In a fierce battle of wits, R Jayakanthan of TCS Chennai and Rohan Khanna of Barclays Delhi emerged as the champions and first runner-up, respectively, in the 20th edition of The Hindu Business Line Cerebration Quiz. The event, presented by JK Tyre Range Series in partnership with BSE, witnessed over 6000 participants vying for the coveted title this year.

Raghuvir Srinivasan, Editor, The Hindu Business Line, acknowledged the intense competition and the exceptional journey of the quiz over the past two decades. “This is the longest-running corporate quiz in the country, and we are proud of that. Business Line’s brand and team are trustworthy, intellectual, and forward-looking. This quiz is about depth of knowledge and intellectual honesty. This is why we are keen to host this every year, despite the hiccups we have.”

The quiz, a hallmark of the Business Line’s legacy, spanned across elimination rounds held in Delhi, Bengaluru, Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The participants faced questions that delved deep into various facets of global business.

The winner, R Jayakanthan, showcased remarkable prowess from the onset, leading with a rapid-fire approach and securing victory with an impressive 84 points. On the other hand, Rohan Khanna, representing Barclays Delhi, began at a steady pace but dazzled in the final round, clinching the first runner-up position with 56 points. The winner received an award of ₹75,000 while Khanna took home ₹50,000. Abhinav Dhar from TMIPL, Mumbai took the third spot and received ₹25,000.

The winners expressed their admiration for the well-organized event. Jayakanthan stated, “The overall experience is great; the quiz was well organized. We were taken well care of by the organizers, and it was well put together.” He urged future participants to focus on meaningful knowledge, advising, “Learning random things just for a quiz will not help. Be well read and focus on the learning rather than the prize.”

Rohan Khanna, Barcleys, first runner up, said, “BL corp quiz is one of those quizzes where the content is excellent compared to other quizzes.” He acknowledged the rising competitiveness and emphasized the significance of continuous participation in such events.

The quiz was divided into five rounds, akin to “five overs”, each round testing participants on different dimensions of the global business landscape. Quiz master Ajay Pooniya, reflecting on the event’s evolution, expressed, “The participants know that this is a feature of summer and autumn annually; they prepare for the rounds, give themselves sleepless nights, and give me sleepless nights so I can justify their level of preparation, their level of commitment.”

The event had the support of sponsors including the presenting sponsors - JK Tyre Range Series in association with BSE. The associate sponsors were SBI, Greyon Cosmetic, Parker Pens and NewsX was the TV partner.

Sundararaman Ramamurthy, Managing Director & CEO, BSE, Azhar Hussain Contractor, Zonal Manager (West), JK Tyre & Industries Ltd and Kamala Kantharaj, Chief Regulatory Officer, BSE gave away the prizes to the winner.