TCS - TECH BYTES IT QUIZ - Hurray !!!

TCS TECH BYTES - IT QUIZ

The Board of IT Education Standards (BITES) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Asia’s largest IT company are organising the first edition of the Engineering IT Quiz – “TCS TechBytes”.

The program is an initiative to help students understand technology better - in the process help them enhance their lateral thinking process and inculcate the spirit to compete and excel.
The quiz would serve as an alternative platform to enhance awareness and confidence levels of the aspiring engineers while bringing them in sync with the current developments in the technology domain through an interactive and engaging quiz platform. “TCS TechBytes” strives to provide a better understanding of IT as technology today is an enabler in diverse fields – be it engineering, medicine, law, sports, science, movie, music, government, automobile and telecommunication.

The quiz is open to engineering students of all streams and will be held across Karnataka. It will be hosted by noted Quizmaster ‘Pickbrain’ Giri Balasubramaniam of Greycaps, who also conducts TCS IT Wiz, Rural IT Quiz and Tata Crucible among others.

Detailed information on the quiz, rules and entry forms are listed below

Each institution can send 10 teams (2 students per team). A model questions format has been sent to all engineering institutions to select the 10 Best Teams from their college. The entries of the selected students should be sent before 25th March to bitesitquiz@gmail.com or faxed to 22207270/1 or courier to the following address

THE COORDINATOR
BITES-TCS IT Quiz
BITES
#9, Ground Floor, UNI Building, Thimmaiah Road
Millers Tank Bed, Bangalore – 560 052

Institutions are urged to nominate a coordinator from their institution and provide his / her contact details (email, mobile, phone nos.) to coordinate with BITES.

ABOUT THE QUIZ

Round 1: College Level ·

The College will select 10 Best Teams (2 members per team) by using the model question paper sent to all institutions. The test should be written as a team (2 students per team). The test should not be answered individually. · The college has to send the enclosed entry form of the selected 10 teams before 25th March, 2010 to: The Coordinator, BITES TCS IT Quiz, BITES, # 9 Ground Floor, UNI Building, Thimmaiah Rd, Millers Tank Bed, Bangalore 560 052. Alternately you can email it to bitesitquiz@gmail.com or fax us to 22207270/1.

Round 2: Regional Finals
The Regional Level Quiz will be conducted by the Quizmaster at the following places:

• Gulbarga – 12th April
  Venue: Appa Institute of Engineering & Technology, Sharana Basaveshwar,
  Institune Complex, Brahmapur, GULBARGA-585 103 
• Hubli – 15th April
  Venue: B V B College of Engg. & Technology, Vidyanagar, HUBLI-580 031 
• Tumkur – 17th April
  Venue: Siddganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur-572 103 
• Mysore – 26th April
  Venue: Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engg, JSS Technical Institute
  Campus, Mysore-570 006 
• Mangalore – 28th April
  Venue: Srinivas Institute of Technology, Merlapadavu, Valachil, Farangipete
  Post, Mangalore – 574 143 
• Bangalore – 30th April
  Venue: RV College of Engineering, R V Vidyanikethan Post, Mysore Road,
   Bangalore - 560 059

 

 Round 3: State Finals
The 6 Regional Winners from Gulbarga, Hubli/Belgaum, Tumkur, Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore will be invited to participate in the State Finals at Bangalore on 8th May at PES Institute of Technology, 100 Feet Ring Road, BSK III Stage, Bangalore-560085.
The winning team will emerge as the Karnataka State ‘TCS TechBytes’ Champion.

ENTRY AND ELIGIBILITY
There is NO entry or registration fee.
Students from all engineering streams in Karnataka are eligible to participate.
Only 10 teams per college (2 members per team) will be allowed to participate.
Completed Entry Forms for Round 2 should be sent to BITES before 25th March.
Therefore rush the selected teams from your college immediately.

For more details download these PDF files.

