If a group of randomly selected college students were asked their opinion about debating, some would say that it is a good extracurricular activity. The rest would reply that they’ve been a part of a debate or two in college events, but nothing more. Apart from sporadic Model UN debates happening in the city, there has not been much emphasis about creating a professional debating society, which would not only enrich the knowledge of students but also give a perfect platform to brainstorm.
However, Stella Maris College is trying to buck this trend. They have the only professional Parliamentary Debate Society in Chennai, which groom women debaters who are far and few in the city. Over the course of these years, the stature of the debating society of the college has grown to such an extent that they send student jury to the biggest debating competitions in India, and also win several competitions across the country.
“In Chennai, debating is restricted to being just a co-curricular or extra-curricular activity. Else, students alienate themselves from debating after their first year of college. To change this perception, our debating society has been working towards creating an environment, where debaters can compete with the best in the business, to hone their skills,” starts Dravina Seenivasan, the student president of the parliamentary debating society in the college. She goes on to say that in spite of Stella Maris College Parliamentary Debate (SMCPD) being the only official event in the city, they have been able to attract the top colleges from around the country — “Though its been only four years since we started this, colleges like St. Stephens and IIT-Bombay participate in our debating competitions, and we also bring juries from abroad.”
Apart from coordinating SMCPD, Dravina was also selected to be one of the Deputy Core Adjudicators in Indian Women’s Debating Competition (IWDC) in IIT-Bombay. “I was floored when I got this opportunity. The best part about debating is that not only the teams, but also the judges get evaluated. I’m happy that I got good feedback from the participants!” she exclaims.
One of the teams from the college also won novice finals in IWDC. “It was a one-of-its-kind experience. We got a chance to interact with people of various cultures and all of us talking about one particular issue, enlightened us,” says Akanksha Soni, one of the winners. Speaking about what makes debating an important skill to master for women, Kritajnya, another winner, says that it is the best way for a youngster to brainstorm — “It’s a common notion that only boys take part in debates prominently. It’s wrong. In fact, we sometimes convey our thoughts better than they do. And, it gives a right platform for us to prove that even we’re interested in economics and politics!”
“In a few years time, I hope that there’d be a professional debating society in every college in Chennai. We would work towards achieving this,” says Dravina on a concluding note.
