prelude  The Mathura School of Art came into being during the reign of the Kushana rulers. Some art critics are of the view that Greek artistes had a definite influence on the growth and development of the Mathura School of Art and they were probably the first to introduce the Buddha figure in Indian art, but this theory has been repudiated by several critics showing contrary evidence to the effect that the Greek sculptors carved out clean shaven Buddhas with delicate constitutions, whereas Indian artistes produced Buddha images with beards and moustaches and they are packed with stiffness and solidity, which is closely associated with Indian art. However, the influence of Hellenic art is visible in the figures of yakshas and yakshinis, which reflect the joyous attitude the contemporary artistes took towards life. Some of the rare specimens of these early artistic creations are available in the Mathura Museum. The Assam Institute of Management (AIM) is organising the Business Quiz – The Big Q as part of their Annual AIM Quest Business Meet on February 24, 2009 among the business schools in the Northeastern region. Exciting prizes are to be won. Venue: Shilpgram, Guwahati. Time: 1:30 p.m. Quiz Master: Neelotpal Deka. E-mail your questions with answers at: only4_pol@yahoo.co.uk or post at: THE COLOSSEUM, Mosaic, Friday Supplement, The Assam Tribune, Guwahati-781003 or SMS at: 9864102417. Send your name in each SMS.

side screen   1) Picture Clue: It is the cover of Time magazine and the cover pages of different issues of Time magazines have been used to make this cover page. Who is the model and name the form of art. (Deepjyoti Deka, Nalbari)

harmonisers  From Faridur Rahman Choudhury, Mayur Vihar, Delhi – 2) Which English word originates from the first two Greek letters? 3) Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan and Yingying are the four of the five mascots of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Name the fifth. 4) By what familiar name do we know the All India War Memorial? 5) The second generation Indians in UK are called Coconuts. Why?

unities  From Dipankar Koushik, Guwahati – 6) Which Indian actor played the part of George Khan in the film East is East? 7) Who yelled out ‘yahoo!’ for Rafi’s famous song Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe? 8) Who provided the musical score for Satyajit Ray’s film Jalsaghar?

do-re-me  9) Another name of this festival is Epiphany or the feast of three kings. It commemorates the showing of the infant Jesus to the three Magi from the East. What is the common name? (Dhrubajyoti Das, Nalbari) 10) During the Crimean War between Russia and Britain in 1854, Lord Cardigan of Britain struggled very hard against the Russian force in Balaclava. This tremendous war in the history of the British military was beautifully penned by Lord Tennyson in a poem. Name the poem. (Sonmani Das, Nalbari) 11) What is common to Einstein, famous Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Charles Darwin? (Anjum Dihingia, Darrang College, Tezpur) 12) One is found in Paris, one in Luxembourg and the third in New York City. Which famous structure (replica) of hope and freedom am I talking about? (Arun Bikas Das, Jagiroad) 13) Which fictional character is the famous son of Merope Gaunt in the Harry Potter series? (Digjam Sarmah, St. Paul’s School, Rangapara, Sonitpur) 14) What is common to the movies Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and 28 Days Later? (Alakananda Medhi, Guwahati)

crescendo  15) Which is the only word in English which has synonyms that are antonyms of each other? (Digbijoy Neelim Nath, Graduate Research Asstt., The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA)

Answers  1) Marilyn Monroe and the form of art is called Photomosaic. 2) The word “Alphabet” from Alpha and Beta. 3) Nini. 4) India Gate. 5) Brown from outside (skin colour), but white on the inside (they behave like the whites). 6) Om Puri. 7) Prayag Raj. 8) Ustad Vilayat Khan. 9) Twelfth Night. 10) The Charge of the Light Brigade. 11) They all married their cousins. 12) The Statue of Liberty. 13) Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort. 14) All were directed by Danny Boyle. 15) ‘Cleave’ (two synonyms are ‘adhere’ and ‘separate’, which are antonyms of one another).