University Debating and Literary Club organises AMU National Debate Competition
Aligarh : The Aligarh Muslim University Debating and Literary Club (UDLC) organised the AMU National Debate Competition 2024, a part of its 50 year-celebrations, on the motion “This house believes that the future of the global world order will be determined in the Indo-Pacific”, where UP Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan (DUVASU), Mathura bagged the rolling trophy by winning in the English and Hindi categories of the debate.
The trilingual event conducted in English, Hindi and Urdu, ran across two venues- Maulana Azad Library Cultural Hall and Kennedy Auditorium of the University.
In the English and Hindi categories, Lovely Professional University and Delhi School of Journalism were declared Runner Ups respectively.
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi bagged the winning trophy in the Urdu segment whereas Aligarh Muslim University finished second.
Syed Aqsa and Maziya of Aligarh Muslim University bagged the second best speaker award in the English and Hindi category respectively. Shoaib Ahmed from Jamia Millia Islamia was awarded the same in the Urdu segment.
Ishita Singh and Aditya Maheshwari from DUVASU swept the best speaker category in the English and Hindi segments respectively, whereas Aligarh Muslim University’s Sarim Ayyubi was awarded the same in the Urdu category.
The event concluded with a Prize Distribution Ceremony at the Kennedy Auditorium which was graced by Prof. Naima Khatoon Gulrez, Principal, Women’s College, AMU as the Chief Guest, and Prof. Asfar Ali Khan, Officer on Special Duty, as the Guest of Honour.
In her address, Prof. Naima Khatoon appreciated the efforts of the University Debating and Literary Club in organising the National Debate Competition. She remarked that co-curricular activities such as debate play a crucial role in shaping one’s personality.
Congratulating the participating teams, Prof. Asfar Ali Khan said that healthy sportsmanship is the most important aspect of any competition, as those who participate are already winners as they have learnt to overcome their stage-fright.
Prof. F.S. Sherani, Co-ordinator, Cultural Education Centre, thanked the team of University Debating and Literary Club and said that dialogue, discourse and debate were three elements applauded by Sir Syed and we are trying to maintain the legacy.
Dr. Sadaf Fareed, President, University Debating and Literary Club informed that UDLC has completed 50 years and various competitions including this national debate competition, have been organised since 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of UDLC.
Secretary of the club, Miss Aafiya Rizvi informed that 21 teams from various colleges and universities participated in the AMU National Debate Competition. Each university was represented by two candidates, one for and one against the motion. The competition followed a conventional debating format where each participant was allotted a time slot of 3+1+1 minutes.
The English segment of the debate was chaired by Prof. Nazia Hasan, Department of English. She was accompanied by two judges, Dr. Orus Ilyas, Department of Wildlife Sciences and Dr. Syed Tehseen Raza, Department of Strategic and Security Studies. The session was conducted by Amna Asim Khan.
The session for the Urdu segment was headed by Prof. Sagheer Afraheem as the Chair. Alongside him, Dr. Aftab Alam and Dr. Sarfaraz Anwar from the Department of Urdu acted as the judges for this category.
The Hindi segment was chaired by Mr. Ajay Bisaria and judged by Dr. Nazish Begum and Dr. Shahbaz Ali Khan from the Department of Hindi, AMU. The Urdu and Hindi segments were conducted by Zunaira Habib Alvi. Mohd. Shams Ud Doha Khan anchored the Ceremony.
Ms. Aiman Khan, senior member, UDLC proposed a vote of thanks.