“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.” – Ralph Waldo EmersonThe
Super 50 Debate Club is an endeavour of the school which focusses on creating the next generation of debaters through training and practice. In order to jumpstart the very same, an intensive workshop was organised under the able guidance of
Mr. Easwar Anand Thampi, a renowned Debate Trainer and Panelist. The duration of the workshop was a week starting from
23rd to 30th July 2022. The first day of the workshop was eventful. There was an ice breaking session where the students were asked to use the unorthodox approach of introducing each other. This was an exercise that awakened their observatory skills and made them present the same to a large gathering. This was followed by a fiery discussion about ‘Abortion Rights and Laws’ across the globe which our young debaters eagerly participated in. The following day, the students discussed the most widely used debate format in India which is Asian Parliamentary Debate. The motion was: ‘This House Will restore Article 370.’ The session gave the students a deeper understanding of the issue and of the specific format of debating. Due to the unforeseen circumstances of heavy rains and flooding in the city, the next session was conducted online but was highly productive as a movie, ‘The Great Debaters’, was screened which stirred a brand-new passion and understanding of debating in each debater. The answer to the question of who is my opponent, which was “He does not exist” was a confidence boosting take-away. One of the root causes of anxiety and stage fright was that most students felt ill prepared or not adequately researched. This was by a session dedicated to the process of researching.
The following sessions were held offline the first of which consisted of a discussion on the formats of debating in general, which consists of the 3 Parliamentary Debates, Asian, British and American which were briefly discussed. This was followed by a discussion on logic, assertion and arguments which gave the young debaters a deeper insight into the true meaning and purpose of debating. On the sixth day there was a session of both Block and Tackle Debate and Turnacoat Debates, wherein each group member spoke up confidently about the topics assigned to them.
The final session consisted of block and tackle debates with preassigned and thoroughly researched topics. By the end of this session each student present had spoken at least once in front of the audience which was important to check the understanding of both the process of the workshop and the topics discussed.
The Closing Ceremony was presided by Ma’am Principal, Mrs. Neera Singh, wherein Ma’am highlighted the importance of such programmes and instilled enthusiasm and inspiration amongst the young debaters. Badges were then rightfully awarded to each student of the workshop.
It was definitely a matter of pride and privilege for the students to be associated with such a reputed, knowledgeable trainer and engage in this tremendous intellectual exercise.
