This year’s competition will again be run by the British Council India and the Institute of Ideas, and is supported by the UK competition’s primary funder the Wellcome Trust.

DM India will commence with an online elimination test beginning on 1 July 2009 to be followed by Regional Final events in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai during November and December and culminating in a residential National Final running from 14 -16 January 2010.

At the end of April, Tony Gilland was pleased to make a flying visit to the British Council’s head office in Delhi to help launch the 2009/10 competition and to chair a showcase debate in front of a packed audience of more than four hundred students and teachers. As students arrived for the event, the level of enthusiasm and excitement was evident despite the sweltering 45 degree temperature.

A central feature of the launch event was a debate between the champions of the pilot competition, S.M. Choksey High School & Junior College, Pune, and the North India regional winners, Delhi Public School, Noida. Auzita Irani and Mrinalini Shinde from S.M. Choksey School argued for the motion “In today’s India, our unity is being undermined by our diversity” and Tejaswi Chhatwal and Pragati Mitta from DPS Noida argued against. The exchange of ideas and argument between the two teams, judges and audience was superb. In a Q&A session afterwards, it was gratifying to have a number of teachers stand up to tell everyone why they thought Debating Matters is so worthwhile.

Meena Vaidyanathan, Head of External Communications, HCL Technologies Ltd, who judged the debate described Debating Matters as a “fantastic opportunity” that “not only places a premium on knowledge and research”, but “allows Indian students to experiment with informed opinion at a young age – something they are not necessarily used to doing”. The other judges were Shruti Pandey, a practising lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and Delhi High Court, and Rajeet Ranjan Sinha, a television producer for Zee News. Sujata Sen, Director East India, British Council, praised Debating Matters for “providing an exciting new format for debate in India that emphasises content and intellectual rigour over all else” and for “fostering a questioning culture that invites participants to delve deeper into issues that affect their lives and society.”

Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, has also stated why the Trust is supporting DM India:

In addition to funding world-class biomedical research, a significant part of the Wellcome Trust’s mission is to promote public debate about science. Following on from our considerable investment in Debating Matters in the UK, I’m delighted the Trust is supporting Debating Matters India, particularly as we have recently partnered with the Indian Government in an ambitious scheme to fund some of the best biomedical scientists in India.

Science will always be a source of differing points of view as new knowledge and technologies emerge to challenge us. The key is for us to make decisions based on rational arguments using the best available evidence. Each Debating Matters competition proves that young people, both in the UK and India, are fiercely committed to intelligent and clear discussion of contemporary ideas.

FURTHER HELP

If you’re interested in getting Debating Matters going in another country contact Tony Gilland.