university challenge india
Friday 11 July 2003
Before the madness of University Challenge India, the Queen's University team recorded University Challenge (UK style) at Granada Television in Manchester with Jeremy Paxman. You can check out details here.
Saturday 12 July 2003
After a day shopping in Manchester, we eventually (!) flew to Heathrow, staying at the Travel Inn Hotel. The service is really good in the restaurant there - honest!
Sunday 13 July 2003
I knew we might be in trouble as Caroline and I waited and waited in the Travel Inn Heathrow lobby for Ciaran and Thom. We had arranged to meet at 0600 for the 0604 coach to the airport. However, I was amazed to learn that my phone call from reception at 0600 turned out to be the QUB team’s bloody wake-up call! After a delightful trip on the coach (pressed up against Floridian geriatrics ‘Could you move please!’) we arrived at Terminal 4.
Most of us met at the arranged time of 0630, but some (they will remain nameless – however they live in the south of England and attend Birkbeck) were not so punctual. In any event, the Air India desk didn’t open until 0730 and our flight tickets hadn’t even been printed. Simon dealt with the ticket situation admirably (I couldn’t stomach the thought of yet another ticket fiasco) whilst the rest of us sussed each other out. Angelina tells me that I introduced QUB as ‘We are Queens’ not ‘Queen’s’ (!) but that is not how I remember it. After much blocking up of the Kuwaiti Airlines desk, we checked in like mad dogs and ran to board the AI 102 to Bombay (Why the hell we went via Bombay is anyone’s guess!). After a hellish flight, we waited in Bombay airport for what seemed like ages. We had a bit of a bonding sesh while we waited on our Delhi flight. I remember people checking their mobiles to see their new service provider and Ciaran being ordered to give some skanky dwarf 12 p sterling in the Gents. I also had the greatest ‘Moody’ moment of all time (i.e. saying something inappropriate and at a most inappropriate time), not realising that the Birkbeck captain’s wife was sitting right in front of me. Where did the Birkbeck team go anyway?
Monday 14 July 2003
After the greatest security check of all time and a pathetic Mr. White/Mr. Black joke, we caught the AI 111 flight to Delhi. The QUB team freaked for a second during the flight as we watched Ciaran get soaked from the leaking plane roof – it turned out to be bottled water dripping from the cabin-hold. At Indira Gandhi International Airport, I was attacked by some unidentified yellow flying arthropod. We climbed on board a delicious (not!) coach, which took us to what would be our home in Delhi – the Taj Palace Hotel at Sardar Patel Marg in the Diplomatic Enclave. Most of us were fortunate to get rooms on the 8th Floor (Taj Club), however there were some less fortunate on the 7th, 5th and even 2nd (sorry Ciaran and Graham) floors.
At 1600 we had a briefing by Jacqui Allan (Education Promotion Manager, British Council India) [a.k.a. Jack Attack!] and Devyani Naidu (Assistant Manager, Education UK) in the Residence Lounge (106). Tony G from Birkbeck seemed bemused that the QUB and Edinburgh teams did NOT want to take part in a practice quiz – we were there to have fun! (Of those participating in University Challenge India, Birkbeck, Queen’s University Belfast and Simon and Will from Edinburgh had already recorded the Jezza version of University Challenge at Granada).
Tuesday 15 July 2003
The Day of Photographs: we were photographed left, right and centre (including poses with arms around each other and doing the ‘V’ (!)) at various sites around Delhi – the Gandhi monument, Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate. We seemed to create an audience at India Gate, with Jacqui telling Indians to move out of the way in the midst of evil dancing monkeys, surrounded by the first load of peddlers shouting ‘You buy – you buy!’ Everyone discovered how difficult it is to look photogenic in full Delhi sunshine and humidity, as witnessed by the grimaces on most of our faces.
In the afternoon, we were given an orientation of the University Challenge India studios and in the evening we attended a reception at the residence of Morna Nance (Deputy Director, British Council) and John Nance (First Secretary Education, British Council). The heat there was incredible and by 10 o’clock my memory begins to fade – although I do remember impressing Anita Basu with my basic Hindi. The coach trip back produced a lot of photos!
We had our first party in Caroline’s room – red vino was plentiful, but not plentiful enough – I believe we ordered room service twice. This was the evening (and early morning) of ‘fine arses’, jumping on beds, ‘Never Have I Ever’ etc. etc.
Wednesday 16 July 2003
A bus tour of Delhi was organised, but only some of us managed to go on it; poor Devyani thought some of us had already come down with Delhi belly.
The evening trip to Dilli Haat was cancelled.
Thursday 17 July 2003
Chandni Chowk Day. Where do I begin? It started with my suggestion to show the group the 'real' Delhi. Our first port of call was a Cottage Emporium. Rachel and Caroline wanted to buy saris. The men could not resist the offer to look at erotic art - it was about as erotic as having Delhi belly! 1 sari and 12 silk scarves later, we headed into Chandni Chowk proper. Our guide (Mr. Harry (?)) took us to a Jain temple where we were instructed that everything was 'very fine' and 'one piece' - Bless! (the priest's English was somewhat limited). The monsoon opened and as Caroline heard 'The whities got wet!' It was at the palace of shite where we felt really wet and the offer of getting the hell out of there was too good to miss. Getting into the coach, we were offered 'false beards' for sale - bizarrely some of us regretted not buying them. We returned to the Taj Palace very different people. Even though I was there - I missed the shite at the opticians but can never forget almost gagging at the urine stench from a side street near the Red Fort. Yuk!
