Let the dialogue continue: Top Speak for India debaters gear up

New Delhi: At just 18 years old, Cheshtha Malik had bid adieu to debating back in the ninth grade, drowned in the sea of academic pressures. But lo and behold, ‘Speak for India’ came knocking on her door, reviving the sheer joy of speaking her mind freely, armed with facts and wit. Now she’s left pondering: Why on earth did she ever abandon debating in the first place?
Nurturing the next generation of articulate voices, the preliminary rounds of the 3rd Delhi edition of ‘Speak for India’, organised by Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation in collaboration with The Times of India and Navbharat Times, started in the month of January and after multiple rounds both on ground and online, the top debaters are now lined up for the finals.
“Confronting over a hundred contenders at the district level after four rounds was no mean feat,” said an organiser. Out of the many debaters, 38 speakers advanced to the semi-final rounds at Tecnia Institute of Advanced Studies on Monday. The semi-finals witnessed a fierce battle and only eight contenders qualified for the finals. Among the finalists are Ojasvi Gupta, Somedutta Chakraborty, Shashank Gupta, Priyadarshini Singh, Priya Singh, Cheshta Malik, Priyanshu Raj and Pankaj Upadhyay, with five out of the eight students hailing from Delhi University colleges.
Semi-finalist Darshika from Jesus and Mary College told TOI, “The nerve-racking aspect of this competition is the tediousness of the several rounds that one needs to qualify. It feels great that I reached this stage, defeating so many strong contestants from the Delhi-NCR region.”
‘Speak for India’ is not just a competition but also a platform offering mentorship, resources, and opportunities for participants to refine their skills and contribute meaningfully to societal discourse. Since its inception in 2014, the initiative has been empowering over two lakh students annually.
“Public speaking has always been a passion. The management of Speak for India conducts the best group discussion because it’s moderated in a way that everybody gets a chance. ‘Should politicians have an age of retirement?’ was my initial topic,” said semi-finalist Jonath Joby.
The grand finale of the Delhi-NCR edition is slated to take place at Mata Sundri College for Women, New Delhi, on March 19. Distinguished guests, including Justice Uday Umesh Lalit (CJI retired), Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar Anand VSM, and actor-author Tisca Chopra, are set to grace the occasion.
Finalist Somedutta Chakraborty said, “During the event, I learned the importance of research.”
Semi-finalist contestant Arun Kumar, a visually impaired student from St Stephen’s College, stated, “I learned the importance of understanding the topic perfectly first before rushing into the arguments.”
One observation reportedly made by most finalists is that content and conviction are important in debating.
One of the judges, Nidhi Mediratta, a soft skill trainer, said, “These contestants are lucky; they will have an edge in the future. Public speaking is the most important skill in today’s time.”