On December 8, the US consulate in Calcutta in collaboration with iLead (Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development) hosted the annual Jefferson Debate. The eighth edition of the debate took place on the iLead campus at Topsia. Following a hiatus owing to the pandemic, the 2021 Jefferson Debate returned with a compelling clash of intellectual discourse between bright minds and strong voices. Keeping the tradition of the topic surrounding the US-India relationship, the motion for this year’s debate was “The US-India strategic relationship will boost business growth in the Indo-Pacific Region”. With 14 colleges from Bengal participating, the battle of wits began.
The powerful session was moderated by Adrian Pratt, director, American Center and the panel of judges included US consul general Melinda Pavek, executive vice president of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) Kapil Kaul, and president of the recently opened Bengal chapter of the Asian-African Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Debdatta Nandwani.
Pradip Chopra, chairman of iLead along with director Pragya Chopra felicitated the dignitaries to start the event and Pavek took the stage to share a few words. “The strongest democracies thrive and flourish through frequent and lively debates in which we counter, question, and agree to disagree. These are a cornerstone of our identity, both in India and the United States. Such debates must always leave room for everyone to show up with curiosity, diverse opinions, honest questioning, openness, and a belief in lifelong learning. This seems especially important here in Calcutta, where the act of engaging in the adda has been raised to a fine art form and I’ve been told that an argumentative Bengali can raise a storm in a teacup!” she said.
And raise a storm, they did. Students from various universities and colleges such as Calcutta University, Sanskrit College, South Calcutta Girls’ College, Jadavpur University and more gathered together to debate, discourse and intellectually support or challenge the motion. From discussing the effects of the Indo-US bilateral trades and the culmination of multi-lateral agreements in order to liberalise trade, to addressing rising hegemonies and monopolies within the sector of trade, they went at it in a neck-to-neck competition. Bringing into question the vast area that is the Indo-Pacific region consisting of over 20 countries, contestants urged that the US-India strategic relationship consider the impact that it might have on these countries if they provide an inclusive alternative for Indo-Pacific countries to opt for, through a multi-lateral agreement. Emphasising China’s rising influence and the lack of alternatives for these countries, contestants also highlighted that these countries have no choice but to succumb to China. Other contestants acknowledged the power of two of the world’s largest democracies and the crucial role their relationship plays in promoting peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
The debate spanned over two hours, with some heated moments, engaging statements and sublime oratory delivery. While the panel deliberated on the results, t2 had a chance to speak with Adrian Pratt regarding the experience. “I was just blown away by the quality of the students’ debate, the power of the arguments, the fact and figures that they were able to conjure up so quickly. To stand up in front of so many people and be challenged sometimes by your fellow debaters, you have to think on your feet, you have to be versatile and I was just amazed by how self-possessed and self-confident the speakers were. So, I absolutely loved it.”
The panel stepped forward to award the winners of the 2021 Jefferson Debate following a fun and interactive quiz session. Calcutta University’s Department of Law’s trio were the winning team, bagging first place in the competition. Teams from Sanskrit College and South Calcutta Girls College took home awards for the first runner-up and second runner-up positions respectively. Natasa Aziz from the winning team took home an additional award for being the best speaker of the 2021 Jefferson Debate.
“The experience today was wonderful. It was difficult to judge the debates because everyone brought very different ideas and they were very good at weaving their different ideas. There wasn’t enough time to really consider all of the wonderful ideas that they brought, so we had to really look at it as an overall perspective — which arguments made the most cohesive sense and were the best articulated. I really appreciated it. The motion was very timely and important. Of course, the US and India relationship, as I said in my opening remarks, is becoming closer and closer. We do have a strategic partnership and, of course, it’s very important in order to work together on improving the development and the economic activities in the Indo-Pacific region. And so, I think it was a very important topic to discuss at this time,” Pavek told t2 after the distribution of the awards.
American Center Director Adrian Pratt moderated the tense debate
(L-R) Tannistha Banerjee, Debapriti Sengupta and Arimitra Debroy from Sanskrit College were the first runners-up.
(From left to right) Jaba Mondal, Sneha Debnath and Aratrika Majumdar from South Calcutta Girls’ College were the second-runners up of the event.
Pradip Chopra, chairman of iLead, started off the event with a warm welcoming speech reminiscing the influence of Thomas Jefferson and BR Ambedkar in his life.
“There is no better way to celebrate the spirit and future of our vibrant democracies than by hearing from young leaders like you all on how you view the rapidly changing global scenario,” said US consul general Melinda Pavek as she felicitated the 2021 Jefferson Debate.
Pictures: B. Halder