Friday 18 July 2003
Three matches were filmed: Edinburgh v. Jadavpur University, Kolkata; Aberystwyth v. Government Engineering College, Thrissur; Queen’s University Belfast v. RV College of Engineering, Bangalore. Interestingly, all the UK teams won their matches (except Birkbeck who lost on Thursday).
After filming, Caroline, Rachel and Graham borrowed some Taj Palace bags and headed off to Jacqui’s local off-licence to buy copious quantities of cheap booze. We learned our lesson about the cost of wine at the Taj Palace earlier that week. We had another party in Caroline’s room, although this time, most sensible people went to bed early in preparation for the coach trip from hell (!)
Saturday 19 July 2003
We left the Taj Palace at 0600 for Agra (225 km from Delhi). Those sitting at the back of the coach suffered for most of the journey but things did get rather unbearable when some bright spark opened the coach windows and then the air-conditioning system broke down. We boiled alive on the outskirts of Agra until we arrived at the Taj Mahal. The British Council schedule says 'this monument is a fine example of the fusion of many architectural styles and is one of the wonders of the modern world, built in 1652 by emperor Shah Jahan.' All I remember about that visit was the intense heat, and almost drifting into unconsciousness. After posing on the Diana seat, most of us were ready to leave but our guide (forget his real name, but I began referring to him as “My friend has another shop around the corner for you Brits to buy something”) insisted on showing some of us the back of the Taj Mahal. Random American tourists climbed on to our already packed mini-coach back to our usual coach where Caroline was waiting. (Caroline – I cannot believe you went all the way to Agra and missed the Taj Mahal, ya steam-boat!)
In the evening, our guide friend came back to take us to the first shop on his list – a marble shop where almost everyone bought nothing. Again we heard phrases such as “all one piece”, “hand-made”, “just look, no buy” and “very fine” etc. etc. A set of coasters and some marble eggs later, a select few went a-swimming at the Trident Agra, until the man from Del Monte came into the pool wearing his underwear!
Sunday 20 July 2003
We checked out of the Trident Agra at the ungodly hour of 0600 to travel the 240 km to Jaipur. The journey seemed to last forever and the air-conditioning failed us yet again. After lunch at the Trident Jaipur, we visited the City Palace to see amongst other things the costumes of the fattest man in the world ever! A certain member of our party felt poorly and returned to the hotel via rickshaw. Unfortunately for him, the seat of his trousers was the source of great amusement for the rest of us.
The heavens opened again when some of us were in the pool; Devyani learned what it was like to have a soccer ball bounce off her head. Ciaran and Angelina watched as the wet got even wetter.
In the evening, we travelled in the darkness to a hellish place called Chokhi Dhani, a place offering not very fine food and very dodgy milk drinks. Angelina and I had our fortunes told while Del Monte danced the night away. A very, very wet and muddy night.
Monday 21 July 2003
After checking out of the Trident Jaipur, we proceeded to climb to the Amber Fort on elephant. This was a pretty horrific experience for most of us, but especially so for Simon who had a rather sweaty companion. I almost lost it with our elephant keeper who insisted I buy his elephant stick and freaked out some guys at the Fort with my pathetic Hindi greetings. How many times were we asked to buy photographs on the way up to that bloody Fort?
We returned to the Taj Palace in Delhi in the evening, dusty and very tired, but not tired enough to polish off the new bottles of red wine and most of the remaining booze in my room. Nobody liked my La Bouche CD though. There was even an appearance of a very fine young maiden in a pink and black sari begging outside a room on the 8th floor, "Mr. Halland! Mr. Halland!"
Tuesday 22 July 2003
The day was free for everyone except the Team Captains, who ended up being late for the press conference at British Council India because the coach driver thought he was taking us to the frigging airport. It turned out that he didn't know where he was going in any event and Jack Attack! was not at all pleased when we finally showed up for the thousands of press people (!). Angelina et al. went shopping yet again and proceeded to buy out the Central Cottage Emporium in Janpath.
Wednesday 23 July 2003
Some of us had a final shop at Dilli Haat. Ciaran bought a chess set for Thom and I bought some more very fine peacock feathers. BBC World held a reception at the Taj Palace in the evening to promote the show. We were given a treatise on University Challenge with a rather noisy powerpoint presentation. The evening was topped off with a preview of the show and a short live version of University Challenge India (starring Angelina and Thom). Music was provided by some weird percussionist and we even heard a speech from his even weirder, self-promoting American actress girlfriend.
Thursday 24 July 2003
We left the Taj Palace at 0215 for the AI 111 flight back to London.
And so our adventure ended - a surreal but fun time - the madness that was UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE INDIA!
University Challenge India Re-unions
Although Angelina and Alan met up in London three times in July/August, the first proper re-union occurred in Edinburgh on Friday 12 September 2003 at (guess where?) an Indian restaurant - The Bombay Bicycle. Here are some photos of the evening.
   
The next re-union took place in Belfast in December 2003 (again minus Ciaran). Angelina arrived on Saturday 13th December from a very wet and wild Wales and the Edinburgh clan (minus Will) arrived the following day. The main feature was to watch our appearance (kicking some Bradford ass) on the UK version of University Challenge on Monday 15 December.
    
'Feel' by Robbie Williams mp3 should play with Real Player or Windows Media Player.
It reminds me, at least, of our many meals in Cafe Fontana.
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