On a busy Saturday evening at the 34th Vijayawada Book Festival, one could see children, numbering around 60, gathering under a tent that has a small stage and a screen. As time passes, more children, led by their parents, trickle in, as it is time for the annual quiz contest.
Every year, students from schools and junior colleges across the city attend the two-day contest hosted by Ashok Yanamadala, an ex-serviceman and a retired professor of Anesthesiology at Dr. Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation in Gannavaram. Book Festival Society honorary chairman Babji says only selected students attend these contests, and prizes are given on the last day of the festival.
Known for his passion for conducting quizzes for students in and around the city, Mr. Yanamadala has conducted 16 competitions during his eight-year association with the book exhibition organisers.
