What’s the Good Word? A Spirited Afternoon of Wit, Wordplay, and Friendly Rivalry
What’s the Good Word?
A Spirited Afternoon of Wit, Wordplay, and Friendly Rivalry
One of the club’s most eagerly awaited in-house events, What’s the Good Word?, returned this year with all the charm, humour, competitiveness, and linguistic brilliance that Rotarians have come to love over the years, curated and conducted by the ever-graceful Rtn. Sabira Merchant transformed the afternoon into a delightful celebration of vocabulary, wit, quick thinking, and camaraderie, keeping the audience thoroughly entertained from start to finish.
The session opened with an energetic and characteristically witty introduction by IPP Satyan Israni, who welcomed the gathering and introduced the afternoon’s host, Rtn. Sabira Merchant, as the “doyenne of diction” and the “GOAT in our language, ” set the perfect tone for the event ahead.
Three teams took centre stage for the competition, each bringing together personalities known for their intellect, humour, and verbal agility.
Team One – The Vocab Voyagers
- PP Vineet Bhatnagar, whose fiscal acumen is matched only by his sesquipedalian tendencies and knack for wealth management wisdom
- Priya Tanna, a journalistic virtuoso whose editorial precision ensures that no dangling participle or lacklustre adjective ever escapes her formidable scrutiny
Team Two – The Syllable Slayers
- Aditya Somani, a curator of cultural splendours who navigates our heritage with the same effortless farago of elegance and historical erudition
- Amee Tanna, a realtor who is an oenophile, pronounced as ee-no-phile. It means she’s a wine geek whose linguistic dexterity is sure to leave the opposition in a state of terminal befuddlement
Team Three – The Lexicon Lionesses
- Manjeet Kripalani, a global affairs titan who dissects geopolitical complexities with the same rhodomontade-free clarity she brings to the speaker’s podium
- Natasha Treasurywala, a pre-eminent legal eagle whose mastery of transactional complexities makes her a truly redoubtable adversary in any war of words
Supporting the smooth conduct of the game were “Santa’s little elves”, Rtn. Rekha Tanna and IPP Satyan Israni, providing “scaffolding for this year’s exhibition of intellectual gymnastics”.
Before commencing the game, Sabira briefed the audience on the rules, cautioning everyone against calling out answers during play. Contestants were required to describe words without using parts of the word itself, capitalised words, rhyming words, hyphenated words, or foreign and Indian-sounding words — making the challenge significantly more demanding than it initially appeared.
The game began with remarkable speed and enthusiasm. Team One immediately established itself as a formidable force, with PP Vineet Bhatnagar and Rtn. Priya Tanna demonstrating excellent coordination and sharp clueing skills. Priya’s clue “shy” instantly led Vineet to correctly guess “introvert”, earning praise from Sabira for the quality of the clueing.
Soon afterwards came one of the afternoon’s most entertaining moments, when all three teams struggled with the word “laureates”. Contestants circled clues such as “winner”, “victor”, “peace”, “prize”, “champion” and “physics”, before the audience triumphantly arrived at the correct answer. Sabira laughingly remarked that “poet” or “famous” might have made the journey easier.
Throughout the session, the atmosphere remained lively and deeply engaging. Contestants moved through a series of challenging words, including “approximately”, “unbelievable”, “medicinal”, “privacy”, “hectic”, “symbolic” and “dramatic”, often producing hilarious exchanges, passionate debates over clue validity, and spontaneous audience participation.
Team Two, represented by Rtn. Aditya Somani and Rtn. Amee Tanna brought tremendous humour and flair to the proceedings. Their rounds were marked by animated clueing, playful confusion, and several near misses. Amee’s use of “Italian” as a clue during one round drew immediate intervention from Sabira, who firmly reminded participants that proper nouns and capitalised words were prohibited.
Team Three, comprising Rtn. Manjeet Kripalani and Rtn. Natasha Treasurywala steadily emerged as a strong contender during the latter half of the game. Natasha’s precise and strategic clueing style, combined with Manjeet’s quick responses, enabled the team to rapidly close the score gap with Team One. Their excellent handling of words such as “recognition”, “service,” and “symbolic” kept the competition intense until the very end.