• Regionwise colleges list 
• BITES-TCS TechBytes IT Quiz

My Quizzing Journey

My journey into the computer world started when I was in 3^rd standard. It was then that my cousin brother started a Computer Training Centre by name “Abacus Technologies” and I was the first one to get enrolled. In 3^rd Std I learnt basics like office suite and operating systems and in 4^th I learned C language on a Linux system. That laid down the foundation for everything else to come and I became very interested in them. I still remember when I was in 3^rd once I went to the class at 6 in the morning without telling anyone to find the class still shut. I got good scolding from my father. So I began asking my father to buy me a computer. Way back then I had no idea what a computer would cost and I refused to celebrate my birthdays so as to save money for it.

From then on it was no turning back for me. Now I can boast of having learnt Java, Visual Basic, HTML, a bit of everything to be honest and to have used and tested new products and services. Now many take my advice when it comes to buying something related to computers and electronic gadgets. I was also behind the very successful Harry Potter Drama where I did a good use of sound and video effects with the projector.

It was in 9^th that I was introduced to the TCS Rural IT Quiz. It had started in 2000, exclusively for rural schools across Karnataka. Tata Consultancy Services in association with the Department of IT, Govt. of Karnataka, came together to plan, what would be India's first Rural IT quiz and a fantastic rural education initiative. Back then I had quite a lame knowledge for an IT Quiz but enough to get past the school and Taluk level. But wasn't successful in further rounds. Even in 10^th the same thing happened but then I got the hang of it. I knew what type of questions would come and with my partner Surya we began preparing for it. In 1^st PUC we won the regional level and went on to win 2^nd at the state level. We were given prizes by the primary and higher education ministers Mr. Hegde and Mr. Limbavali respectively. We won Nokia 3110c and Rs 26,000 each on a whole. More than the prize, the recognition and appreciation we got for our efforts was heartening. And it also inspired others to take part in it the next year.

This year it was the 10^th anniversary of the Quiz and hence a special invitation Quiz was to be held between the winners of TCS Rural IT Quiz and the winners of the TCS IT Wiz which is held for the students in urban areas throughout the country. And this year there was something special in stock for me. The last years win had made some very eager to get past us.

I was shocked and at the same time surprised to see some scoring higher marks than us. At first I thought it was a genuine effort but came to know that he had got hold of the leaked question papers of the school round. Every good story needs a villain, in fact it’s quite funny to know that he had been my villain right from 1^st std. Working tirelessly towards teasing me, fighting with me, forming sinister plans behind me and from stealing my favorite rubber to even something I equally liked. I am in a way thankful to him because I believe characters like him make me stronger both mentally and socially. The same thing happened here.  Even while our 1^st priority was II PUC exams we put in even more effort and were successful in getting selected to the state finals for two consecutive years.

 The finals of the quiz are held as a part of the annual Bangloreit.biz event. This time the final was held at an auditorium in Bangalore instead of the Palace Ground thanks to the recent recession. We were again a bit unlucky and missed the 1^st place by a whisker and had to be content with the 3^rd place. After the state finals the national finals started and I was blown at the quizzing standards of the national level participants. Venkatesh Prasad had come there to give away prizes and I was blown away by the modesty and simplicity he had come over there. This time we won Rs. 8500 and a Nokia E63 each. In a way I guess it was good that I did not come first as there was a laptop to be grabbed and I would have grown even more addicted to computers on getting the portable version of it. But seriously I was very sad at that moment and would have cried if my parents had not consoled me.

Nevertheless the immense knowledge and interesting facts that I gathered, and the friends I made throughout this journey is literally priceless. Can you believe that the name of HP, by the founders, Bill Hewlett and David Packard, was decided upon tossing a coin! Apple's CEO Steve Jobs takes an annual salary of just $1! When Bill Gates was at school he hacked and programmed the school computer so as to put all the girls in his class; and many more such interesting facts that can inspire anyone to contribute to this huge field.

And finally all this success wouldn't have come to me at the first place if it was not for the support of my parents who in my childhood had not fulfilled my dream of having a computer at home and also for the constant support in any of my endeavors that I pursued. I am equally thankful to our Computer teacher, Vandana Miss who is just short of being a computer herself. And all the Teachers and the Principal of this institution who had all lend their support in their own respective ways.

Hope you enjoyed my journey.