It was a war of words as students vied for top positions at the finals of the Frank Anthony Memorial All-India Inter-School Debate Competition 2011 held on Monday.
Seven teams from classes XI and XII, from schools across the country, debated on ‘We live in an interesting age where the power of information and internet and the balance of power rests entirely with the youth.’ Almost all participants quoted Anna Hazare and his campaign.
Many participants said the Internet would not empower youth and Gen X did not have a cool mind or experience to wield power. They said many youth were also misinformed about issues. But critics of this view said most successful people started off from their youth.
“If I were to leave a status message on the face book saying that I am against corruption and will hold a protest, I will get a million messages supporting me. However, no one will come out on the streets and really support me. They won’t be ready to face baton-charging police for a noble cause. However, due to the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, many youth are aware of this social evil and they at least show their support to campaigns against it,” said one of the debaters.
“We want to encourage youth to be more creative and articulate while speaking and writing. Debating contests like this will help them in boldly expressing their thoughts on diverse topics. The debaters have shown rare maturity. The quality of essays and creative writings has become more refined,” said Gerry Arathoon, additional secretary and officiating chief executive secretary of ISCE, New Delhi.
Justice MN Venkatachaliah, the chief guest, said the future of India looked bright. “It is a long time since I heard such arguments. And these students expressed themselves brilliantly. Although the subject was a tricky one, they used the right language effectively to put across their points,” he said.
On a lighter note, he added, “I’m glad I won’t be the judge in the court hall, when they become lawyers.”
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