials present, Dr. Antriksh Johri, Director (IT and Project) and Chief Information Security Officer; Dr Joseph Emmanuel, Director (Academics) and Chief Vigilance Officer; Dr. Biswajit Saha, Director (Skill, Education and Training); Mr. J.K. Yadav, Regional Officer, Delhi and Ms. Sweta Singh, Joint Secretary, as well as the special guest for the event, Professor Naman Ahuja, Department of Art and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru College (JNU), by the Principal, Ms. Vanita Sehgal and the Vice Principals, Dr. Renu Nayyar; Ms. Padma Srinivasan and Ms. Anita Singh.
In her address, the Principal lauded the programme as a great way of bringing all parts of the country together. Expressing her immense pride in the students, she spoke of how they had become role models not only for their peers but for the adults in their lives as well. On the importance of learning, she said “When you stop learning, you stop living” and added that she learnt something every day, be it from her colleagues, or her students. She ended by thanking the guests for attending the event, as well as CBSE for giving the school an opportunity to host it.
Ms. Anita Karwal began by introducing the other CBSE officials present at the event. She talked about introducing more reforms in the education system and integrating art with education, as well as ensuring that the school curriculum would make use of, and enrich one’s experiential knowledge. She emphasized the fact that experiences shape a person, not their marks and reminded the students to always analyze, think, reflect and be curious. She applauded the school for hosting the quiz flawlessly and announced the launch of a Mathematics Olympiad. Bringing her speech to a close, she encouraged the students present to send in suggestions for exam reform that they might have in their minds.
The speech gave way to the prize distribution ceremony.
| Position | School |
| 1st | Sunbeam English School (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) |
| 2nd | Krishna Public School (Raipur, Chattisgarh) |
| 3rd | Bhartiya Vidya Bhavans Vidya Mandir (Thrissur, Kerala) |
| 4th | Faculty HR Secondary School (Guwahati, Assam) |
Ms. Rupa Das thanked Mr. Ajay Poonia and his team for making the event a grand success and invited Mr. Joseph Emmanuel to deliver the Vote of Thanks.
Dr. Joseph Emmanuel in the Vote of Thanks described the contribution of his colleagues and thanked them, Mr. Poonia and the school for organizing an event completely devoid of any flaws.
The event concluded with the National Anthem.
