Riding the Waves in India Trivia Quiz

Answer: Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

The dispute dates back to the time of British India when the two regions were known as Mysore and Madras respectively. Since the 19th century, various different plans had been drawn up for equitable sharing of the water between the two regions. The matter first came up for arbitration in 1913 when the then state of Mysore proposed to build a dam on the river Kannambadi village.

The equations of the two regions changed when India became independent and the two states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were formed on a linguistic basis. The Supreme Court directed the Government of India to set up a tribunal to resolve this dispute in 1990. However, with the filing of petitions and counter claims, the dispute continued well into the next decade.

Answer: It is an ice stalagmite.

The lingam is a symbol of the Hindu god Shiva. The lingam in the Amarnath shrine is formed as a stalagmite due to the dripping of water from the roof of the cave. Being located in the mountains, the shrine is accessible to pilgrims only in the summer when large numbers of people visit the holy site.

Answer: Holi

While popularly known as the 'festival of colours', water also features significantly in the Holi celebrations, and coloured water is used abundantly in the festivities.

The festival was originally begun to celebrate the harvest season, but it also carries a religious connotation. According to Hindu mythology, the demon king, Hiranyakashipu, resented his son worshiping the Hindu god Vishnu. He attempted various methods to kill his son and when none were successful, his demoness sister Holika, who was immune to being burnt, took the young son and sat with him on her lap inside a burning pyre. In a miraculous turn of events, Vishnu saved the boy and instead Holika was burnt to death. The name of the festival is derived from Holika's name, and the festival begins with the lighting of a bonfire on the night before the festival.

Answer: Udaipur

Udaipur is also called the Lake City due to the many lakes found there. Since Rajasthan is also home to the Thar Desert, the other parts are largely arid and often face severe drought-like situations.

The Lake Palace is located on the small four acre island of Jag Niwas found within Lake Pichola and can also be accessed by boat. The palace was built in 1745 by Maharana Jagat Singh II, the king of Mewar as his summer home. In the 1960s, the royal residence was converted into a luxury hotel and management was taken over by the Taj Group of Hotels in 1971.

In the James Bond film "Octopussy", the palace featured as the home of the eponymous character, Octopussy.

Answer: Punjab

Punjab literally translates to 'five rivers', and was named after the five tributaries of the Indus that flow through the region - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas. Due to its favourable location, this region is one of the most fertile parts of the country and has been nicknamed the 'Granary of India'.

Answer: Mumbai

Banganga Tank is located in the upscale Malabar Hill part of South Mumbai. According to legend, Ram and Lakshman halted here on their search for Ram's wife, Sita. Since Ram was thirsty, Lakshman shot an arrow and water gushed out from the spot where the arrow struck the earth.

The water is considered to be a tributary of the Ganga, the holy river which flows in north India, thus leading to the name Banganga (Ganga created from an arrow). Despite being located hardly a few meters away from the Arabian Sea, the water in the tank is sweet as it is fed by an underground spring.

Answer: No

The Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea meet at Kanyakumari making it a unique geographical location in India. A 133 feet tall statue of the Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar was constructed on a small island near the tip in the 1990s. There is also a monument dedicated to the Hindu guru Swami Vivekananda built on another rock. Both these monuments were affected by the tsunami in 2004 but not destroyed.

There is no statue of Mahatma Gandhi at this location.

Answer: Odisha

Olive ridley turtles are the smallest species of sea turtles found in the warm tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The species is distinguished by its unique nesting practice known as arribadas, where large numbers of female turtles converge upon the same stretch to lay their eggs.

Another unusual feature is that the females return to the same beach where they were hatched to lay their own eggs. Odisha, located on the eastern coast of India, is one of the major nesting grounds for turtles from the Indian Ocean. Due to their classification as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (ICUN), several conservation measures have been adopted for these turtles.

Answer: Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet who became Asia's first Nobel Laureate after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his collection of poems, "Gitanjali". He is also credited with writing the national anthems for two different countries - "Jana Gana Mana" for India and "Amar Shonar Bangla" for Bangladesh.

The Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge spanning the Hooghly River, and was first opened in 1943 linking the two cities of Howrah and Kolkata (then known as Calcutta). It is a popular symbol of Kolkata and has been featured in several different films. Though renamed Rabindranath Setu in honour of the poet, it still continues to be known as Howrah Bridge.

Answer: George Harrison

The jaltarang is an ancient percussion instrument with mentions of it even found in Vatsyayana's "Kamasutra". It consists of ceramic bowls or glasses filled with water. Music is produced by striking the sides of the bowls with wooden sticks known as beaters. Different ranges can be obtained by varying the water contained in the bowls.

"Gone Troppo" was a studio album released by George Harrison in 1982. Harrison himself played the jaltarang for the title track.