The year, yet another in the relentless sprint of time, is veering to a close, but this was the year of what? The year of the World Cup debacle or the Twenty20 miracle? The year the Right and Left became conjoined twins on the left and right tip of the country? The year the country had its first woman President or the first Dalit CJ of the Supreme Court? The year the South gave another star to Bollywood or the West returned one? The year of Facebook friendship or the “worst ever betrayal”? N-deal or no deal? w00t?

In the age of one followed by 100 zeroes, finding answers to all that has become too easy. So, we asked the fine folks at BANGALORE QUIZ GROUP to come up with 20 clues that would, if nothing else, at least take a bit of effort to crack. After all, wasn’t fitness one of your New Year resolutions when 2007 began; so how about closing it with a bit of exercise with your grey cells. How much do you recall of the year gone by without typing g-o-o-g-l-e?

There are three prizes, all very fine books, on offer for the three top entries. Mail your entries by midnight on 31 December 2007 to churumuri.churumuri@gmail.com

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1: The rocky terrain of Ramadevarabetta near Ramanagara which played lair to the dreaded Gabbar Singh (in picture) in the Bollywood blockbuster Sholay is now playing a perfect host to a very special visitor. What are we talking about?

2: What was special about the recent induction of Monce Joseph of Kerala Congress (J) as the public works minister in Kerala?

3: The picture above, taken on 8 January 2007, shows Indian sadhus who appeared agitated. What was the reason for their agitation?

4: Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the communication industries in the United Kingdom. In January 2007 Ofcom received over 44,500 complaints. This was Ofcom’s highest ever complaints response, and higher than that of any other media regulator. What caused these high complaint levels?

5: On 10 January 2007, India launched a 500kg satellite. What was so special about this launch?

6: Its name means ‘Accord’ and ‘Compromise’ in both Hindi and Urdu but on 17 February there was no accord or compromise and 68 people were killed during the attack , which occured near Panipat. What are we talking about?

7: A pundit is, in contemporary English, someone who offers mass-media opinion, analysis or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the social sciences or sport), on which they are presumed to be knowledgeable. There is a new pandit in town. Who are we talking about?

8: A red structure in India was noticed to be a cultural property representing the zenith of Mughal creativity and refinement. By whom and what resulted?

9: The coordinates 27° 10′ 30″ N, 78° 2′ 32″ E falls in North India and something momentous happened there on 7 July 2007 that had the whole of the country celebrating. What are we talking about?

10: In the third week of July 2007, something happened in India that was seen as a step forward for hundreds of millions of Indian women and girls who face bitter discrimination in everyday life. It was felt that this would also widen the role of women in the country’s often male-dominated political scene. What happened?

11: On 8 August 2007, India celebrated the 65th anniversary of….what?

12: Identify the person in the picture above and the incident involving it?

13: What object that captured the attention of most of India in September 2007 was designed by Minale Bryce Design Strategy of Queensland and manufactured by Amit Pabuwal?

14: What picture, commemorating one of the finest feats in India-England cricket matches, was used as the background of the ticket for the Lord’s Test between India and England this year?

15: Which former Indian cricketer, who died in July 2007, represented Bombay in Ranji Trophy for thirteen seasons and finished in the winning side every yea, never on the losing side?

16: On 13 December 2007, Tissot Moto SA forged a beautiful and timely connection with Karnataka. What was it?

17: At 7.30 pm sharp, the lights went out at Temple Tree Apartments (F Block) on Kanakapura Main Road, Bangalore, and the residents lit candles instead. This blackout, which was not due to power cut, lasted exactly 90 minutes one Saturday of December 2007. What caused it?

18: It holds a special place in history. The Nizam of Hyderabad allowed its world class infrastructure to be built by the Americans during the Second World War. The authorities selected the location based on its secure location. After independence, the Nizam began storing arms and ammunition there to fight the Indian Government. This resulted it being bombed by the Indian Air Force. In a strange reversal of roles, three Suryakirans of the Indian Air Force dropped low down over this place streaming trails of smoke in orange, green and white. It was 3.55 pm on 12 November 2007. Where did this occur and what was the significance?

19: This leading tiger researcher and conservationist, son of a Jnanpith Award winning writer, is a Kannadiga. He was awarded the ‘Sanctuary-ABN AMRO Wildlife Lifetime Service Award-2007′. Name him.

20: On 3 December 2007, huge crowds formed at Kabaka, Puttur and Subramanya and waited over 95 minutes to see it. Upon seeing it they burst crackers and distributed sweets. What are we talking about?

Photographs: courtesy Bollywood Village.com; Bangalore Quiz Group; Bollywood Sargam; Science Centric

Logo: courtesy californiahikes.com

churumuri.com gratefully acknowledges the support of PRAKASH SUBBARAO in making this quiz possible