IMAGINE walking into a crowded pub in the middle of happy hours only to be greeted by dead silence. As unlikely as it may sound, that is what happens when quiz master Sriram Subramaniam takes the stage.
The audience pays close attention to his every word as they try to match wits with the man and try to pick up some prizes at the regular pub quiz events he organises and hosts throughout the Klang Valley.
Sriram, a law graduate, began his quiz career as just another participant, albeit a good one, in Carnegies and Betel Nut back in the 1990s and early 2000s. Fast forward to January 2009, and he was approached by the manager of Gypsy to organise a twice-weekly quiz at the outlet.
“Since I was out of a job at the time and it sounded like it would be fun, I jumped at the chance,” he said.
Deep in thought: Quiz participants try to identify the person in the picture flashed on the screen during one of the legs of the Quiz League. Within a few short months, Sriram was responsible for organises quizzes at several outlets in the Klang Valley, including Sutraa and Healy Mac’s in Changkat Bukit Bintang. According to him, the response was especially good at Healy Mac’s due to the bigger crowd of expatriates.
“The number of teams just grew and I have built up a steady following since then,” he said.
Earlier this year, Sriram hit upon the idea of forming a Quiz League while having coffee with a friend. He said that they had been discussing how to take the daily quizzes a step further and promote the events to a larger audience.
“When I floated the idea of the league to several other quiz masters, pub owners and participants, I received overwhelming support and encouragement to carry on with it,” he said.
Of course, settting up the whole endeavour proved to be a challenging task but Sriram was up to it as he looked for venues to host the league and even secure funding for the events.
A little over three months ago, the Quiz League became a reality, kicking off at CJ’s Bistro in 3 Two Square, Petaling Jaya. Since then, the teams have been meeting regularly at various venues throughout the Klang Valley on a weekly basis and tomorrow, it is set to end with a bang where it all began — Healy Mac’s in Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Like the daily quizzes, the final will feature five sets of 10 questions each, with topics ranging from music to movies and from general knowledge to sports. According to Sriram, it has been a hotly contested league so tomorrow’s finals should be an interesting affair where even half a point might make the difference between winning and losing.
It will be a packed house tomorrow, so be there early if you want to find out more about the pub quiz culture in Malaysia. The finals will kick off at 5pm.
Better yet, there are always Sriram’s daily quizzes to attend where participants can opt to go solo or to team up to match wits with the quiz master. Sriram organises daily quizzes at the following venues:
• Monday: Healy Mac’s, Changkat Bukit Bintang
• Tuesday: CJ’s Bistro, 3 Two Square, Petaling Jaya
• Wednesday: Gypsy, Changkat Bukit Bintang
• Thursday: Healy Mac’s, Desa Sri Hartamas
• Friday: LaRisata Restaurant & Bar, Ampang.
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