It is unfortunate that our young generation is being ruled by politicians who can’t see beyond themselves. Greed and self-interest is the only agenda that our leaders have
It is good to see that the spirit of debate is still alive in a society that is always divided over issues. Perhaps what is more heartening is that this spirit has taken root in the minds of the young people in the country. Given the fact how low the quality of national debate has sunk in the country, it is good that schools are encouraging and ensuring that both girls and boys learn that in a good debate content must have a combination of facts that are delivered with plenty of emotion.
However, this is strikingly missing if one watches the quality if debates that one sees in the media today. Of course, the non-existent Assembly sessions in the States are a sad descent into barely rare sessions, brief sittings and non-essential dramatics usually outside the House when the session is on. The last major debate that one had seen in Parliament pertained to the Indo-US Nuclear Agreement. But even that took place during the UPA-I rule. This is a sad state of affairs because the public believes that it is the law that is ruling the country.
But it is the youth that never cease to amaze me. Each time one speaks with them, they appear to be sharper and well-informed about what is happening, not only in India but also in other countries. It is no surprising then that they expect others to be just as smart.
I recently, attended an inter-school debate competition at the Modern School. The children who had participated were extremely articulate. In fact, I had not expected them to be so clear on the topic that they spoke on. Greater exposure, school guidance and parental training was there for all to see. And it was not just Delhi schools which did well. Children from neighbouring States who had also participated did well too.
The debaters from each team showed their prowess on various subjects as well as ensuring correct grammatical usage. Though of course, they sounded as if they had been asked to learn the debate by heart, it did not take away the fact that the general quality of the debate was high and the content on most topics was topical. It was a joy to judge the event. Their enthusiasm was infectious. Despite the loud noise they were making, their behaviour was much better than what we get to see from some of our own leaders.
While boys appeared to be fairing better, the girls gave a good fight. They were just as articulate, just as logical and put across their point with a lot of conviction.
This while Parliament still continues to debate over Women’s Reservation Bill. Given half a chance, the girls of this generation will prove to be go-getters with great oratory skills.
As a woman I was a bit disappointed that the girls were runners-ups but it made up for the fact that they put up a good fight.It was also good to see that some teams had young members as well.
Sadly, the platform for debates are now restricted to TV only. Therefore, a few new elements in the competition were introduced to test the skills of the debater.
The need to put across an argument in one line and the skill of altering arguments mid-way were put to the test. Whether this exercise was done with the view of creating future TV anchors or just to sharpen the young minds, I don’t know. But one thing is clear — our youth is learning the art of debating and discourse which is the true lifeline of any good democracy.