okka nimishaMlO …. (Just-A-Minute)

 

This is a competition where people score points for their ability to speak in Telugu for 60 seconds following certain rules.

 

The setup:

 

  1. The contestants (10-12) are seated in a semi-circle, each one equipped with a microphone and a signaling device connected to the timer. The seating assignment will be by the luck of the draw.
  2. The judge, timekeeper, and scorer are seated facing the contestants. The Timer is placed in front of the timekeeper and the display is visible to everyone including the contestants.
  3. Between the contestants and the judge there will be a table with a minimum of 20 cards with topics for the contest written on them and spread facedown. The judge should shuffle the cards after the contestants have been seated and spread them on the table in full view of everyone.

 

The play:

 

  1. The judge announces the start of the game and asks the first player to come and pickup a topic card, hand it over to the judge, and take the seat. The judge reads the topic aloud so that everyone can hear. The contestant will have 60 seconds to start (he or she can signal the start to the timekeeper before this time and start speaking) and talk on the topic in Telugu. The timer will start either when the contestant starts speaking or 60 seconds elapsed from the time the judge read the topic aloud, whichever is earlier.
  2. The contestant has to talk on the topic clearly and in a coherent fashion in Telugu with the following rules in mind: (Judge is the only authority on the decision of adherence to the rules)
    1. The talk has to be audible at least up to the first two rows of audience and each word clearly pronounced.
    2. The talk has to be even paced dramatically. Change of pace to suit dramatization in the talk is allowed but not to unduly waste time.
    3. Except for highly internalized words such as railu, sTEshanu, sharaa, etc., usage of foreign language words can be grounds for objection (see below). Even when a highly internalized foreign language word is used, contestants can object but must suggest an appropriate Telugu word (not a convoluted translation of the word). Common dialects of Andhra Pradesh are fully allowed. Unnecessary usage of other language words and phrases to ‘create’ dialects is forbidden.
    4. The topic must be addressed directly (not necessarily repeating the topic sentence) within the first 20 seconds of the talk and must be revisited directly at least once after that.
    5. Unnecessary repetition of sentences (with the exception of the topic sentence), deviation from the topic, stammering, hesitation, bad grammar, long pauses and muses are all causes for objections by the competitors.
  3. Objections to indicate violations of the rules above can be raised by any of the contestants by pressing the signal to stop the timer. No one else, including the judge, is allowed to raise objections. Once the clock stops and the timekeeper identifies the contestant who stopped the clock, the objector, has to clearly explain the rule violation to the judge. The judge will then rule on the objection by saying, “sustained” or “overruled”. If the judge’s ruling is:
    1. “Sustained”, the objector gets to talk on the same topic for the remainder of the minute as soon as the timekeeper signals the restart of the clock. This new speaker cannot repeat the same sentences or examples used by earlier speaker(s) on the same topic. However, if the objector had spoken earlier on the same topic, he/she can continue the earlier line of talk (this happens when the chance was taken back from another contestant after losing to an earlier sustained objection). In addition, all the rules above will continue to apply.
    2. “Overruled”, the contestant gets to continue after the timekeeper signals the restart of the clock. The same rules above will apply. At this time the contestant can choose to address the topic in an entirely different line or continue the earlier line. If continued from the earlier line of talk, narrative style and logic must be maintained. Otherwise, this incoherence can be cause for an objection.
  4. Scoring is as follows:
    1. A sustained objection will get one point to the objector.
    2. An overruled objection does not score any points to anyone except that frivolous objections in the opinion of the Judge can be grounds for deduction of a point or removal of the contestant.
    3. Whoever is speaking at the end of the sixtieth second (i.e. at the final buzzer for the minute) will be awarded two points.
    4. If the original contestant who picked the topic completes the talk at the sixtieth second without losing to an objection (i.e. all objections were overruled), he/she will be awarded three bonus points in addition to the regular two points.

 

  1. The second contestant will choose the next topic and the entire process repeats as above. Once as many topics are addressed, as there are contestants, the round is complete.
  2. After three rounds, the winners (First, Second, and Third place) are declared from the highest scores. In case of a tie for any one or all of the places, the contest will continue only among the tied contestants until resolved. (i.e. if the first or second place is tied, only those two contestants will participate in the tie-breaking rounds).