iWorld
Sukrit Gupta and Sayudh Ray are the winners of Sony LIV’s Quizzer of the Year
Mumbai: After months of intense competition and intellectually stimulating quizzes, Sony LIV’s Quizzer of the Year (QOTY) finally reached its grand finale on 26 May. The show, which captured the hearts and minds of quiz enthusiasts across the country, culminated in an epic showdown that saw four teams battling for the ultimate title. From navigating through a series of challenging rounds, boasting fierce face-offs between 64 teams from over 2000 Indian schools, Sukrit Gupta and Sayudh Ray of Delhi Public School, Newtown, Rajarhat, Kolkata emerged as the champions of the first season of Quizzer of the Year securing an educational scholarship worth rupees one crore.
Sukrit Gupta, a class ten student with a keen interest in computer science, has been an avid quizzer since his friends introduced him to the club. Having lived in Kolkata for most of his life, Sukrit enjoys topics like tech, music, history, and literature. On the other hand, Sayudh Ray, who just completed his class ten board exams, shares a passion for history and economics. With both parents being Ayurvedic doctors, Sayudh is still exploring his future career options. Together, their diverse knowledge and great teamwork led them to victory on Quizzer of the Year.
The top four finalists who made it to QOTY’s grand finale were:
1 Sukrit Gupta and Sayudh Ray of Delhi Public School Newtown, Rajarhat, Kolkata
2 Sreenandh Sudheesh P and Navaneeth Krishnan of Govt Model Hr. Sec. School Calicut University, Kozhikode
3 Garvish Jain and Sarth Khandelwal of St. Anthony’s Senior Secondary School, Udaipur
4 Ojasvit Pasricha and Aashman Tripathi of Sheiling House School, Kanpur
While Sukit and Sayudh bagged the coveted title and huge scholarship, Sreenadh Sudheesh P and Navaneeth Krishnan emerged as the first runners-up of QOTY, winning a scholarship of 50 lakh rupees. Furthermore, the second runners-up, Garvish Jain and Sarth Khandelwal, secured a scholarship of 20 lakh rupees.
Quizzer of the Year, presented by the legendary quizmaster of India, Siddhartha Basu, is an innovative quiz show conceptualised by Anita Kaul Basu and the team at Tree of Knowledge Digital (DIGITOK). Blending traditional learning with infotainment, the show provided students with a platform to test their knowledge beyond textbooks. The journey began with daily quizzes, followed by zonal rounds, and culminated in a high-stakes national championship. QOTY featured seasoned quizmasters Joy Bhattacharjya and Col. Vembu Shankar in the zonal rounds, alongside Siddhartha Basu himself hosting the quarterfinals, semifinals, and grand finale.
Quizmaster Siddhartha Basu, the creator and host of QOTY, expressed, “It was terrific to quiz a pick of the smartest school students of the country for the final leg of Quizzer of the Year, which was the culmination of a year long digital engagement on the QOTY app on Sony LIV. In progressively tougher stages, qualifiers clashed in a series of exciting and closely fought zonal & national level encounters which climaxed in a grand final going to the wire ultimately streaming on the platform for the viewers. Congratulations to the worthy victors and challengers for the mental mettle with which they vied for top honours, and the most handsome rewards ever offered in India for an all-India inter-school quiz championship. I hope it acts as a spur to fuel the curiosity of young minds, expand their general knowledge, and test it in a fun way on an ongoing basis. That’s the aim of the QOTY app & contest.”
Catch all the episodes of Quizzer of the Year streaming now exclusively on Sony LIV!
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