Interspersed between the word rounds were quiz segments featuring a wide variety of questions spanning literature, psychology, geography, Rotary history, sports, technology, and general knowledge. Participants were asked who coined the terms “introvert” and “extrovert” (Carl Jung), which president famously quoted “miles to go before I sleep” (John F. Kennedy), and what the first item sold online in 1994 was — a pizza, to everyone’s surprise and amusement.
The quiz also included questions on Rotary International, with participants recalling that Rotary was founded by Paul Harris in Chicago in 1905 and that the organisation’s motto is “Service Above Self”. Sports and geography made memorable appearances as well, with contestants correctly identifying Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold medal in javelin, Sachin Tendulkar’s 200 Test matches, the Nile as the world’s longest river, Jupiter as the largest planet in the solar system, and the Mariana Trench as the deepest point in the ocean.
As the scores tightened during the final rounds, the atmosphere in the room became increasingly electric. Satyan’s humorous commentary added greatly to the excitement, especially when he joked that Team Two’s scores were “like attendance below 70 — not worth announcing”, prompting laughter across the hall.
The final rounds proved decisive. Team One maintained its consistency and composure under pressure, eventually emerging victorious with 45 points. Team Three finished a close second with 40 points after a spirited comeback, while Team Two secured third place after contributing significantly to the entertainment and energy of the afternoon.
A particularly memorable revelation came during the closing remarks, when Satyan disclosed that Team One had performed “absolutely miserably” during the rehearsal rounds and had been made to practise repeatedly by Sabira herself, making their eventual victory all the more satisfying and well-earned.
In his concluding remarks, Honorary Secretary Farhat Jamal described What’s the Good Word? as one of the club’s most anticipated in-house events, noting that the attendance of 133 members and guests reflected its enduring popularity. He thanked Sabira for curating the event so beautifully year after year and acknowledged the efforts of Rtn. Rekha Tanna, Sabira’s assistants, Hina, Ms. Sangha, and Lucifer for their invaluable assistance behind the scenes.
Filled with laughter, intellectual sparring, spontaneous humour, and enthusiastic audience participation, What’s the Good Word? once again proved to be far more than just a vocabulary game. It was an afternoon that celebrated fellowship, quick thinking, language, learning, and the uniquely warm spirit of Rotary.
Rotarians Sabira Merchant, IPP Satyan Israni, Rtn. Rekha Tanna, PP Vineet Bhatnagar, Rtn. Priya Tanna, Rtn. Aditya Somani, Rtn. Amee Tanna, Rtn. Manjeet Kripalani, Rtn. Natasha Treasurywala — What’s the Good Word?
IPP Satyan Israni:
All right, let’s start. I think the vocabulary is really going somewhere. So, good afternoon, all of you. And first, let me introduce the legendary, the GOAT in our language, the greatest of all time, the one and only, the doyenne of diction, who transformed pageant winners into global icons and continues to preside over our linguistic faculties with incomparable panache — Rtn. Sabira Merchant.
We have Team One, the Vocab Voyagers. We have a past president whose fiscal acumen is matched only by his sesquipedalian tendencies and knack for wealth management wisdom, PP Vineet Bhatnagar. He has an able partner, a journalistic virtuoso whose editorial precision ensures that no dangling participle or lacklustre adjective ever escapes her formidable scrutiny — Rtn. Priya Tanna.
To get into a verbal war with them, we have the Syllable Slayers. We have a curator of cultural splendours who navigates our heritage with the same effortless farago of elegance and historical erudition — Rtn. Aditya Somani. And along with him, we have a realtor who is an oenophile, pronounced as ee-no-phile. It means she’s a wine geek whose linguistic dexterity is sure to leave the opposition in a state of terminal befuddlement — Rtn. Amee Tanna.
And to jostle with both the teams, we have Team Three, the Lexicon Lions — or should I say the Lexicon Lionesses? We have a global affairs titan who dissects geopolitical complexities with the same rhodomontade-free clarity she brings to the speaker’s podium — Manjeet Kripalani. And with her, we have a pre-eminent legal eagle whose mastery of transactional complexities makes her a truly redoubtable adversary in any war of words — Natasha Treasurywala, a winner from two years ago.
