UAE | Leisure
Parents on the edge as junior teams compete
Excitement and angst were simmering in equal degrees when junior teams locked horns at the blockbuster doubles on Monday at the Kilachand Theatre.
- By Anjana Sankar, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:52 September 16, 2008
- Individual winners, Naven Narayanan (left) and Pranit Vengsarkar (right) along with the host Selena during the Gulf News Blockbuster at DUCTAC in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai.
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Dubai: Excitement and angst were simmering in equal degrees when junior teams locked horns at the blockbuster doubles on Monday at the Kilachand Theatre.
The neck to neck fight put up by the contestants offered both tensed and hilarious moments for the audience, mainly parents who were on the edge of their seat as their wards racked their brains on the hot seat.
Quiz master Geeta Menon had to calm down the contestants and parents alike, when confusions erupted on answers which were neither wrong nor right as per the flash card. At one instance, the alphabet clue on the flashcard showed 'S' while the answer actually started with 'O.' After a few minutes of heated argument by the teams, Geeta decided to cancel the question.
Obviously, there were disagreements and disappointments. But eventually the fun and sport prevailed in the right spirit of Blockbuster as the game moved to the next rounds. In the words of Suraj Pal and Shahryar Mooraj, the Willington boys who won the heats three, "It was fun. It was great!".
The winners said they did not even prepare for the quiz but played it for fun. But Siddharth and Akash, who came second, said at times the buzzer played the villain. "We knew the answers but sometimes the buzzer just won't light up," said the duo.
Tanishq Bojnani and Raunak Bhojwani, another team said some parents were lisping the answers and it was not fair.
Pranit Vengsarkar and Navin Narayanan, both participants for the junior singles blockbuster also had an impressive win and displayed talent and fighting spirit.
According to Geeta, it was a fun-filled game because of the involvement from the audience.
"When we get reactions from the audience, the game takes momentum. It is really great to have such an enthusiastic crowd," she said.
In the same breath, Geeta reminded them that it was after all a game and parents should not treat is as an examination and put pressure on children. "When parents show anxiety, it reaches out to the kids. Otherwise they are enjoying it themselves," she said.
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