Engage with issues that matter at Speak for India debate contest
NEW DELHI: The future of any country lies in the hands of the youth, who with their access to the latest technological developments have the power to voice the change they want to see. It is with the intent of encouraging the young voices of the National Capital Region (NCR) that Federal Bank and Hindustan Times have come together to organise one of India’s largest inter-college debate competitions in the region.
The ‘Speak for India’ debate completion was first launched in Kerala in 2014 and having received an enormous response, was conducted in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in the following years. The event last year saw the participation of more that two lakh students from across 4,450 colleges. The announcement of the competition in NCR last week has already garnered a positive response, with registrations picking up at an impressive pace.
“Speak for India has its Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu editions. Students from all colleges are getting an opportunity to participate and present their points in their preferred language. This makes the program unique and could be one of the reasons for it being hailed as the most prestigious debating event. I am certain to hear similar success stories of participation with enthusiasm and passion from the NCR too,” said Ajith Kumar K K, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer.
Apart from making available a democratic platform for students to voice their opinions, the
highlight of the event is that it encourages students to speak in the vernaculars. At NCR, the debate competition will be carried out in four languages -English, Hindi, Haryanvi, and Punjabi.
Some of the topics on which students have in the previous editions voiced their opinions include ‘uniforms must be made necessary in colleges’, ‘castebased reservations should be discontinued’, ‘campus politics should be banned’, and ‘one nation, one election is the step forward for the growth of our nation.’
While the topics will be different for the NCR event, they give an idea of the nature of the issues on which students are encouraged to put forth their arguments both articulately and fearlessly. It is to be noted that there would be no topics involving religion and political bias.
“I think debates are a very important aspect of our democracy and we must preserve and promote the culture of debate. More youth should take part in such debates and share their views on various issues. From the inception of our government, we have focused on the issue of developing children and youth and focused on the culture of conversation. In every conversation and debate, language plays a big role and I am happy to see that here they will be allowed to speak in four different languages which will help them to communicate more freely and to put forward their views,” said deputy chief minister and minister in-charge of art, culture and language, Manish Sisodia.
“This is an excellent opportunity for young people to engage with the issues that matter in our country, to articulate their vision and hone their speaking skills,” said Soumya Bhattacharya, Managing Editor, Hindustan Times
The last date for registrations is December 10. The initial screening will be done through auditions at sub-zonal levels across 12-15 centres in NCR. Shortlisted candidates will then compete at four zonal auditions, out of which 30 will be selected to participate at the semi-finals, and eight finalists will compete at the grand finale to be telecast on TV.
Participants are encouraged for form informed opinions on subjects which are most crucial to the socio-economic and cultural fabric of the society in current times.
Winners can get a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh, a scholarship of Rs 50,000 and college reward worth Rs 25,000. The first runner up will also get a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 20,000 college reward. Apart from this, there is also a category of popular choice award with a cash prize of Rs 80,000 and consolation cash prize for five participants of Rs 25,000.