Home Dehradun VoW-Mantrana: Debating on another level

VoW-Mantrana: Debating on another level

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By Dr Tania Saili Bakshi

Dehradun, 29 Oct: In its fifth pan-India edition, the Valley of Words Lit Fest, in collaboration with Mantrana Debating Society of DAV (PG) College, Dehradun, will organise its second season of online “VoW-Mantrana Debate Championship, 2021”.
Running into the third edition this year, VoW and Mantrana Debating Society are broadening the scope of the competition by opening up participation to universities and colleges across India, free of cost. The initiative seeks to inculcate the art of perfect public speaking, especially among the youth.
The online competition will be held in four rounds, each with a distinct style of debating. The first round of the competition, i.e., the preliminary round, started on 10 October. Post the preliminary level elimination, there will be the quarter-finals, semi-finals, with four finalists making their way into the Grand finale to be held in the third week of November in Dehradun.
Judged by eminent panellists, this annual VoW-Mantrana Debate Championship is gaining popularity with young students when it comes to professional-manned debating societies.
Director, Mantrana Debating Society, Dr Onima Sharma reveals, “In the first season, the participation was restricted to Universities and Colleges of Dehradun. The mode of the second debate was offline. In the second season, we gained access to participants from other states as well. I believe that the quality and quantity of participation, both, have increased. We witnessed some amazing performances which were analytical and thorough with the research.”
Elaborating on what are the changes this year, Onima highlights, “This year the format is a bit different. We will organise different forms of Debate, e.g., Turncoat, Speech and Conventional. We are sure this year, too, this Championship is going to be a grand success.”
The winner of last year’s online VoW-Mantrana Debate, Sundeep Krishnan says, “The way this debate is conducted gives me an immense sense of optimism. This glorious debating society is altogether on another level. It is very professional.Everything is up-to-date and the topics are innovative, which makes you dive into serious research. This year the legacy has to go forward and we look forward to an interesting line-up yet again.”
With a lot of prizes to be won, including trophies, cash prizes, and e-certificates for all participants, the competition gives young minds a platform to exchange ideas and put their thoughts into words.
Tune into: valleyofwords.org for more on the Lit Fest.