Feature




Tanvir Ahmed Haroon

Debating is a big phenomenon in Bangladesh. Nearly all the universities, both public and private, have debating clubs. IUB is no exception. During the month of March, the IUB Debating Club (IUBDC) went to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi to take part in a debating tournament. It was a four-day tournament that began on March 8th and concluded on March 11th. IUB sent a five-member delegate team consisting of Nafis Ahmed, Tareq Ismail, Imran Chowdhury, Zakir Hossain and Tanvir Ahmed Haroon.

We arrived at Kolkata and took a 24-hour long train journey to Delhi. This was a great experience for us, since we had never been on such a long train journey before. Arriving in Delhi, we were greeted by our hosts at the station. The IIT campus is 40 minutes drive from the New Delhi station. After reaching the IIT campus we were given two rooms in the dorm.

The very next day was the inaugural ceremony. The Chancellor of the University chaired the event. Some 28 teams took part in the tournament. The judges then described the rules of the debate and had a mock debate for the adjudication exam. After the debate, the ceremony came to an end and we all moved to the party hall for a concert. Local bands performed in the concert.

The debate tournament began on the next day, and went on for 3 rounds. The topics were open-ended motions. The entire competition was a hybrid of Asian debating style as well as a powerful influence from local debating styles. By the second day, the top eight teams went on for the quarterfinals and semi finals. This debate was a good experience for new debaters like Nafis and Tareq. It was also a good chance to see the Indian universities up close. Finally the day of our departure arrived, but before that we went sightseeing around Delhi. The India gate is a really marvelous place, and equally marvelous are the Jame Masjid and the Red Fort. When we had to leave India, it was another 16-hour train journey to Kolkata and then from there to home.

The experience of the debate was exciting and it just proves how in every country there are various styles of debating.