And a note for the assistants — we have the very able Rtn. Rekha Tanna and yours truly. We are Santa’s little elves. We’ll be providing some sort of scaffolding for this year’s exhibition of intellectual gymnastics.
So, let’s hand it over to Sabi Aunty to take it forward.
Sabira Merchant:
Thank you very much. There’s one word of caution, please, to the audience. I know you think en masse, and it’s easier for you to come up with a word, but do not speak the word when the game is going on. That’s the one word of caution. If, at the end of the rounds, they do not get the words, then I will open it out to the audience.
So, this is a word game. I’ll briefly go over the rules. You can’t use part of the word as a clue word. You can’t use anything with a capital letter. You can’t use any hyphenated words. No foreign or Indian-sounding words. And no rhyming words. It’s quite a toughie, I know, but they’ve been so good. At rehearsals, they’ve been absolutely marvellous.
So, I’m going to let them start. Best of luck to all of you.
Now, Rekha is going to hand over the envelopes to the person on the right, and they’re going to clue the person on the left as to what the word is that they have opened. Remember, you cannot use opposites.
The time starts now.
Priya:
Shy.
Vineet:
Introvert
Sabira Merchant:
Look at that good clueing. Shy — I would have said withdrawn or something like that.
Aditya:
Winner.
Amee:
Victor.
Aditya:
Prize.
Amee:
Champions.
Aditya:
Peace.
Satyan: ten seconds
Pass on.
Sabira Merchant:
Natasha: Winner.
Manjeet: Victor.
Natasha: Peace
Manjeet: Prize.
Natasha: Champion.
Manjeet: Physics.
Vineet: Award.
Priya: Peace.
Vineet: Champion.
Vineet: Nobel
Priya: Prize.
Sabira Merchant:
Done. We throw it to the audience.
No one got it. Audience?
Audience Member:
Laureates.
Sabira Merchant:
See, you got it. The audience got “laureates”. That’s the simplest clue they could have given. Poet, famous, laureate — you would have thought of it. One-word clues only, one-word clues.
Participant:
I said it.
Aditya:
No, she said no, but I can’t say yes to it because “Nobel” is a small little mistake.
And had I said “Nobel” as a clue…
Sabira: All right, now the third word.
Satyan:
Okay, Natasha.
Natasha:
A courier.
Manjeet:
Messenger.
Natasha:
Labour.
Manjeet:
Delivery.
Sabira Merchant:
Lovely. Good.
Now we’ve had three words. We’re going to have three questions now. Questions are not open to the audience until they finish, okay? So I’m just cautioning you.
Your first question, Vineet and Priya — who devised the words “introvert” and “extrovert”?
Vineet:
Devise? Devised?
Sabira Merchant:
Who made those words?
Participant:
Freud.
Sabira Merchant:
Not Sigmund Freud, no. Anyone in the audience?
Who devised those words? Carl Jung. Carl Jung devised the words “introvert” and “extrovert”.
And the second word, “laureate”, goes to you, Aditya. Which president had “promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep”?
Sabira Merchant:
Which president? I’ll give you America, okay?
Aditya:
Which American president? Okay, because Nehru wrote it on his bedside when he died, but which president said it?
“I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.”
Aditya:
Lincoln, for want of a better answer. Lincoln.
Sabira Merchant:
That’s your answer?
Aditya:
Yes.
Audience:
Kennedy. JFK.
Sabira Merchant:
Yeah, it was John Kennedy. Yeah.
It was John F. Kennedy.
And the third question, which is a very amusing question — and you’re going to love this question — what was the first item widely recognised to be sold online in the year 1994? What was that item? You’re not to mention it, audience. It’s open to Team C. What was that object which was ordered online? Very simple, very easy.
Manjeet:
Was it an electronic item?
Sabira Merchant:
No.
Participant:
A book? Is it a book?
Sabira Merchant:
Oh yeah, book. A book.
