Bhubaneswar: The sixth edition of Odisha’s biggest quizzing extravaganza ‘Orissa POST Mettle Meet-2024’ is all set to kick off at Hotel Crystal Crown here Saturday when 82 top educational institutions of the state will participate in the war of minds during the preliminary rounds.
Top eight teams each in Junior and Senior categories will be elevated to the summit clash which is scheduled for Sunday. The winners in each category will get Rs 1 lakh cash prize, while the first runners-up will get Rs 50,000 and second Rs 25,000.
Renowned quizmaster Ajay Poonia will be conducting the sixth edition of Mettle Meet for the third time. Speaking to Orissa POST, Poonia said he is very excited to conduct the Mettle Meet. “The excitement for the event is rising with each passing year which can easily be seen as the number of institutions increasing by the year.”
Last year, the event was held after a long gap due to Covid-19 pandemic, he said adding that the enthusiasm for the event is going up. Poonia advised the students/contestants to read Orissa POST as it contains a lot of information on current issues. He also advised them to pay attention to the questions during the competition and listen carefully without panicking as most of the answers are hidden in the questions. Like previous year, this year also students upto Class XII have been classified under Junior category while those in Plus III and other streams including Engineering, Medical and Management come under Senior category. Each team has four participants. The finals will be livestreamed on YouTube and other social media platforms.
Mettle Meet which started in 2016 with participation of 18 top institutions in the state is aimed at reviving the art of quizzing in Odisha. Since then the numbers as well as enthusiasm have grown exponentially.
Last year, AIIMS Bhubaneswar and DAV CDA emerged champions in the Senior and Junior categories, respectively. Speaking to OrissaPOST, Bighnesh Das, a second year AIIMS Bhubaneswar student, who was part the team that won the finals in 2023, said he is excited to compete again as Mettle Meet is one of Odisha’s top quizzing events. With all the top educational institutions participating in the event, the competition becomes more interesting as well as tough. Das said he and his team are armed with master strategies to beat their opponents and that they will focus on the current affairs as the questions in the competition are multilayered but with simple answers.
Similarly, Ankit of DAV-CDA said he is excited to compete in the mega event and bring laurels for his school. Orissa POST is the state’s only homegrown English daily. Since its launch in 2011, the newspaper has slowly but steadily carved a niche for itself among the readers. It has been the leading source of insightful information for people. The publication is known for its pro-people and youth-oriented approach.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP