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Giri Balasubramanium

Giri Balasubramaniam is an Indian entrepreneur, author, and a prominent quizmaster. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Greycaps, a knowledge services company specializing in quizzing and educational programs.[1][2] Balasubramanium is particularly recognized for hosting the Tata Crucible corporate and campus quizzes since 2004.[3][4][5] He is also known by his pseudonym Pickbrain.[5][6]

Early life and career

Giri has an MBA in Media Management and a master's degree in Gandhian Philosophy and Thought.[7] Giri started his career in 1992, with The Economic Times, and was later part of the team responsible for successful relaunch of The Bangalore Edition of The Times of India in 1996. He then worked with Walt Disney group for three years and served as the vice-president in-charge of Content and Strategy for Indiainfo.[citation needed]

He founded Quizbrain.com, in 1999 and later launched his own company Greycaps.[8][9] The company focuses on large-scale onstage quizzing events and providing knowledge-based services.

Work

Giri is a noted quizmaster and author of several quiz books. He is best known as the host for the Tata Crucible series of business quizzes for corporates and college students, a role he has held since the event's inception in 2004.[3] He also hosts the national inter-school IT quiz TCS IT Wiz (rebranded as TCS InQuizitive), claimed to be India's biggest inter-school IT Quiz,[10][5] RBI Quiz, and Thomas Cook’s Travel Quest.[5]

He hosts these events across India and internationally in locations including Singapore, the UAE, the UK, and the USA.[2][3][11] He is noted for his engaging and witty style of presentation.[3][11] Speaker biographies and profiles state that he has hosted over 2000 quiz shows across numerous cities globally.[8][12]

Giri is a regular guest speaker and advisory panel member at several B‐schools, educational institutions and corporate houses in India. In 2007,The Times of India identified him amongst "Potential Future Leaders of India" as part of its Lead India Initiative.[citation needed]

He is also the mind behind the Global Awareness Program (GAP) one of India's first focused, structured knowledge enhancement programs for school children and Knowledge‐Hub & Global Business Review for management students.

In 2021, he made his debut in films with the Tamil film Kamali from Nadukkaveri.[citation needed]

Recognition

Balasubramanium has been recognized multiple times by the Limca Book of Records for his quizzing activities.[1] Some reports mention seven such records.[1] Quizzes he has hosted, such as the National Rural IT Quiz, have also been featured in the Limca Book of Records.[13]

Awards

  • Nominated the Global Innovator Award 2005‐06 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States
  • Recipient of seven Limca Book of Records for quizzing achievements
  • Nominated for an Internet Oscar in 2001 at the Asian Internet Awards, Singapore
  • CM Asia Award 2004 and 2005
  • Nominated for the Dewang Mehta Award given by the Ministry Of Information Technology, Government of India[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Mr. Giri 'Pickbrain' Balasubramaniam: Finding One's Unicorn Moment". TED. September 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  2. ^ a b "Times of Oman mega school quiz begins today". Times of Oman. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  3. ^ a b c d "About Us - Business Quiz Competitions & Hackathons". Tata Crucible. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  4. ^ "Quiz on the Beach® (QoTB)". T. A. Pai Management Institute. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  5. ^ a b c d "A quiz enables collective learning". Financialexpress. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  6. ^ "Tapping into knowledge economy". The Hindu. 2012-08-14. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  7. ^ "Interview with Giri". Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Giri Balasubramaniam - Indian Speaker Bureau". www.indianspeakerbureau.com. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  9. ^ "Invite Giri Balasubramaniam, Speaker and Coach". SpeakIn. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  10. ^ "TCS IT Wiz - India's biggest inter-school IT Quiz". www.tcsitwiz.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  11. ^ a b "International Online Campus Quiz in Singapore For Students". Tata Crucible. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  12. ^ "Giri Balasubramanium: Why is it important to ask the right questions?". TED. January 2018. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  13. ^ Raghavendra, R (30 October 2006). "TCS guns for Guinness record". The Times of India. Retrieved 2025-04-21.