Yeah, I thought you’d say a book because it occurred to me it should be a book. But it was a pizza. A pizza was the first thing that was ordered online. How cool is that? How good is that?
All right, now we have word four.
Vineet:
Sprinter.
Priya:
Athlete.
Sabira Merchant:
Yes. Very good. That’s great. Immediately you got it. It was a good clue. Very good clue. “Sprinter”, “athlete” — excellent.
This is another very simple word. One hundred per cent, I tell you, you will get it.
Amee:
Universe.
Aditya:
Galaxy.
Sabira Merchant:
All right, great. Now we have the next word. You’re doing pretty well. We’ll have a little look at the marks after a while.
IPP Satyan Israni:
Team One is winning right now. But let’s not intimidate — the others are good.
Manjeet:
Estimate.
Natasha:
Budget.
Manjeet: About.
Natasha: Measure.
Manjeet: Around.
Natasha: Bigger.
Vineet: Nearly.
Priya: Roughly.
Vineet: Almost.
Priya: Approximately.
Sabira Merchant:
Yes. Wow, they’re really doing well. “Approximately”, yes, absolutely.
Vineet: Cheek.
Priya: Acute.
Sabira:
Acute. A-C-U-T-E. Acute.
Vineet: Severe.
Priya:
Measures.
Priya:
Excess.
Vineet:
Extreme.
Sabira Merchant:
Oh my goodness. They’re getting all the words. It’s unbelievable.
IPP Satyan Israni:
I think you’ll need to speak closer into the mic. People cannot hear your words and the clues. I think in the next round, Team One need not participate for the next two or three rounds.
Aditya: Inexplicable.
Amee: Confused.
Aditya: Ridiculous.
Participant:
Ludicrous.
AMee:
Crazy.
Satyan:
Pass.
Natasha:
Unfathomable.
Manjeet:
Unknown.
Natasha:
Ridiculous.
Manjeet:
Absurd.
Natasha:
Unfathomable.
Manjeet:
Strange.
Satyan:
Pass.
Priya:
Unimaginable.
Vineet:
Unreal.
Priya:
Indigestible.
Vineet:
Incomprehensible.
Priya:
Fallacy.
Vineet:
Unknown. Pass.
Audience:
Unbelievable.
Sabira Merchant:
Okay, the audience got it.
Participant:
Yeah.
Sabira Merchant:
Audience got it. Do you want to ask it?
Now the questions.
Sabira Merchant:
This is a very, very easy word.
Participant:
Really easy. I’m very akin to Rotary.
Manjeet:
Waiter.
Natasha:
Service.
Sabira Merchant:
Thank you. Fantastic.
Now we have three questions.
All right, the first question is for Team A. Which Indian athlete won a gold medal, and in which discipline, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
Vineet:
Neeraj for javelin.
Sabira Merchant:
Neeraj Chopra, yes, for javelin.
Now the next question. We have a Rotary question now. In which year was Rotary International founded by Paul Harris in Chicago? It’s open to you, Amee.
Aditya:
1907.
Sabira Merchant:
You’re pretty close. It’s 1905.
Participant:
He was thinking about it at that time.
Sabira Merchant:
1905. Paul Harris founded Rotary in Chicago in 1905. Very close — two years here and there.
And the third question for you: which is the largest planet in our solar system?
Natasha:
Jupiter.
Satyan: I’m saying no scores for the question.
All right, let’s look at the scores.
IPP Satyan Israni:
Team One way ahead. I mean, they’re just taking it away right now. Team One with 30. Second is Team Three with 17 — a lot of catching up to do. And Team Two is like our attendance when it falls below 70; we don’t announce it.
Sabira Merchant:
All right, so we go back to our words. Remember, you can’t use part of the word. I’m just cautioning you again.
Priya:
Clinical.
Yeah. No, broaden it a bit. Truncate it a little bit. Guys, he’s quite close.
Satyan:
All three done. He said three words.
Priya:
He said “medical”, which is very close.
Satyan:
He gave three answers, but they’re not…
Priya:
Let Sabi Aunty decide.
Vineet:
Satyen, you are a mere organiser. You are a mere scorekeeper, score announcer.
