The student populace of MIT has been a recurring champion of discourse and has relentlessly pursued the ability to find utterance. Whether it’s the daily inconveniences that we collectively encounter or the various atrocities that transpire across the nation. The Annual Inter Section Debate Tournament, organized by the Literary, Debating and Quizzing Club of the institution served as the perfect testament to the above mentioned. The event-catering exclusively to freshmen-enfolded over a three day weekend with an initial workshop on Debate and Public Speaking.

PC: Sankar Nath

The Debate and Public Speaking workshop conducted within the prestigious walls of the AC Seminar Hall, was subject to a substantial gathering of anxious freshmen. The session commenced with a brief introduction of the speakers by a member of the organizing committee. The Public Speaking segment of the workshop was administered by Noel V Thomas, a second year undergraduate and fellow member of the club, who spoke on the various technicalities that ensues within the realm of speech and diction. He further endorsed the usage of simple verbalization and provided suitable methods of transitioning awkward pauses to one’s own advantage. Athyunnath Eleti, who previously served as the Head of Debate and Public Speaking for the organization initiated the second segment of the evening and began by redefining the purpose of debating as a sole means to win over the judges. Coupled with a collection of AV clips, he delivered a commendable seminar on the requisites of competitive debating and its different formats. A mock debate amongst the spectators culminated the workshop.

PC: Sankar Nath

The Inter Section Debate Tournament commencing on the 30^th of October was segregated into four rounds with ‘Asian Parliamentary’ adopted as the official format for the tournament. Representatives of all twenty four sections were required to appear in teams of three with an additional member serving as Adjudicator. The first round of the tournament dictated each representative of a team to deliver a seven minute speech while sufficing as the Prime Minister of a country. The speech propositions were allocated a day prior to the competition and comprised issues of global as well as national interest such as the implications of labour laws overseas, violations of human rights and the inculcation of sex education in high school curriculum.

The eight teams that had successfully lapsed into the subsequent stages of the tournament were subject to a series of rigorous parliamentarian debates. The participants, who were intimated with their respective motions thirty minutes in advance, further authenticated the debates as they contended purely on spontaneity and wit. Being peer regulated, the victors of each session were adjudged by members of the managing committee while the Adjudicators furnished their fair opinion. All of which left no room for prejudice and made for an equally enjoyable event to witness. Lasya Lakshmi, President of the club said “The event was a great success in terms of participation and quality with the finals being one among the best debates that I’ve witnessed in Manipal.”
She also hopes to establish a debating society exclusive to the institution within the next two years.  The Inter Section Debate Tournament yet again validated itself as LnD’s flagship event and instilled into the freshmen a spirit of competitive debating.