prelude  In the history of art of the North Indian Khajuraho forms, a chapter in itself, historians suggest that the Mahoba school of art was in the background of Khajuraho. While Mahoba disappeared due to Muslim atrocities, Khajuraho remained safe due to the far sightedness of its builder Kirtivarman Chandella. The prominent pieces of Khajuraho art and architecture are the Lakshman and Kandariya Mahadeva temples. The lesser known temples are Vishwanath, Parsvanath, Ganpati, Jagdamba and Chitragupta. These temples have been executed in the Nagara style. The sikharas of these temples rise higher and higher as if forming steps towards heaven. But the most remarkable feature of the Khajuraho temples is their sculpture, which supplements the architecture and breaks the monotony of the viewer with ravishing elegance, rippling beauty and earthy sensuousness. 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. Please try to send questions-answers by e-mail during the month of June. Also, please avoid sending questions by SMS since the columnist will be out of station.

side screen  1) Picture Clue: XYZ is a fictional character and the heroine in the series of toys produced by Mattel called XYZ: Princess of Power. She is the alter ego of Princess Adora and also the twin sister of ABC. She appears in the cartoon XYZ: Princess of Power, which was an attempt to appeal to young girls, in the same way as ABC appealed to young boys. Name both XYZ and ABC. (Jagat Jyoti Saikia, Bangalore)

harmonisers  From Saroj K. Deka, MBA Deptt., G.U. – 2) Which immortal adline was devised by the N. W. Ayer & Son agency of Chicago, for a South African based company in 1939? 3) In Hindu mythology, what was created when the wind God Vayu broke the top of Mount Meru? 4) The logo of EDEFRA, Sun Pharma’s version of Viagra, is inspired by which famous object from the legends? 5) Swargajyoti Baruah acted in the first Assamese film Joymati. What is her claim to fame?

unities  From Dipankar Koushik, Guwahati – 6) In which Roland Joffe film did Shabana Azmi and Om Puri act alongside Patrick Swayze? 7) For which film did Satyajit Ray receive his Filmfare Award as the Best Director? 8) Who had sponsored the Filmfare Face of the Year Award in 1989, when Bhagyashree won it for the first time?

do-re-me  From Alakananda Medhi, Guwahati – 9) If Laxmi is the wife of Vishnu according to Indian mythology, who is Brahma’s wife? 10) What is the Sanskrit for the English meaning “one who has bathed”? 11) Megha Kawale is the first woman in this field. Which field am I talking about? 12) “The Wall” in cricket is Rahul Dravid, but who is known as “The Wall” in movies? 13) What is common to Spencer Tracy, Tom Hanks, Sean Penn apart from being Hollywood stars? 14) Which Booker Prize winning author has written the book The Space of the Beast?

crescendo  15) In 1928, which company adopted its name after the symbol used by goldsmiths in London in the 14th century? (Jyotirupa Roy, BRPL Township, Bongaigaon)

ANSWERS  1) XYZ: She-Ra; ABC: He-Man 2) ‘A Diamond is Forever’ for the De Beers consolidated mines 3) The Island of Lanka 4) Aladdin’s Lamp 5) She is the first child artiste of Assamese film, she enacted the childhood character of Dalimi 6) City of Joy 7) Shatranj Ke Khiladi 8) Lux 9) Saraswati 10) Snataka 11) She is the first woman DJ in India 12) Keanu Reeves 13) All of them have received Oscars for the Best Actor twice 14) Arundhati Roy 15) Hallmark.