Sabira:
pass on. You know what it is now. Expand on it.
Clinical.
Amee:
Ayurvedic.
Sabira Merchant:
“Ayurvedic” will be starting with a capital A. Capital A. Oh, is it? Capital A. Pass.
Satyan:
Pass, pass. Next team. You’re already 10 seconds down.
Natasha:
Medical. Oh, can I say medical? She’s already got it.
Natasha
Properties.
Manjeet:
Hospitals.
Sabira:
Yeah, she’s not getting it.
Manjeet:
Diagnosis.
Participant:
Ayurveda.
Sabira Merchant:
Can’t hear what’s going on. Open to the floor now.
Audience:
Medicinal.
Sabira Merchant:
Yes.
Vineet:
Don’t you agree, Farooq, that “medical” should have got it?
Aditya:
It’s “medicinal”.
Satyan:
“Medical” and “medicinal” are both different.
Priya:
You will know the difference very soon.
Sabira Merchant:
DO we have Priya threatening with the mic.
You have to start.
You’ll get it.
Aditya:
Pit.
Amee: Seed.
Aditya:
Mariners.
Amee: Navy.
Sabira:
No. Pass.
Manjeet:
Submerged.
Natasha:
Deep.
Manjeet:
Ocean.
natasha:
Down. Depth.
Priya: Coat
Vineet: Trench.
Natasha:
Menu.
Manjeet: Feast.
Natasha:
Italian.
Sabira Merchant:
No, you can’t say “Italian”. It begins with a capital letter. Disqualified. Pass.
Priya:
Food.
Vineet:
Serving type.
Priya:
Food type. Pasta.
Aditya:
Variety.
Amee:
Entrée.
Aditya:
Food.
Amee:
Appetiser.
Satyan:
No. Audience?
Audience:
Cuisine.
Sabira Merchant:
Yeah, cuisine.
Okay, so you’ve got three, I’ve got three.
Now this is a very easy question. It really is. I mean, you know the answer, but I’m going to ask you the approximate words. Who is the wealthiest Indian actor, and what is his approximate net worth?
Vineet:
Shah Rukh Khan,15,000 crores.
Sabira Merchant:
No, it’s 10,800 crores, to be exact.
Vineet:
But that is only the accounted one.
Aditya:
Priya knows the rest of it also.
Vineet: I have seen the other net worth too.
Sabira: And now your question.
Which is the longest river in the world, and which is the largest river in the world?
Aditya:
So, the largest is definitely the Amazon in terms of spread, and the longest would be the Nile.
Sabira Merchant:
The Nile, yeah, absolutely.
Aditya:
Saving grace. Geography for the win.
Sabira Merchant:
Now the third question for you. Who holds the record for playing 200 matches in Test cricket? Now this is an easy one.
Manjeet:
Sachin Tendulkar.
Sabira Merchant:
Yes, Sachin.
Satyan:
Manjeet, you better know that. You sit in Wankhede every day.
Vineet: Busy.
Priya: Occupied.
Vineet: Schedule.
Priya: Calendar. Meetings.
Satyan:
Pass.
Aditya: Organised.
Amee: Occupied.
Aditya: Packed.
Amee: Fast.
Aditya: Full.
Satyan: Pass
Manjeet: Busy.
Natasha: Tied up. I know, I know. But that’s what comes to mind.
Manjeet: Active. Schedule.
Natasha: Planner.
Satyan: No pass, audience?
Audience:
Hectic.
Sabira Merchant:
“Hectic” is correct.
Amee:
Acknowledgement.
Aditya:
Acceptance.
amee: Seeing.
Aditya: Believing.
Amee:
Award.
Aditya:
Trophy.
Satyan:
Pass.
Manjeet:
Acknowledgement.
natasha: Recognition.
Sabira Merchant:
That’s great. Good. I’m glad you got it. Now this is the 16th word. We have a few words left, that’s all.
IPP Satyan Israni:
Team One is leading. The rest are not worth announcing. And now they’re saying give them some fake points.
Manjeet:
Sign.
Natasha:
Symbol. Symbolic.
Sabira Merchant:
Yes.
