Is there a level playing field in the real world? Participants in the second annual debate of the Rotary Club of Kolkata Urbana (RCKU) tussled with this question inside Swami Vivekananda Auditorium of Heritage School, East Kolkata Township, on May 21.
“This house believes meritocracy has no meaning in this country” — students, rotaractors and rotarians spoke for and against this motion proposed at the event, which was moderated by Sandip Chatterjee, a neurosurgeon associated with Park Clinic.
RCKU president and acclaimed filmmaker Arindam Sil declared the debate open. “Whether it’s lifestyle or food, choices are increasingly being dropped down on us. But we must be able to breathe in free air,” he said.
The debate in progress Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
“We should speak out with courage. The culture of public speaking is important and that’s why RCKU has organised this debate,” he added.
Ten participants — five for and five against the motion — were engaged in a battle of wits during the debate.
Those who spoke in favour of the motion were Yaasra Kamal, Class XII, St. Teresa’s Secondary School; Ravi Bose, Class XII, Garden High International School; Swastika Roy, Class XII, St. Teresa’s Secondary School; Rahul Laha, second year, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Heritage Institute of Technology; and Kaushik Bhattacharyya, member, Rotary Club of Behala, and managing partner, Pied Piper Marketing Services LLP.
Yaasra Kamal being awarded on the stage Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
The opposing participants included Rishav Mitra, Class XII, South City International School; Sankhadeep Shome, member, Rotaract Club of Central Calcutta and advocate, Calcutta High Court; Aishani Banerjee, Class X, St. Teresa’s Secondary School; Abhinandita Roy, Class X, St. Teresa’s Secondary School; and Rituja Bhattacharya, second year, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Heritage Institute of Technology.
At the end of the debate, the motion proposed by the house got defeated by audience voting.
Sankhadeep Shome receiving his award Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
All the participants were awarded trophies, certificates and books. Yaasra Kamal and Sankhadeep Shome were declared best speakers, respectively, for and against the motion.
Kamal told My Kolkata that she had been a public speaker since the second grade. “I try to learn from my opponents at every public speaking event,” she said.
“The schoolchildren competing alongside us brought in fresh perspectives. That was something I learnt from this debate,” said Shome.