LSR wins top honours at DU’s K K Birla National Hindi Debate

The four-hour contest saw 25 teams draw on judgments, mass movements and current crises while a three member jury evaluated arguments shaped through campus research.

Twenty-five teams from colleges across Delhi participated in the 10th K K Birla National Conventional Hindi Debate at Delhi University’s Hindu College on Wednesday afternoon, speaking for and against the motion “The Indian Constitution is merely a weapon of the governments.”

Suresh Rituparna, Director of the KK Birla Foundation (L), and Manju Bala, teacher in-charge of Vagmi (the debating society) (R), present a first prize to Lady Shri Ram College students, Arya Dixit along with Krishna Pathak during a Debate Competition by KK Birla Foundation at Hindu College on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

The competition was organised jointly by the college debating society Vagmi and the KK Birla Foundation and had a three-member jury panel. The judges panel comprised Nikhil Wath, senior editor, Khabargaon and Lallantop; Sunil Joshi, assistant professor of Hindu College, and Anil Rajgarh, assistant professor of Aditi Mahavidyalaya.

Across more than four hours, the two member teams addressed themes that have shaped the Constitution since its inception, ranging from landmark judgments to mass movements. Speakers referred to the Justice K S Puttaswamy ruling on the right to privacy, the JP movement, the basic structure doctrine and episodes of press censorship. Students, mainly undergraduates aged 19 to 23, also flagged current issues such as electoral bonds, the Manipur crisis and arrests under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Several participants stressed that the Constitution is a living document that has repeatedly protected citizens’ rights.

The first prize was awarded to Arya Dixit and Krishna Pathak of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, who received ₹6,000. “We are from Gwalior and studied together in the same school. We have been friends for the past four years and have participated in several debates together,” said Krishna Pathak, a second year Political Science Honours student. She added that once the topic was announced, they consulted professors and seniors before researching the arguments they wished to foreground. Krishna highlighted in her speech that despite constitutional guarantees of equal citizenship for women, issues such as safety and representation in Parliament receive limited focus since governments shaping the Constitution have been patriarchal. Arya, meanwhile, cited amendments such as the 73rd, which provided 33 percent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions, to argue that the Constitution has also been used to empower women.

Teams from Ramjas College and Deshbandhu College won the second and third prizes, receiving ₹3,000 and ₹2,000. A participation prize of ₹1,000 was introduced this year and awarded to Shri Venkateshwar College.

Nearly 70 people, including participants, students and faculty members, were present at the competition. Dr Suresh Rituparna, director of KK Birla Foundation, attended as the chief guest.

Speaking on the event, Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava said the debate helped students reflect on constitutional values. “It was heartening to see the participants present their views with remarkable logic and factual accuracy,” she said.