This next one is also an easy word.
IPP Satyan Israni:
Okay, now it’s a very tough fight between Team One and Team Three. There’s only a two-point difference between the two of you.
No pressure.
Sabira Merchant:
This is such a simple question. I don’t even really feel like asking it. A Rotary question for you again. What is the primary motto of Rotary International?
Vineet:
Service before self.
Sabira Merchant:
Yes, “Service Above Self”.
Aditya:
For a past president, I think that’s minus 10.
Sabira Merchant:
Now, what plant is used to make quinine, which treats malaria? If you just say what part, that’s good enough. What part of a plant is used to make this? And if you can say the name of the plant, that’s great.
Aditya:
The leaves.
Sabira: No, it’s the bark. The cinchona bark, which makes medication that treats malaria.
And for you, since you guessed the word too — which is the world’s deepest place in an ocean?
The deepest place in an ocean? In the ocean. Any ocean all over the world. If you just name it, it’s good enough. You don’t have to give me the depth.
Satyan:
It’s deeper than the height of a mountain.
Participant:
Mariana Trench.
Sabira: 36,161 feet deep.
Sabira Merchant:
Let’s do the last three words now.
IPP Satyan Israni:
Guys, the last three words — this is going to be make or break for Team One and Team Three.
Priya:
Okay, I’ll start. Natural.
Vineet:
Original.
Sabira Merchant:
This is a very easy word which you’re getting, Aditya.
Aditya: Disturb.
Amee:
Upset.
Aditya:
Personal.
Amee:
Angry.
Aditya:
Safety.
Satyan:
Ten seconds, but yes, okay, they’re ready to pass.
Natasha:
Confidential.
Manjeet:
Secure.
Natasha:
Locked.
Manjeet:
Security.
Natasha:
Policy.
Satyan:
“Policy”, she said. Lawyers will understand that.
Manjeet: Closure.
Satyan:
Pass.
Sabira Merchant: So no one got it?
Priya:
Reserved.
Vineet:
Privacy.
So “confidential”, “personal”, “policy” — those were the clues. Their clues were good. I could see the clueing was very good on that side, but they just didn’t get the word. And then you got their clues.
Satyan: The last word.
Natasha:
Theatric.
Manjeet:
Drama.
Natasha:
Expand.
Manjeet:
Dramatic.
Satyan:
Well done. Wow, that’s very good.
We’re done. Let’s wrap up.
Vineet: Is it a tie? So then Team B wins. If it’s a tie, Team B wins.
IPP Satyan Israni:
No, no, no tie.
So, the winner will be announced after the loser. As second runner-up, we have Team Two with nine points. Team Three is second, which gave a very tough fight to Team One. Team Three has reached 40 points, and Team One, 45.
I think they all deserve a huge round of applause. All of them.
Okay, one secret — we had two practice rounds. In the first practice round, Team One was miserable, absolutely miserable. Sabi Aunty made them practise three times after that on the same day, saying, “You’re so bad.” And the way it has reversed…
Sabira: And we had champagne there.
Bimal: Thank you. This was just a fun afternoon.
Vineet, you made it after the disastrous practice rounds. I had spies out there saying maybe Vineet needs to get out. But thank you all. It was great. Practising and keeping the Webster Dictionary at your bedside did help.
Aditya: Before that, can I just make one point? In all of the rehearsals, etc., we’ve had such a good time, and I think a huge round of applause for a fantastic person for all the hard work here on the ball.
Natasha:
Thank you, and to her excellent assistants, Hina, Ms Sangha, and Lucifer. Can we also give a big thank you to Hina? And to Lucifer — where is he sitting?
Farhat Jamal:
I think this is one of the most awaited in-house Rotary events that we have, and the attendance speaks for itself — 133 today. It’s absolutely fabulous.
A big, big thank you to Sabby. I think you really curated it so beautifully. You do it every year, year on year — exceptional.
To all the three teams, who’ve done exceptionally well, and to all our audience, who’ve been so participative in this session today — I’m at a loss for words, actually.
And thank you so much, Rekha, and of course to Satyan for being such a good sport.