10Q (March 6, 2018)

[For most of the images, larger versions can be viewed by clicking on them]

1. According to Sri Lankan legends, when the Buddha died in 543 BCE (or thereabouts), his body was cremated in a sandalwood pyre at Kushinagar, and his left canine tooth was retrieved from the funeral pyre by Arahat Khema, who then gave it to King Brahmadatta for veneration. Brahmadatta kept it in his capital city of Danta____, where it remained for a long while before continuing its journey to its final resting place.
As per Vedic writings, though, the place was originally called Purushamandama-grama meaning the place where the creator deity of the world was deified on a mandapa. Over time the name got changed to Purushottama ____, and later to just ____.
These are alternative explanations of what city name, that is said to be cognate with the Greek 'polis'? (All blanks above are the same.)

2. What object of household use gets its name from the biological genus of these fruit classified in the cucumber (Cucurbitaceae) family, specifically X aegyptiaca and X acutangula?

3. The Swiss corporation Phœbus S.A. Compagnie Industrielle pour le Développement de l'Éclairage (French for Phoebus, Inc. Industrial Company for the Development of Lighting) that existed from 1925 to 1955, was actually a front for a number of companies including Osram, Philips, Tungsram, Associated Electrical Industries, ELIN, Compagnie des Lampes, International General Electric, and the GE Overseas Group,which held shares in the Swiss corporation proportional to their lamp sales. Known after the fatcs came to light as the Phoebus cartel, the group engaged in large-scale planned obsolescence, reduced competition in the light bulb industry, and has been accused of preventing technological advances that would have produced longer-lasting light bulbs. Who in Greek mythology did the cartel take its name from? (In other words, Phoebus, which means 'bright' in Greek, was one of the alternative names for whom?)

4. Apco Worldwide is an American lobby group and PR firm which has, among other 'achievements', run an image-improvement campaign for the US financial industry at the height of its troubles in the early 2010s; helped keep Kazakhstan dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev in power; and handled crises as diverse as Merck & Co's scandal involving Vioxx, the arthritis drug that killed thousands before it was withdrawn, and Ford Motor's troubles with Firestone tires on its Explorer vehicles. Its first venture into India in 2007 was for a person who has since used them to great effect, in helping to promote and rebrand a showpiece investor meeting. What name did they come up for the biennial event?

5. The circulation of engravings such as this one were significant contributors to the anti-colonial fervour in America in the 1770s. What event does it depict, and who made the engraving?

6. Listen to this audio clip.
This is from a 2003 reggae version of a famous rock album. The name of the tribute album, produced by Easy Star All-Stars, is the same as that of the original album, but with one key word changed. (a) Name the tribute album.
Included with the liner notes of the tribute are instructions on how to synchronise the album with a 1939 film and produce a variation of the perceived "____ ____ of the Rainbow" effect. (b) Which movie?

7. Incorporated in 1948, it claims to be the largest exporter of viscose rayon fibre in the country, with exports to over 50 countries. It is headquartered in Nagda in Madhya Pradesh, and also has plants at Kharach (Kosamba, Gujarat) and Harihar (Davangere, Karnataka). The company's products include Freedom ("the softest fabric available"), Ice Touch ("fabric which keeps body temperature five degrees cooler"), Uncrushables ("first wrinkle-free polyester viscose fabric"), Venetia ("designs inspired from Italy") and Caramel ("soft, smooth and lightweight fabric"). Name the company, associated for a long time with a beauty pageant.

8. On 16 October 1834, a fire broke out at an historic location, after an overheated stove used to destroy a stockpile of tally sticks set fire to one of its most hallowed chambers. The resulting conflagration destroyed a significant part of the complex. The artist J.M.W. Turner watched the fire from a vantage point, and painted several canvasses depicting it, including the one shown below. (a) What were the buildings involved in the disaster, that were swiftly rebuilt, and ready for use by February the following year?
Immediately after the fire, King William IV offered an almost-completed building as an alternative, hoping to dispose of a residence he disliked. The building was considered unsuitable for the proposed use, however, and the gift was rejected. (b) What building?


9. What reversal of parenting roles occurs in only one species of mammal, the Dayak fruit bat shown here?


10. The record for the maximum ODI centuries on a single cricket ground is seven, achieved by three different batsmen. Ricky Ponting did it at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. On which ground did both Saeed Anwar and Sachin Tendulkar hit seven centuries?

Answers
1. Puri, in Odisha
2. Loofah, from luffa

3. Apollo, god of, among other things, light
4. Vibrant Gujarat (their client being, of course, Narendra Modi)
5. The Boston Massacre, by Paul Revere

6. (a) 'Dub Side of the Moon' (b) 'The Wizard of Oz'
7. Grasim Industries Limited, which has since diversified into building materials and chemicals, and from 1992 to 2012 sponsored the Grasim Mr India competition

8. (a) The British Houses of Parliament at Westminster (b) Buckingham Palace
9. Milk production and nursing is done by the male of the species
10. Sharjah